National Postal Museum Receives Donation from Family of George W. Brett

The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum has received a donation from the family of the late George W. Brett to create the George W. Brett Philatelic Endowment Fund. This endowment will fund philatelic researchers who use the museum’s collections for publication projects. It will also support the museum’s publishing of exhibition catalogs and curatorial philatelic research.

“George Brett was the most prolific scholar of U.S. philately, and the museum is delighted to honor him with the endowed fund and with the holdings of his archives. His legacy will continue as a major contributor to philatelic literature,” said Cheryl Ganz, chief curator of philately.

Brett was born May 20, 1912, in Spirit Lake, Iowa. He worked as a railway post office clerk from 1936-1942, joined the U.S. Navy shortly afterward while working in the Republic of Panama and then received his degree from the University of Chicago. Brett was widely regarded as the authority on U.S. stamp production. He wrote more than 500 reports and articles and authored the books “The Giori Press” in 1961 and “Printing Methods and Techniques” in 1985. He was a member of the American Philatelic Society, Philatelic Foundation and Postmaster General’s Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee.

The National Postal Museum is devoted to presenting the colorful and engaging history of the nation’s mail service and showcasing one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of stamps and philatelic material in the world. It is located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue N.E., Washington, D.C., across from Union Station. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). For more information about the Smithsonian, please call (202) 633-1000 or TTY (202) 633-5285. Visit the museum Web site at www.postalmuseum.si.edu.

# # #

SI-356-2009