HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

29

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

ENCOURAGING THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE TO HOST THE FINAL CEREMONY MARKING THE RELEASE OF THE "SOUVENIR SHEET" OF ALL TWELVE CHINESE LUNAR NEW YEAR COMMEMORATIVE POSTAGE STAMPS IN HAWAII IN JANUARY 2005.

 

 

WHEREAS, in 1988, the Organization of Chinese-Americans proposed the idea of a postage stamp that would commemorate the important contribution of the Chinese people in America; and

WHEREAS, three years later, with support from members of Congress, nationwide community groups, and then Postmaster General Anthony Frank, the renowned Chinese-American graphic designer, Clarence Lee, who was born and raised in Honolulu and educated at Yale, was selected to design one stamp depicting the Chinese lunar symbol for 1993 – the "Year of the Rooster"; and

WHEREAS, the overwhelming demand for the stamp made it one of the most successful issues in the history of the United States Postal Service; and

WHEREAS, as a result, the United States Postal Service commissioned Clarence Lee to design eleven more lunar new year stamps, one in each succeeding year to depict the full twelve years of the Chinese zodiac; and

WHEREAS, the series depicts twelve animal figures, faithfully following the ancient Chinese art of paper-cut, a tradition stretching back over two thousand years; and

WHEREAS, the series of twelve lunar new year stamps comprise one of the most important series ever issued by the United States Postal Service, was the first series to have been designed by a single person, and is by far the most popular series ever issued, with over one hundred million stamps bought by collectors throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, on December 29, 2003, during a ceremony staged at the East-West Center, Postmaster General John E. Potter and Clarence Lee unveiled the 2005 Lunar New Year Commemorative stamps: the "Souvenir Sheet," a full set of all twelve of the Lunar New Year stamps, which will not go on sale until 2005; and

WHEREAS, it is altogether fitting that the final ceremony marking the release of the "Souvenir Sheet" of all twelve of the Clarence Lee-designed Chinese Lunar New Year commemorative stamps be held in Hawaii, where they were created; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, that the United States Postal Service is encouraged to host the final ceremony marking the release of the "Souvenir Sheet" of all twelve Chinese Lunar New Year commemorative stamps, designed by Clarence Lee, in Hawaii in January 2005; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Postmaster General of the United States Postal Service, the Hawaii Postmaster, members of Hawaii's congressional delegation, the Governor, and Mr. Clarence Lee.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Lunar New Year Commemorative Stamps; Final Ceremony in Hawaii