The United States Postal Service unveiled a Forever Postage Stamp of President John F. Kennedy on Monday, February 20 to commemorate the 100th year of his birth. It is hard to believe that if President Kennedy had lived, he would be 100 years old on May 29, 2017. He was the second of Joseph and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy's nine children.
The Forever postage stamp was dedicated at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts during the President Day family festival. Hundreds of people attended, despite the fact that it was standing room only for the dedication.
Many of those who attended were Kennedy family members. One was U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy who is the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy. He remarked that he likes the photo on the stamp because it features his grandfather showing optimism and confidence.
Kennedy stamp
On the 49-cents stamp is a black-and-white 1960 photo that was taken by Ted Spiegel while Kennedy was campaigning in Seattle, Washington to become the 35th president. He was 43 years old when he was elected.
That particular photo was chosen because it shows the former President's strength and confidence, according to Representative Joe Kennedy III of the United States Postal Service. He pointed out that his shoulders were strong, his face was lifted and his eyes were looking up.
Photographer Spiegel took the opportunity after the official ceremony was over to show attendees other photos he took of President Kennedy the same day he was campaigning in Seattle, Washington.
Other Kennedy stamps
Over the years, President John F. Kennedy's photo has been on hundreds of postage stamps. However, this is the first and only Forever stamp of him.
That means that if you purchase it for 49 cents, you can use it forever even if the price changes in the future.
Whether you are a stamp collector or not, if you purchase the John F. Kennedy Forever postage stamp, you would be honoring the president who served diligently but was assassinated when he was such a young man on November 22, 1963.