Our Man in Arlington

O.K., I am over it, at least most of the time. George Bush is president. There is no chance that recounted (or newly discovered) returns will change the election results. And I wasn’t invited to the opening of the Clinton library in Little Rock, so who cares? As Scarlett O’Hara told us, “Tomorrow is another day.” (I am not at the “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn” stage yet.)

I have other things to do, anyway. This week has been my postal week. I am a member of the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum Advisory Council, and this was the week of our quarterly meeting.

I am on the council because I have spent the good part of my adult life working with the Postal Service, first as a staff member of the House Post Office and Civil Service for thirteen years, then as a lobbyist for the direct mail industry for twenty-five years. This was drilled in to me a few months ago when I was attending a reception for Britain’s Prince Andrew in honor of the museum’s showing of his mother’s stamp collection. The Prince strode up to me, his hand outstretched. I introduced myself, and he asked what had brought me to the council. I explained.

He drew himself up into a most imposing royal posture and bellowed out, “Trash mail? We hate trash mail!” At that very moment, British-American relations reached a new low. We concluded our short visit on a very civil note, however, while those around us were quietly laughing up their sleeves.

The National Postal Museum is located in the imposing old main post office across from Union Station (and the Union Station Metro stop) in the District of Columbia. You enter through a magnificent marble-floored lobby, which is encircled by brass-enclosed windows where the public at one time conducted their postal business.

You are then whisked down by escalator to a multi-storied atrium. The main hall has exhibits of the main sources of postal transportation. There is a nineteen twenties vintage airplane used to carry “airmail.” There is a replica of a mail-sorting train car, non-existent now, but very familiar to those of us who grew up in the forties and fifties. From there you walk through many exhibits that, together, give you an excellent idea of the scope and critical importance of postal operations throughout our history. Then there is the “The Queen’s Own” exhibit showing a fabulous range of stamps from all over the world – the greatest private stamp collection in the world. (The Queen, not by the British Government owns it personally.) This magnificent exhibit alone is worth the price of admission (which is zero.)

For the stamp lovers among you, the Smithsonian’s unparalleled stamp collection is contained in rooms off the main exhibit halls. The general public can view fifty thousand of them contained in pullout frames. Add a number of interactive computer games, several video presentations, a stamp store for collectors, and a great museum shop and you have a most satisfying museum experience for the whole family. Even though it is somewhat off the beaten track for a Smithsonian museum, the National Postal Museum draws several hundred thousand visitors a year. You should be one of them. It is both fun and educational.