of Southern California
Distinguished Service Award for 2007
|
|
Federated Philatelic Clubs of Southern California Distinguished Service Award for 2007 |
|
|
Dr. Gennaro Santangelo Presented by Dr. Lawrence Sherman Tonight's honoree was born a long time ago in a galaxy far away in fact, in 1929 in New York City. In addition to the education he received simply growing up in the rough & tumble of the streets of Long Island, he attended Fordham Prep School and received his B.A. from Fordham College in 1951. Then he spread his wings, became a Fullbright Scholarship Student in Italy and received his Ph.D. in English Literature in 1962 from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After that came years of full-time teaching and passing on his love of literature to students at George Washington University in Washington D.C., the University of the State of New York at Binghamton, and finally at San Diego State University beginning in 1967. He retired from SDSU as a Full Professor in 1992. He and his wife Beth raised their two sons, Bryan and Whitney in San Diego. Recognizing his teaching gift, various university administrations honored him with international teaching postings and responsibilities: as Senior Fullbright Professor to the University of Finland, Turku in 1966; as Director of the California State University Program in Italy, 1974; and as Coordinator and Professor in the SDSU London Program 1998. Along the way, he helped establish the first California State University International Program in Africa and the Bilingual Teacher Program in Mexico City. But enough of these academic reminiscences except for one tiny item of interest. One day during these international years, our honoree noticed a particularly attractive Turkish commemorative stamp on and envelope addressed to him. He had been a stamp collector as a child, but not as an adult. Now, moved by some mysterious force, he soaked the stamp off its envelope and kept it. Thus from its chrysalis, a philatelic pupa emerged as a beautiful butterfly. It is as a philatelist, and particularly in his service to philately, that tonight's award recipient really shines. After flirting with the stamps of Western Europe, he settled down with Postal History, particularly with interrupted mail. He has lived (contentedly with his collections of aquatic interrupted mail mainly maritime disasters and military interrupted mail ever since. He resisted the urge to exhibit until he served SANDICAL San Diego's WSP Show as its Exhibits Chairman. He began exhibiting Aquatic Interrupted Mail in 1996, won his first Gold medal in 1997 and an International Gold award in Japan in 2001. A long-time member of the San Diego County Philatelic Council, our honoree served as Awards Chair for SANDICAL in 1993-1994, and then as exhibits Chairman thereafter, 1994 until today. As exhibits chairman he has used his powers of gentle persuasion to induce a stellar cast of judges and a formidable array of exhibitors to come to our corner of Southern California for SANDICAL every January. He has encouraged the expansion of new APS exhibiting categories and in 2006 championed the experiment of one-page exhibiting, which came to fruition with a frame of one-page exhibits at SANDICAL 2006. Moreover, with his frequent contact with show and exhibit chairpersons in California and Arizona he has helped demonstrate that there is indeed pulsating philatelic life south of the 405 Freeway. I'm glad to be a friend of this collector who has given of himself in service to the California Philatelic Community. It is a pleasure to present this year's Federated Philatelic Clubs of Southern California Distinguished Service Award to Gennaro Santangelo. |
