Three inducted into Wisconsin Philatelic Hall of Fame

Carl Kannewurf, Jim Stearns and Allen E. Vick were inducted into the Wisconsin Philatelic Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Wiscopex 2015 stamp show held May 16-17 in Fond du Lac, Wis.

The Wisconsin Federation of Stamp Clubs established the Wisconsin Philatelic Hall of Fame in 1975 to recognize prominent Wisconsin philatelists (living and deceased) for the contributions to the hobby of philately in the state of Wisconsin and beyond. Wiscopex was the federation's 84th annual convention.

Kannewurf (1931-2008), who lived in Illinois, summered in Wisconsin and spent 20 years gathering material for a book about Kewaunee County, Wis., postal history. The book, Here Comes the Mail, was published posthumously in 2010 by Silverdale Press of Sturgeon Bay, Wis. It was authored by Kannewurf, his wife Patricia L. Sharpe (1925-2008) and Virginia Johnson, who inherited Kannewurf’s research materials.

Stearns of Iron Mountain, Mich., has been instrumental in countless ways in promoting philately within Michigan and Wisconsin.

Vick of Stoughton, Wis., has spent more than 50 years serving Wisconsin organized philately.

Nominations for the new inductees were approved by delegates at the Wisconsin Federation of Stamp Clubs' 84th annual business meeting, also held at Wiscopex.

Other meeting business included the re-election of the federation's president Karen Weigt; vice president Michael Mules; and MaryAnn Bowman, vice president of the youth division. Regional vice presidents re-elected were Maurice Wozniak, Mike Sagstetter, Art Schmitz and John Pare. Don Kurki is the federation's new east central region vice president.

Bill Birch, proprietor of Lake Country Stamps, Hartland, Wis., was honored with the 2015 Wisconsin Federation of Stamp Club's dealer recognition award.

The federation comprises 27 stamp collecting clubs within and bordering the state of Wisconsin.

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