Philately - What it teaches and How I enjoyed collecting in the mid 20th Century

Here is a first day cover, from 1960, sent to me by a fellow young stamp collector when I was thirteen years old. His name is Isato Yoshimura who then lived in Kumamoto City - Japan. Would be interesting if I  found his name in a search here! I learned that this was the 100 year commemorative of the Kanrin Maru's sailing from Japan to San Francisco Bay in the US. Here is the Wiki summary : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_warship_Kanrin_Maru

Here are coronation issues for the colonies around the Straits of Malacca. 1937 George VI with Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, his wife, known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II.
In 1936, her husband unexpectedly became King when her brother-in-law, Edward VIII, abdicated in order to marry the American divorcée Wallis Simpson. As Queen consort, Elizabeth accompanied her husband on diplomatic tours to France and the United States in the run-up to World War II. During the war, her seemingly indomitable spirit provided moral support to the British public. In recognition of her role as a propaganda tool, Adolf Hitler described her as "the most dangerous woman in Europe" Going to see The Kings Speech, a new movie about King George VI soon today, Thinking about King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II's father and how I collected stamps with their portraits on them. The Britiish Commonweath was a big deal when I was a little boy, and then many countries became independent in the 60's. I remember mounting the stamps as a boy and looking up where they were on a world map. Here are the stamps of Straits Settlements, then the states of Malaya that began a federation. I hope to learn more of the history as I travel to Asia in 2011!

Here are stamps in 1957 building up to independence. I like the 30 cent one with the neat map showing the states. Always liked maps. a real cartophile :-)

Postage Stamp Collecting - Family Education - Windows into the World mid 20th Century

 

Discovered this photo from 1959-60 with me at age 12-13, sitting with my mom, as she looks in the Scott Catalog, and I have a stamp tongs in my hand -  In 2017, I still had 1/3, 34 albums of stamps from my parents hobby from the 1930's to 60's -  I know how my fun and joy they had, writing in Esparanto starting in 1938, here in Minnesota, and learned from my mom, how to be focused and keep meticulous records if need be -  Looks like I am grabbing my dad's pipe that is filled with tobacco with my right hand, and my mom's stare and body language says it all!  

Here is a photo of Paul H Weaver MD and Peg Weaver working on their stamp collection at their Pelican Lake cabin. Likely in around 1960 when they were still active in collecting and writing people in many nations. In the early 1960’s, Peg began learning more about mushrooms and collection and identifying them and their stamp hobby waned.

Here is a photo of me Christmas of 1956, when I was 9 years old. I remember at that age being interested in collecting stamps and butterflies. By 1960 I had friend in a variety of countries I exchanged stamps with - Japan, New Zealand, Rhodesia, Australia to name a few. I remember being excited to find some stamps under the Christmas tree from special countries like China that I found very exotic, back in the day.

Here is the Temple of Heaven two colored series that I found to be special as a kid. According to the site:
http://www.philatelicdatabase.com/asia/temple-of-heaven-the-stamps-of-china/
"They were issued in 1909 to mark the first year of the reign of Emperor Hsuan Tung. He later became president and emperor of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo, a most interesting story which has been made into a successful movie called The Last Emperor."

This is the first page of my China Collection. Before Nixon Visited Mainland China in 1972, after I had stopped collecting stamps, the only stamps I could get were from Taiwan. These are stamps before the split in 1949.

Here are some Peoples Republic Stamps from 1959 my parents collected with kids with red scarves.

Paul H Weaver Born Dec 24, 1910 Honoring his work in Gratitude.

Here is Paul Henry in 1919 at age nine, at his home 321 E Main Street he shared with his parents, Noah Elwood and Edna Eicher Waver. Perhaps this is on Christmas Day after he opened his presents. I notice there are a lot of books. I know that was a very important part of the family legacy. Today I keep finding family books from that era to pass on to the next generations. A legacy of reading and imagination!

At an earlier age, here is Paul Henry at a desk in the home, working with clay. Noah Elwood was quite a photographer and I am so grateful for the spirit of curiosity for learning, spawned by his early adoption of technology and Edna's having been a country school teacher.

In 1928, the year Paul Henry graduated from West Carrollton OH High School his family took a road trip to the Great Smokies, Virginia and Washington DC. Here he is by a Cedar, Arbor Vitae claimed to be 2000 years old in Virginia. He and my mom were very interested in Nature throughout their lifetimes.

After graduating from Ohio State University Medical School in 1938, he and my mom, moved to Minneapolis where he interned at Swedish Hospital. In 1939 they moved to Faribault some 50 miles south of the Twin Cities, where he joined the Faribault Clinic, then with an office over Payant Drug Store on the NW corner of Central and Forth, across from the Olympia Restaurant, the lights of which can be seen through the window. I remember climbing the long stairway to the second floor to visit my dad here in the 1950's before they built a new clinic building on the east side closer to the hospital.

From Snow to Rain - Rosen Connections in Berkeley

Here is the view from my motel room in Berkeley on University Ave. The fall colors are from tulip trees. Interesting variety of foliage here in the bay area. My first trip back to the area since the 70's and 80's. One of Sue's best friends, Debby and along with her husband Ron and kids lived in the area. I first remember driving out to the coast in our old Rambler station wagon, likely in 1976-77 when we returned to teach botany at Camp Unistar on Cass Lake. Ron and Debby then lived on Clayton Street near Golden Gate park. Back in the day, when Sue and I attended the Duluth Unitarian group on Superior Street with the likes of Hal and Carol Leppink. Anyway, I digress. I flew out to San Francisco to attend my second Rosen Method intensive.

Here is a side street I walk down each day. Lined with older growth sycamores here catching the morning sun. I noticed that like other Mediterranean climate areas, rosemary grows well here. Take a bit off and chew.

Here is the entry way to the Rosen Center in Berkeley, a ten minute walk from 8th and University at the La Quinta.

One of the chief attractions for many of us in this intensive, is that Marion Rosen, the founder of the work, still teaches at age 96. She arrived each morning to teach along with Bill and Gloria. Here are two students, Asger from Denmark and Moa from Sweden with Marion one of the first mornings. I am very inspired by this woman who continues to share her experience, strength and hope in a good way!