Deaf History - Thomas H. Gallaudet Stamp

Honoring a Deaf Educator

The information for this article was provided by Gary Viall, who made a fascinating presentation on the topic at a Northern Virginia Association of the Deaf meeting.

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet is a man of such reknown in deaf education history that he was honored on a postage stamp by the U.S. Postal Service. Gallaudet's stamp was part of the "Great Americans" series put out by the Postal Service.

This stamp, released June 10, 1983, featured a drawing of Gallaudet by a hearing artist. A deaf artist, William Sparks, had also drawn Gallaudet for the drawing competition but his drawing was not selected. (Sparks' rejected drawing is not available for public viewing as it is the property of the U.S. Postal Service).

First Day of Release of Gallaudet Stamp

The day of release was marked by a ceremony at the American School for the Deaf (ASD) in West Hartford, Connecticut. That day West Hartford had a special cancellation stating "First Day of Issue." Other rarities were also offered:

• Illustrated envelope sets with the ASD, Gallaudet College, the Gallaudet/Cogswell statue, and Gallaudet's portrait.
• Historical fact sheet with the Gallaudet stamp

In addition, there were also official and unofficial cachets produced.

Years of Effort to Get a Gallaudet Stamp

It was not easy to get a Gallaudet stamp. According to Viall, it took several years of effort, finally led to success by Kenneth Rothschild, Chairman of the Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet Stamp Committee. It had taken 30 years before the Postal Service agreed to issue such a stamp in 1981. The winning stamp portrait was unveiled at Gallaudet College in June 1982.