U.S. Postal Service to Unveil Willie Stargell Stamp

Aug 24, 2011 8:47 PM
By: Frances Weller

(Wilmington, N.C.) – (WECT) - Willie "Pops" Stargell could just about hit a baseball into another zip code. The left-handed slugger was known for knocking home runs out of the ballpark. His outstanding performance on the field landed him in Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame. Now the former Pittsburgh Pirate is going to appear on a United States postage stamp

The United States Postal Service will preview the design on its Facebook site tomorrow morning. The stamp will be released July 2012.

Mark Saunders of the USPS said Wednesday that Stargell's large fan base had a lot to do with the decision to put him on a stamp.

"Outstanding fan support led to the stamp in his honor. Fans voted on who they wanted to see on a stamp," Saunders told WECT Wednesday.

Stargell's stamp is one of four recently designed by the USPS of Major League Baseball Hall of Fame members. Two have already been released. Joe DiMaggio was the first. Nicknamed "The Yankee Clipper," DiMaggio played with the New York Yankees and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999. Larry Doby was the second. He was the second black player to play in the modern major leagues and the first to do so in the American League. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998.

Stargell's stamp will come out next summer. A fourth stamp will be released around the same time but the USPS is not releasing the name of that honoree yet.

WECT was given special permission to reveal the stamp ahead of its preview tomorrow morning because of Stargell's connection to the television station and the Wilmington community. Stargell was married to the twin sister of WECT's Frances Weller. He lived in Wilmington until his death in 2001.

Margaret Weller-Stargell said her husband would be thrilled. "Willie would be humbled by this extraordinary honor. I'm sure he's looking down and smiling," Weller-Stargell said.

Copyright 2011 WECT. All rights reserved.
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