We are pleased to announce that the following philatelists were elected as signatories to the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists at the annual Board of Election meeting:
- Robert Abensur RDP (France)
- Gustav Douglas RDP FRPSL (Sweden)
- Cheryl Ganz RDP FRPSL (USA)
- Geoffrey Lewis RDP FRPSL (Australia)
This is one of the highest and most prestigious honours in philately, which recognises achievement, research, publication and service.
The Roll was first signed in 1921 and this year’s signing ceremony will take place on Friday 27th July at The Assembly Rooms in Newcastle upon Tyne, during the Philatelic Congress of Great Britain. They join 78 other current RDPs from 26 countries spread over five continents.
More details on the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists can be found here.
Robert Abensur
Robert Abensur lives in Pont-à-Mousson in North East France. He has researched widely and fulfilled all the requirements needed for a signatory to the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists. His main collecting and researching areas are the postal rates and regulations of France and Alsace-Lorraine. His latest book published in 2017 is The Franco-Sardinian Route in International Relations (1818-1851) and his articles on various subjects number well over a hundred, in France and elsewhere.
He has been President of the Académie de philatélie since 2002 and was awarded the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Art et des Lettres in 2009, gained a Large Gold medal at FEPA 2015 for Maritime Mail between France and foreign countries. Routes and Rates 1828-1849 and has organised many philatelic meetings and exhibitions in France.
Gustav Douglas
Gustaf Douglas is of Swedish nationality and has formed what are considered to be the most complete collections of both Sweden and Finland in existence. His monographs are always of the highest standard and he has attained Gold and Large Gold medals in international exhibitions since 1971. He co-authored Sweden Number One, in 2005. He was awarded the Tilleard Medal of the Royal Philatelic Society London as well as the Strandell Medal, the highest philatelic recognition in Sweden, in 2014 and is presently working hard as Head Patron for Stockholmia 2019.
Always modest, charming and helpful to fellow collectors, he is a most worthy candidate to sign the Roll.
Cheryl Ganz
Cheryl Ganz of the United States of America is best known for her lifelong philatelic outreach at local, national, and international levels, engaging a vast spectrum of collectors from specialists to new audiences. Her collections, exhibits, research, and writing, and speaking focus primarily on her specialty of zeppelin posts.
Philatelic recognitions include the Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award, Luff Award for Exceptional Contributions to Philately, Alfred F. Lichtenstein Memorial Award for Distinguished Service to Philately, American Air Mail Society Research Award, and Single Frame Champion of Champions. She has written and edited books, articles, and online content, putting philately in a wider context to reach larger audiences without sacrificing philatelic scholarship. Her service to organized philately is multi-faceted in a variety of positions of influence and accomplishment.
Altogether hers is a very fine achievement, and she rightly deserves to be a signatory of the Roll.
Geoffrey Lewis
Geoffrey is an Australian resident of Randwick, a suburb of eastern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia where he has lived for the whole of his life. His collections have included the postal history of Spanish Philippines, that of Cuba, of New Orleans and Stampless Mail entering Spain. He has won FIP Large Gold medals in Postal History with exhibits on the subject matter of each of the three continental areas: Asia, Europe and the Americas.
In 2013 he attained a Large Gold Medal for his well-written study entitled The 1836 Anglo-French Postal Convention – a difficult subject to cover in a readable form.
He was President of the Philatelic Society of New South Wales between 1998 and 2013, was Chairman of the Jury at Sydney 2015, and President of the Organising Committee of the National Philatelic Exhibitions held in Sydney in 2007 and 2011.
He has been appointed a Member of the Australian Philatelic Order and has received the Australian Philatelic Research Award.
