Latrobe native and golf legend Arnold Palmer was officially inducted into the U.S. Postal Service’s Commemorative Forever Stamp collection Wednesday, a series that honors prominent Americans.
The Postal Service announced Palmer’s honor in October, saying the two-time PGA Player of the Year winner “helped transform a game once seen as a pastime for the elite into a sport enjoyed by the masses.”
The stamp dedication ceremony took place Wednesday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Fla.
The stamp, designed by Postal Service’s art director Antonio Alcala, features James Drake’s action photograph of Palmer at the 1964 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. Palmer’s name appears in the top left corner. The words “Forever” and “USA” are printed along the bottom of the left edge.
The US Postal Service will honor Arnold Palmer with a stamp starting in 2020. Here’s what it will look like: pic.twitter.com/BWNC7W7jK8
— Jay Busbee (@jaybusbee) October 22, 2019
“Arnold Palmer was not only a great American, but also a great golfer,” said Roman Martinez IV, U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors in a statement. “Mr. Palmer was a transformative figure in the game of golf. He made it happen with his charisma, his personality and his rivalries with other golf greats.
“But beyond golf, Arnold was really a great man,” Martinez continued. “He had great character; he was a philanthropist and a great businessman. He was the perfect role model.”
Palmer’s grandson, PGA Tour Pro Sam Saunders, and his daughter, Amy Saunders, chair of the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation, attended the ceremony along with Golf Channel host Rich Lerner.
“To have my father celebrated in this way is a true honor,” Amy Saunders said in a release. “It’s something I think he would be proud of as both an individual and as an American, and it’s a wonderful way to preserve his legacy.”
🏌Annnnd there it is... It’s in the hole! ⛳
— U.S. Postal Service (@USPS) March 4, 2020
Our newest stamp honors golf legend Arnold Palmer, who rose from humble beginnings to become a champion.
Swing on over to https://t.co/pj71iOimVB to purchase the stamp and celebrate #ArnoldPalmerForever pic.twitter.com/YVUBiG5RmV
The Arnold Palmer stamps, sold in panes of 20, are being issued as Forever stamps, meaning the stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price, the Postal Service said.
Palmer, who died in 2016, won his first major title at the Masters in 1958. By the end of his career he had won seven majors and 62 PGA Tour events -- the fifth-most of all time. Palmer also led the PGA Tour in yearly money winnings four times and won the Vardon Trophy, given annually to the tour’s lowest average scorer, four times.
First Published: March 5, 2020, 1:33 p.m.
