Harry K. Charles, Jr., Ph.D. has been selected to receive the Walter W. Hopkinson Memorial Literature Award for the best article or series of articles published in The United States Specialist during 2010.  The award is given annually by the United States Stamp Society and consists of an engraved plaque and an honorarium.  The award will be presented at the Annual Meeting of the USSS in Denver in May.

Charles authored “Postal and Treasury Savings Systems,” a series of seven articles, the last five parts of which appeared in 2010, detailing the creation, history and development of the stamps, stationery and ephemera of the departments.  Articles included the Initial Stamp Design, Official Postal Savings Stamps and Stationery, War Savings Stamps, Between the World Wars, the Minuteman Series, World War II, and Savings Stamps.

The Hopkinson Memorial Literature Award selection committee consists of the winners of the award for the last three years.  The Chairman of the committee was Robert G. Rufe, the 2007 winner for his comprehensive series on “The U.S. Special Handling Issues.”  The other members were Larry S. Weiss and Gerald Nylander, 2009 joint winners for their groundbreaking series “Major New Discovery: Two Patterns of USPS Double Line Watermarks Exist.”  Weiss also won the 2008 award for his treatise “Why Collect the U.S. Washington-Franklin Heads? – A 100th Anniversary Tribute.”

The award has been given annually since 1953 in honor of Walter W. Hopkinson.  It was established by his wife, Mrs. Constance B. Hopkinson, in view of her husband’s interest in philatelic scholarship and dissemination of research and knowledge through the Society’s publications.  Hopkinson was a plate number specialist as well as a long time member and vigorous supporter of the Bureau Issue Association, as the Society was then named.

Harry’s selection as the 2010 winner is his first and makes him the 58th recipient of this prestigious award.  This work was also the subject of a presentation given by Dr. Charles at the Winton M. Blount Symposium on Postal History in Washington, DC in September, 2008.  He is also well known for his study of U.S. Postage Due issues.

A complete list of previous winners of the Award can be found on the Society’s website, www.usstamps.org.  Just click on “Feature Articles and Links” and the “Description of Awards given by the Society.”

—Robert G. Rufe
Chairman