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Sender

Mr. and Mrs. J.A. King

Recipient

Rev. Gerard M. Landrey, S.J.

Sent From

Washington, DC

Date

1945-10-27

Description

In 1945, the USPS issued a series of stamps to honor the role of the Armed Forces during WWII. This stamp honors the heroic deeds of the US Navy during WWII and is based on a photograph of sailors in summer whites, taken at Corpus Christi Naval Air Station. The sailors faces from the photograph have been retouched however to comply with an 1886 Act of Congress that says a living person cannot be pictured on a postage stamp. Both the Army and Marine stamps in the series, however, do feature images of actual living persons. 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-Navy

United States Navy

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