What:
The Cherryvale Post Office will celebrate the appearance of hometown favorite Vivian Vance on a U.S. postage stamp by presenting an enlargement of the stamp to Vance’s relatives in front of the home where she was born 100 years ago. The stamp pictures Vivian Vance and Lucille Ball in a memorable scene from I Love Lucy. It is one of 20 Early TV Memories postage stamps that pay tribute to TV productions from the Golden Age of Television. The stamps will debut at Post Offices nationwide Aug. 11.

Who:
Relatives of Vivian Vance, including her second cousins, Imogene Ragan Littell, Jack Ragan, and Carolyn Clark. Cherryvale Postmaster Daniel Wishall will make the presentation.

When:
10:00 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009

Where:
309 W 6th, Cherryvale, Kan.

Background:
Born Vivian Roberta Jones in Cherryvale, Kan., in 1909, Vivian Vance was the second of six children born to Robert Jones and Euphemia Ragan. When she was six years old her family moved to Independence, Kan., where she eventually began her dramatic studies at Independence High School.

As bandleader Ricky Ricardo and his wife, Lucy, real-life spouses Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball had a major hit with this comedic battle of the sexes. William Frawley and Vivian Vance played their landlords and best friends, Fred and Ethel Mertz. Invariably, Lucy’s desire to escape from her life as a housewife resulted in wacky adventures like the one depicted in the stamp art, with Ethel (left) and Lucy trying to keep up with candy moving rapidly on a conveyor belt. Vance won an Emmy award in 1954 for her portrayal of Ethel Mertz on I Love Lucy.

I Love Lucy premiered in 1951 and became an immediate hit, spending four of its six seasons as the highest-rated show on television. It was filmed before a live audience with an innovative three-camera system that subsequently became an industry standard. Perhaps the most beloved of all sitcoms, it remains popular worldwide in syndication.

The Early TV Memories commemorated in the 20 stamp set include: Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet; Alfred Hitchcock Presents; Dinah Shore Show; Dragnet; Ed Sullivan Show; George Burns & Gracie Allen Show; Hopalong Cassidy; The Honeymooners; Howdy Doody; I Love Lucy; Kukla, Fran and Ollie; Lassie; The Lone Ranger; Perry Mason; Phil Silvers Show; The Red Skelton Show; Texaco Star Theater; Tonight Show; Twilight Zone; and, You Bet Your Life.

# # #

Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.