CANTON, OH — The life and achievements of Lady Bird Johnson will be honored at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, April 12, 2013, along with a special dedication of the Lady Bird Johnson souvenir Forever stamps sheet. The event is being presented by the National First Ladies’ Library at the First Ladies’ National Historic Site, 205 Market Avenue South, Canton, Ohio 44702. Mary Regula, wife of former Congressman Ralph Regula, and children from Whittier Elementary School will join USPS Northern Ohio Acting District Manager Jesus Galvez and USPS Acting Manager of Customer Services Tracy Carter in dedicating the stamps. Everyone who attends the event will receive a Lady Bird Johnson or a Wildflower Forever Stamp on an envelope with a pictorial postmark featuring the First Ladies’ Library. The event is free and open to the general public, but as seating is limited, reservations are required by calling 330.452.0876 ext 307. (No reservations required for representatives from the news media.)

“Lady Bird Johnson changed the face of America — literally,” said Akron Post Office Customer Relations Coordinator Jane Greenland. “She believed we had a responsibility to our environment to restore what had been damaged — and to remember what had been neglected. That’s why she led campaigns to clean up our cities and urged more Americans to visit national parks. One of her proudest achievements was the Highway Beautification Act. She was so vocal in her support for the legislation that it became known as ‘Lady Bird’s Bill.’”

The Lady Bird Johnson souvenir sheet features six stamps, a quote from the First Lady reflecting her belief that the environment is our common ground, and a black-and-white image of the First Lady taken from a family photograph shot in 1963 by Yoichi Okamoto. Text on the back of the stamp sheet highlights a few of Lady Bird Johnson’s many successes. The single stamp on the right side of the sheet features her official White House portrait, an oil painting by Elizabeth Shoumatoff showing the seated First Lady wearing a buttercup yellow empire-waist gown.

The five stamps on the left, adaptations of stamps originally issued in the 1960s commemorate the visible legacy left by her projects — and encourage others to follow.

The top stamp reads “Plant for more Beautiful Streets” and shows a row of blooming crab apple trees along a paved suburban road.

The second from the top offers the encouragement to “Plant for more Beautiful Parks,” with an image of a field of daffodils along the Potomac River with the Washington Monument in the background.

“Plant for a more Beautiful America,” the center stamp, depicts the Jefferson Memorial in the background seen through branches of flowering cherry blossoms.

The fourth stamp is a scene of yellow and blue wildflowers along a highway with the caption, “Plant for more Beautiful Highways.”

The last stamp, which reads “Plant for more Beautiful Cities,” shows plantings of pink and red azaleas and white tulips with the U.S. Capitol in the distance.

The original engraved stamps — featuring art by Walter D. Richards (four stamps, issued in 1969) and Gyo Fujikawa (center stamp, issued in 1966) — have been adapted for printing in offset lithography by artist Paloma Alcalá of Alexandria, VA.

The Lady Bird Johnson stamps are issued as Forever stamps. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

The stamps, which were released at select locations nationwide on November 30, 2012, will be available for purchase following the event. The stamps will also be available at the North Canton Post Office, 1212 N. Main St., Canton OH; the Akron Main Post Office, 675 Wolf Ledges Parkway, Akron OH; online at usps.com/stamps or by calling 800-STAMP24. To learn more about Lady Bird Johnson, and to download photos and view a video, visit ladybirdjohnson.org.

• Event: Honoring the life and achievements of Lady Bird Johnson with a special dedication of the Lady Bird Johnson souvenir Forever stamps sheet.
• Date: Friday, April 12, 2013
• Location: First Ladies’ National Historic Site, 205 Market Avenue South, Canton, Ohio 44702
• Time: Doors open at 9:45 a.m.; program begins at 10:00 a.m.

The event is free and open to the general public; Seating is limited, call 330.452.0876 ext 307 for reservations.

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