The United States Post Office Department issued a stamp honoring African-
American educator Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) as part of its Famous
Americans Series. The nation’s first stamp to honor an African-American, it
holds a unique place in American history.

Born a slave in Hale’s Ford, Virginia, Washington served as a role model for
other struggling African-Americans, and, as founder of Alabama’s Tuskegee
Normal Industrial School (renamed Tuskegee Institute in 1937), he profoundly
influenced the community’s self-esteem and self-reliance.

In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, responding to numerous petitions
from African-American supporters, recognized the timeliness of such a stamp
and directed that Washington be considered for this important stamp series.

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ED DANAHUE

John William Oates was born in New York.

Oates is half of the rock and soul duo Hall & Oates
with Daryl Hall. The two met at Temple University. He
and Hall signed with Atlantic Records in 1972 and
went on to sell more than 80 million albums, not
to mention hitting the charts numerous times. The
two were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
in 2004.

From left: Daryl Hall & John Oates.