Postal Service Joins Celebration to Honor Lady Bird Johnson During her Centennial Birth Year

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Jul 26, 2012, 04:24 ET

First Lady, Advocate for Beautifying America, to be Recognized on Commemorative Forever Stamp

WASHINGTON, July 26, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Lady Bird Johnson, a highly respected and influential woman in American history, will be recognized by the U.S. Postal Service during the year marking the centennial of her birth with a commemorative Forever Stamp. The new Forever Stamp honoring Mrs. Johnson — who was married to the 36th President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson — will feature her official White House portrait, as well as the artwork of stamps originally issued in the 1960s to encourage planting flowers to beautify America.

"Lady Bird Johnson's impact to society continues to be felt by many today," said Thurgood Marshall Jr., Chairman of the Postal Service Board of Governors. "Anyone who drives our nation's highways today still benefits from her leadership transforming the American landscape and helping preserve its natural beauty. We're pleased to honor her with this stamp."

"During her lifetime Lady Bird Johnson was recognized for many achievements related to her advocacy for the environment, including the passing of The Highway Beautification Act of 1965," said Postmaster General and CEO Patrick R. Donahoe. "We're pleased to join the celebration honoring what would be her 100-year birthday and also to continue to help further her important legacy of creating a more beautiful America."

The stamps will be issued for sale nationwide this December.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world's mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. In 2011, the U.S. Postal Service was ranked number one in overall service performance, out of the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world, by Oxford Strategic Consulting. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute. Follow USPS on Twitter @USPS_PR and at Facebook.com/usps.

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service