Gary Cooper stamp to be unveiled today at National Cowboy Museum
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is set to celebrate today the release of a new postage stamp depicting actor Gary Cooper.
The late actor becomes the 15th inductee into the “Legends of Hollywood” Stamp Series. Cooper was inducted into the National Cowboy Museum’s Hall of Great Western Performers in 1966.
The ceremony begins with a press conference at 10 a.m. today, with brief remarks before the First Day Covers become available. The museum opens at 9 a.m. There is no admission fee to attend the ceremonies.
The stamp featured on the First Day Cover will be available for purchase at the museum during the ceremony. Envelopes will include the new stamp and a cancellation showing the date the stamp was issued. The First Day ceremony is being coordinated with the help of Prix de West Society and Museum member Joe Crosby, who also is a stamp collector.
During his prolific career, Cooper twice won the best actor Oscar, for the 1941 war movie Sergeant York and the 1952 Western “High Noon.”
In 2003, his performances as Will Kane in “High Noon,” baseball great Lou Gehrig in “The Pride of the Yankees” and Alvin York in “Sergeant York” made the American Film Institute’s “100 Years… 100 Heroes and Villains” list, all as heroes.
The Cooper stamp is the third U.S. commemorative postage stamp with ties to the West to have a First Day ceremony at the museum in the past month. On Aug. 11, stamps depicting “The Lone Ranger,” “Hopalong Cassidy” were released.
“Hopalong Cassidy” and “The Lone Ranger” were released as part of the 20-stamp set titled “Early TV Memories.” Actor William Boyd, who played Hopalong Cassidy in film and television, was inducted into the Museum’s Hall of Great Western Performers in 1995.
Five years earlier, the Hall of Fame inducted Clayton Moore, star of “The Lone Ranger” television series. In 1993, Jay Silverheels, the man who played his sidekick “Tonto” also was inducted. Some of the merchandising items made immensely popular by these series are on display in the Museum’s Western Performers Gallery.
Museum support is provided by museum partners Devon Energy Corporation, Chesapeake Energy Corporation and the E.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation. The Oklahoman also is a major contributor.
For information, go to www.nationalcowboymuseum.org or call 478-2250.
-BAM
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Please note that the USPS unveiling of the Gary Cooper stamp is taking place at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles today at 11am.