Avonian Appears on Stamp

For the first time ever, an Avon Old Farms alumni will appear on an official U.S. Postal Service stamp. 

Pete Seeger ’36 will be featured on a new stamp released on Thursday, as part of the USPS “Music Icons” series. 

The stamp art features a photo of Seeger taken in the early 1960s as he sings and plays his iconic banjo. According to the USPS, the stamp pane is designed to resemble a vintage 45 rpm record sleeve. 

Seeger enrolled at Avon Old Farms at the age of 13. It was here that he continued to improve his musical abilities, while entertaining his brothers with spirited live performances. 

He would go on to become an American icon, with a successful career spanning more than half a century as a singer, songwriter, musician, activist, and environmentalist. He authored and performed classic hits like “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” “Turn, Turn, Turn,” and “If I Had a Hammer.”

He has earned a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Honor, and in 2008 was honored with the first ever Distinguished Alumnus Award from Avon Old Farms. 

The Distinguished Alumnus Award is given out every other year to an alumnus who has achieved distinction in his professional career, humanitarian endeavors, or other areas of his life. This award honors an individual who has embraced the core values emphasized at Avon Old Farms to show what it truly means to be a “Man of Avon.”

While we believe the Distinguished Alumnus Award is the highest honor Seeger achieved in his illustrious career, appearing on a stamp is pretty cool, too. 

To see the stamp for yourself, and for an opportunity to collect some, visit the USPS website.