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WHAT: |
Special dedication ceremony to celebrate the issuance of the new Althea Gibson Forever commemorative postage stamp, the 36th stamp in the U.S. Postal Service’s Black Heritage series. |
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WHO: |
Michael Deignan – Postmaster, Newark NJ HONORED GUESTS: |
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WHEN: |
Saturday, August 24, 2013 |
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WHERE: |
Althea Gibson Tennis Center (Near the Althea Gibson Statue) |
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DETAILS: |
U.S. Postal Service and Essex County officials will celebrate the issuance of the new Althea Gibson Forever commemorative stamp near Ms. Gibson’s statue at Essex County’s Branch Brook Park. The 45-minute gala event will feature speakers, an unveiling / dedication of an enlargement of the new stamp, and youth tennis demonstrations. The ceremony is free and open to the general public. The 36th stamp in the Black Heritage series honors Althea Gibson (1927–2003), a pioneering tennis player who became the first black Wimbledon champion. Gibson helped integrate her sport at the height of the civil rights movement. She twice won Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships (now known as the U.S. Open) and became the top-ranked player in the world. She blazed a trail for a future generation of African-American players, such as Arthur Ashe and sisters Venus and Serena Williams. The racial pioneer lived for many years in East Orange, NJ, and died there in 2003 at the age of 76. Her statue in Branch Brook Park was dedicated in 2007. The stamp is based on a photograph—taken at Wimbledon—of Gibson bending down to hit a low volley. The Althea Gibson stamp is a Forever® stamp, issued in self-adhesive sheets of 20. The Althea Gibson stamp is available at Post Offices nationwide, by calling 1 800-782-6724, and online at USPS.com beginning August 23. For additional information about the Althea Gibson Forever® commemorative stamp, log onto: http://www.beyondtheperf.com/stamp-releases/althea-gibson |
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