FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 6, 2001

Stamp Release No. 01-027

Postal Service to Issue Postal Card Honoring University of South Carolina's 200th Anniversary

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service will commemorate the 200th anniversary of the founding of the University of South Carolina with the issuance of a postal stamped card April 26, 2001, in Columbia, S.C., as part of the Historic Preservation series.


The 52nd stamped postal card in the Postal Service's Historic Preservation series, the University of South Carolina stamped postal card will be dedicated on the university's campus, at 9:00 a.m. in front of the Faculty House on the Horseshoe at a first day of issue ceremony. The ceremony is free and open to the public.


The 20-cent stamped postal card will be available that day at the ceremony and at Columbia post offices. Starting the following day, the stamped postal card will be available at other South Carolina post offices and at Postal Stores and Philatelic Centers across the country.


"The University of South Carolina stamped card pays tribute to one of our nation's best preserved and most historic learning institutions," said Joyce Carrier, U.S. Postal Service Director, Public Affairs, and an alumna of the University, who will be the dedicating official for the event.


"The U.S. Postal Service's commemoration of the University of South Carolina's bicentennial is indeed a tribute to the university, for it not only honors our heritage, but also recognizes the contributions that this university has made to our state and our nation," said Dr. John M. Palms, president, University of South Carolina.


Also scheduled to participate in the ceremony are Henry A. Pankney, U.S. Postal Service Vice President Operations, Mid-Atlantic Area; Larry Jones, U.S. Postal Service District Manager, Greater South Carolina District; the Honorable Robert Coble, mayor of Columbia; and other University of South Carolina and community dignitaries.


Chartered as the South Carolina College on December 19, 1801, the University of South Carolina will celebrate its bicentennial in 2001. Rechartered as the University of South Carolina in 1906, the school prides itself on being the first institution of higher learning funded entirely by a state. Today the University of South Carolina at Columbia offers 350 degree programs and serves more than 24,000 students from 50 states and more than 100 countries.


This stamped card designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD features a detail of a circa 1820 painting by T. Ulor that depicts the historic Horseshoe district on the main campus in Columbia. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the "Old Campus District," this site is the original campus of the university.