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Sender

Mr. and Mrs. J.A. King

Recipient

Rev. Gerard M. Landrey, S.J.

Sent From

Washington, DC

Date

1946-09-25

Description

In 1946, the USPS experimented with "flying post offices" where postal workers would sort mail on planes while in the air. The postal service had great success with the Railway Mail Service (RMS) having postal workers sort mail on moving trains, which allowed them to speed up mail delivery by 12-24 hours. It was thought that the same system could be combined with the speed of air travel to provide even more efficient service. Sorting mail on moving airplanes proved difficult and impractical and the idea never progressed past the experimental phase. First day covers are envelopes or postcards with a stamp canceled on the first day the stamp is available for purchase and use. Often the postmark is a special pictorial cancellation indicating the city and date of issue. First day covers often include a "cachet" or illustration on the envelope that explains or compliments the stamp.

Notes

Father Gerard M. Landrey was born in Boston, MA in 1902 to Joseph and Elizabeth Landrey. He received a Bachelor's and Master's degree from Boston College and a Master's degree from College of the Holy Cross. He earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from Weston College, now part of Boston College. As a chemistry and mathematics teacher, he was among the first faculty at Fairfield Prep in 1942-1943. In 1950, he joined the faculty of Fairfield University to teach Chemistry. In 1953 he left Fairfield to teach chemistry at Boston College. Father Landrey died in 1995 in Weston, MA.

Type

First Day Cover

Original Format

Envelope with stamp; addresses typed; blank notecard inside; 3 5/8 x 6 1/2 in.

Collection

Rev. Gerard M. Landrey, S.J. First Day Cover Collection

Repository

Fairfield University Archives and Special Collections

Identifier

FDC-FlyingPostOffice

Flying post office

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