Few postage stamps in U.S. history had to fight their way into existence quite like US #979, the commemorative issued in honor of the 100th anniversary of the American Turners.
On March 4, 1948, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a joint resolution authorizing the issuance of a special 3-cent stamp commemorating the centennial of the organization’s founding. But Acting Postmaster General Joseph Lawler pushed back, citing a longstanding policy against issuing stamps for fraternal, religious, or sectional organizations — a policy that had previously denied stamps to the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the YMCA, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Congress wasn’t deterred, and responded with an even stronger resolution backed by both the Senate and House, essentially directing the Postmaster General to issue the stamp.
The design was submitted by Alvin W. Meissner and approved by American Turner President Carl Weideman. Meissner was the former chief designer at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and, fittingly, a member of the Turners. He held the post of Chief Designer from 1933 to 1945 and is best remember for the first Federal Duck Stamp, issued in 1934.
The finished stamp featured a torch (symbolizing enlightenment), hanging rings, the dates 1848 and 1948, and the organization’s logo with the motto, “Sound Mind Sound Body.” Critics were not kind — Life magazine later described it as overcrowded, stating, “Now, to get all that on one stamp…was a great accomplishment; it must have destroyed the retinas of a dozen steel engravers.”
The stamp was first issued on November 20, 1948, in Cincinnati, with over 62 million copies printed. President Weideman encouraged Turners to “buy thousands of these stamps.” It remains a fascinating artifact: a stamp that Congress demanded, honoring an organization that helped shape American physical culture.