BEVERLY HILLS, CA -- Frank Jr., Nancy and Tina Sinatra joined Postmaster General John E. Potter in unveiling a larger than life-sized image of the 120 million commemorative stamps that will honor their father when issued sometime next spring.

"Frank Sinatra was the first to personify American pop culture," said Potter. "His extraordinary voice transformed popular song into an art few have successfully replicated. The Postal Service is proud to honor the achievements of this extraordinary entertainer whose talents extended beyond song to performances on the silver screen."

"Our father loved this country," said the Sinatra Family, represented by Nancy, Frank Jr. and Tina Sinatra. "This would have been one of his happiest days."

Art director Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, AZ, worked with stamp artist Kazuhiko Sano of Mill Valley, CA, to create the image based on a(1950s?) photograph of the entertainment icon. The stamp depicts Sinatra's charismatic smile, trademark Fedora and cobalt blue eyes that earned him the nickname 'Ol' Blue Eyes.' Sinatra's autograph also appears on the stamp.

In a 50-year career studded with accolades, Sinatra won several Grammys, received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1971, and was recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors in 1983. Sinatra gave generously to many charities and was noted for his philanthropy. President Reagan awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985. Sinatra was born in Hoboken, NJ, in 1915. He died in 1998 and in 2002 the Hoboken Post Office was renamed in his honor (see attached backgrounder).

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation, 146 million homes and businesses, six days a week. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world's mail.

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