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Betty White

The late Betty White will be honored with a new stamp.
History, Natural Beauty and Pop Culture Icons Are Featured

The U.S. Postal Service recently announced many of the stamps it will release in 2025.

“This early glimpse into our 2025 stamp program demonstrates our commitment to providing a diverse range of subjects and designs for both philatelists and stamp enthusiasts,” said Lisa Bobb-Semple, Stamp Services director for USPS. “This year, we are continuing several of our popular series and commemorative anniversaries, while introducing some exciting new stamps. Additionally, several of our mail-use stamps, which are printed based on demand, will be updated this year. Stay tuned for more announcements in the coming months.”

This is a partial list, with additional stamps to be announced in the coming weeks and months. These designs are preliminary and may change.

Lunar New Year: Year of the Snake

Lunar New Year: Year of the Snake
This is the sixth stamp in the current Lunar New Year series, where each entry features a mask, calling to mind the decorated masks used in the dragon or lion dances often performed during Lunar New Year parades. For Year of the Snake, designer Camille Chew constructed a three-dimensional snake mask out of hand-printed paper, then cut, scored and folded it into shape. After the front was embellished with acrylic paint and additional paper elements, the back was covered with a layer of papier-mâché. Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp from a photograph of the mask by Sally Andersen-Bruce.

1794 Compass Rose (Global)

1794 Compass Rose (Global)
Useful for mailing a 1-ounce letter to any country in which First-Class Mail International service is available, this stamp carries with it a bit of history. The colorful compass rose was drawn in a school geography notebook by Lucia Wadsworth, the aunt of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, when she was 10 years old. Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp.

Love (2025)

Love (2025)
This new Love stamp celebrates the universal experience of love with a work by artist Keith Haring (1958–1990). With a deceptively simple and now-iconic style, Haring’s work is instantly recognizable. This stamp features Haring’s 1985 Untitled drawing. Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, believes that this drawing makes for an ideal new stamp in this popular series. “The non-specificity of the figures allows a variety of people to see themselves in this stamp,” Alcalá says. “Partners getting married, celebrating an anniversary, siblings sending each other a heartfelt greeting, or even party planners setting a positive tone for their event.”

Black Heritage: Allen Toussaint

Black Heritage: Allen Toussaint
In recent years, the Black Heritage series has celebrated a man one year and a woman the next. Next year, the 48th stamp in the series will honor Allen Toussaint (1938–2015), the virtuoso pianist, singer, songwriter, composer, arranger and producer responsible for scores of hits across multiple genres. Designed by Ethel Kessler, an art director for USPS, the stamp features a photograph taken by Bill Tompkins in New York City in 2007.

American Vistas (Presorted Standard)

American Vistas (Presorted Standard)
These two stamps depicting stylized, minimalist scenes of mountains and a beach are for use on business mail. The stamps feature screen prints by DKNG Studios made from vector illustrations, and were designed by Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS.

The Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian Trail
Covering almost 2,200 miles of footpath along one of Earth’s most ancient mountain ranges, the century-old Appalachian National Scenic Trail is within easy reach of large metropolitan areas of the East Coast. The Appalachian Trail is maintained by a network of volunteer clubs, led by the nonprofit Appalachian Trail Conservancy. This pane of 15 stamps includes a photographic view from each of the 14 states along the Maine-to-Georgia trail with an additional stamp showing stretches of trail through dense forest. Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps with images from various photographers.

Vibrant Leaves (Postcard Rate)

Vibrant Leaves (Postcard Rate)
Evoking the colorful sights of a seasonal walk in the woods, the photographs on five new postcard stamps depict leaves on trees found in the United States. Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps.

Dahlias

Dahlias
Radiating warmth, vitality and cheer, dahlias are beloved additions to backyard gardens and formal venues alike. This issuance includes 10 close-up photographs of dahlia blossoms available in booklets of 20 stamps and coils of 3K and 10K stamps. Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps using photographs by Denise Ippolito.

U.S. Flag

U.S. Flag
Conveniently available in many formats, this stamp continues a long tradition of honoring the Stars and Stripes. Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp with a photograph by Doug Haight.

Schooner (Stamped Card)

Schooner (Stamped Card)
New stamped-card designs are issued every few years for customers who want to send postcards with postage already included. The latest features an illustration of a two-masted sea vessel based on a photo of a 2014 replica of the 1923 schooner Columbia. Libby VanderPloeg was the artist and Antonio Alcalá provided art direction.

Luna Moth (Nonmachineable Surcharge)

Luna Moth (Nonmachineable Surcharge)
This new stamp for irregularly sized envelopes features a luna moth (Actias luna), considered one of the most beautiful moths in the United States. Artist Joseph Scheer created this composite image by using a high-resolution scanner with extended focus to capture multiple layers of a preserved moth. Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp.

Baby Wild Animals

Baby Wild Animals
Offering whimsical, eye-catching designs for letters and cards, these 10 stamps show baby wild animals from across the United States, with visual elements suggesting the habitat or behavior of each one. Tracy Walker designed and created the artwork by digitally layering colored shapes on solid backgrounds. Greg Breeding provided art direction.

Betty White

Betty White
An icon of American television, Betty White (1922–2021) shared her wit and warmth with viewers for seven decades — including roles on “The Golden Girls” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” The comedic actor, who gained younger generations of fans as she entered her 90s, was also revered as a compassionate advocate for animals. Dale Stephanos created the digital illustration based on a 2010 photograph by Kwaku Alston. Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp.

Winter Landscapes

Winter Landscapes
Offered in booklets of 20, these five stamps feature photographs of iconic winter landscapes from around the country. Ethel Kessler, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps using images from various photographers.

Postal Products
Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic or at select Post Office locations nationwide. For officially licensed stamp products, shop the USPS Officially Licensed Collection on Amazon. The stories behind the stamps and more are available at stampsforever.com.

President Barack Obama talks with Betty White in the Oval Office, June 11, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

By Barbara Anne Kirshner

We thought Betty White would live forever. Long after the other Golden Girls left planet Earth, White, with that mischievous glint in her eyes accompanied by clever quips, was ever present and breaking new ground.

Betty White was a staunch advocate for animals.  Photo courtesy of Fathom Events

Like the Energizer Bunny, Betty White kept going and we expected her to always be there. White passed away in her sleep on Dec. 31. She was 99. 

This month People Magazine had planned a celebration of White’s 100th birthday which was to happen on January 17. We were certain she would make it to centenarian status, but White probably felt it was time to join her husband, Allen Ludden, and all of her animals who had passed before her. She had even said in an interview that when she arrives in Heaven, Ludden would have to stand in line while she reunited with her much loved pets.

Born on January 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Illinois, Betty Marion White was the only child of Horace Logan White and Christine Tess. The family moved to Alhambra, California in 1923 and later to Los Angeles during the Great Depression. White graduated from Beverly Hill High School in 1939. As a child, she wanted to be an opera singer and took voice lessons. After graduating from high school, due to her love of animals, she aspired to be a forest ranger, but that path was not open to women in the early 1940s. Instead, she discovered acting and the rest is history.

In the 1940s, she went on to land roles in the first two plays she auditioned for, Spring Dance and Dear Ruth, before performing on radio in The Great Gildersleeve, Blondie, This Is Your FBI and became the sidekick to popular local DJ, Al Jarvis, on his daily radio show Make Believe Ballroom. White’s television career took off when that radio show moved to television under the title Hollywood on Television. Next came Life with Elizabeth for two seasons from 1953 to 1955 followed by The Betty White Show on NBC in 1954.

Allen Ludden and Betty White. Photo from Wikipedia

White went on to become the first lady of game shows in the 60s, appearing on Password, What’s My Line?, Match Game and Pyramid. She met her third husband, Allen Ludden, on Password and has been quoted as saying he was “the love of my life.” They were married from 1963 until 1981 when  Ludden died following a battle with stomach cancer. It is poignant to note White’s assistant told longtime friend and fellow colleague, Vicki Lawrence, that the last word White uttered was “Allen.”

She was a staple of late night talk shows with decades long appearances on The Tonight Show.

In 1973, White appeared as the “man-hungry” Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the role became a favorite winning White the Emmy for Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1975 and again in 1976. 

The Golden Girls launched in 1985 through 1992 and White won the Emmy in 1986 for her role as the ditzy but good-hearted Rose Nylund. It is interesting to note that White was first offered the role of Blanche but director Jay Sandrich felt that character was too close to the role of Nivens, so he decided that White should play Rose instead.

White was celebrated with more awards in 1995 when she was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame and in 1996 she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for The John Larroquette Show.

2010 was big for Betty White. It started on Jan. 23 with the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. On Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 7, White appeared in a Snickers commercial that skyrocketed in popularity. After a successful fan campaign on Facebook, White hosted Saturday Night Live‘s Mother’s Day episode at 88 ½ years of age, becoming the oldest person to host SNL. 

At the start of her monologue White marveled, “I can’t believe I’m hosting Saturday Night Live! I’m 88 ½ years old, so it’s great to be here for a number of reasons.” She went on to thank Facebook for the campaign that brought her to the show then wisecracked, “I didn’t know what Facebook was and now that I know, it sounds like a huge waste of time.” 

Musical guest Jay-Z dedicated his performance of “Forever Young” to “the most incredible Betty White.” After her death, Seth Myers tweeted “The only SNL host I ever saw get a standing ovation at the after party. A party at which she ordered a vodka and a hotdog and stayed ’til the bitter end.” That hosting gig was awarded on August 21, 2010, with a Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her guest host spot. 

Betty White at the 1988 Emmy Awards. Photo from Wikipedia

On January 1, 2022, as a special tribute, SNL re-aired her hosting episode. White went on to the role of Elka Ostrovsky in Hot in Cleveland (2010-2015). She was in her 90s by the time that series ended.

In 2012, White won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won’t). She was recognized by the Guinness World Records for longest TV career for a female entertainer. (74 years)

In 2015 White won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards and in 2018 she was honored at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards for her more than 80 years in show business.

White enjoyed a highly accomplished and celebrated career, but her passion was animals. She has said that they have made a huge difference in her life. She was devoted to animal welfare and supported numerous animal-related nonprofits throughout her career, from donations and volunteering to fundraising and recording public service announcements.

A documentary paying tribute to Betty White’s life and career will be screened at select theaters nationwide on Jan. 17 which would have marked her centennial birthday. 

Titled Betty White: A Celebration, the film will feature White’s final interview and a behind-the-scenes look at some of her most iconic sitcom roles. It also includes interviews with dozens of celebrity friends.

Rest In Peace dear Betty White. Thank you for all the laughs and for being there for us. You are a national treasure. This crazy world shone brighter with you in it and you are truly missed.

Miller Place resident Barbara Anne Kirshner is a freelance journalist, playwright and author of “Madison Weatherbee —The Different Dachshund.”