Roll of Distinguished Philatelists (RDP)
PSSC Members Who Are Signatories of the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists (RDP)
Considered the highest honour in philately, eight Canadians have signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists. Of these philatelic celebrities, seven are PSSC members, past and present.
The images in this section were created under contract by Ms. Monica Bodirsky with the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD). The original framed portraits line a ‘wall of fame' at the PSSC meeting venue, the Vincent Graves Greene Philatelic Research Foundation in Toronto.
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1935 Frederick Jarrett CM RDP FRPSC OTB
- Best known for his research in British North America philately culminating in 1929 in the publication of his Standard British North American Catalogue.
- Known as the First Dean of Canadian philately.
- In April 1974, he received the Order of Canada for his contributions to Canadian philately. He was 85 at the time.
- Awarded the British North America Philatelic Society’s (BNAPS) Order of the Beaver in 1968.
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1947 The Honourable James Alexander Calder P.C. RDP
- Researched, plated, exhibited, published and became the specialist in the 1859 issues of Canada.
- Was a specialist in Saskatchewan revenue stamps.
- Contributed to Jarrett’s catalogue.
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1951 Gerald E. Wellburn RDP OTB
- Best known for his study, publication and award-winning exhibits of Vancouver Island and British Columbia and for his endless enthusiasm for preserving the history of the region.
- Was a specialist in Saskatchewan revenue stamps.
- Awarded the BNAPS Order of the Beaver in 1969.
- The Gerald E. Wellburn Foundation continues to promote philately on Vancouver Island.
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1963 Vincent Graves Greene RDP FRPSC OTB
- Known to friends as Vinnie he coauthored The Postal History of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick published in 1964.
- He published more in his area, exhibited, judged and served philately in numerous ways.
- 1975 he established the Vincent Graves Greene Philatelic Research Foundation
- Awarded the BNAPS Order of the Beaver in 1969.
- Presented with the Lichtenstein Award in 1964 by the Collectors Club of New York.
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1991 Harry Sutherland Q.C. RDP FRPSC Hon FRPSL
- Extensive involvement with the Vincent Graves Greene Philatelic Research Foundation and its activities to promote philately.
- Collected, published and exhibited Montenegro, Yugoslavia and several other specialities.
- Was on the executive of innumerable Canadian and international philatelic organizations.
- Awarded the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP) Medal of Service in 2002.
- Presented with the BNAPS Order of the Beaver Lifetime Achievement Award 2003.
- Presented with the Lichtenstein Award in 2002 by the Collectors Club of New York.
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1995 Kenneth Rowe RDP FRPSC FRPSL
- Best known for his seminal work The Postal History of the Forwarding Agents first published in 1966 and his gold medal exhibits on this topic.
- A manager by profession he organized CAPEX 1978, 1987 and 1996.
- He served as president of the Vincent Graves Greene Philatelic Research Foundation.
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2000 Michael Madesker RDP FRPSC FRPSL
- An eclectic collector, writer and exhibitor likely best known for his Postal History of Venice from 1400 until 1797.
- Noted for his service to philately in executive positions with Royal Philatelic Society of Canada, CAPEX’96 and with the FIP Commission for Youth Philately. It is in this last endeavour where he is best known.
- Michael had predominant roles in the two International Youth shows as well as CANADA 82 and CANADA 92.
- Received the Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award in 2010.
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2020 Charles Verge RDP FRPSC FRPSL
- Arguably the leading living philatelist in Canada, with a worldwide reputation as an author, exhibitor and FIP judge, Verge has been involved in numerous philatelic events in Canada and worldwide.
- He led the organization and presentation of the FIP jury academies, which bring international judges together to discuss and hone their skills in judging and assessing competitive exhibits.
- In the field of philatelic literature judging, Verge has had significant influence in the development of methods of assessment, with emphasis on electronic and digital literature.
- As curator of the Ron Brigham collection of Canada, he prepared and developed exhibits from probably the finest and most comprehensive collection of Canada ever formed.
- His own collecting interests are wide-ranging, and he has written numerous research articles, including regular articles in nonphilatelic publications such as the Ottawa Citizen. He served the Vincent Graves Greene Philatelic Research Foundation board of directors in several capacities up to vice chairman, expertizer and administrator of the Harry Sutherland Philatelic Library.
Foreign PSSC Members who signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists
Based in Canada, the PSSC welcomes members from around the world. The following four PSSC members are signatories to the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists.
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Dr. James John Matejka [1916-1979] of the United States RDP FRPSL
PSSC Member (1958-1979)*
Signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 1979.
- James was recognized for his extensive involvement in philately. He was noted for his award winning Czechoslovakia collection and Aero-philately of Newfoundland. He was a judge at International Airmail Exhibitions.
- He founded and was President of COMPEX (1958 to 1962) and for eleven years he was a Council Member of the International Federation of Aero-philatelic Society.
- From 1961 to 1977 he served on the United States Postmaster’s Advisory Committee.
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John Abdy Lyons Fosbery of Great Britain RDP FRPSL
PSSC Member (1979-1984)*
Signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 1986.
- John was recognized for his major role in advancing the study of the philately of Latin American republics and Haiti culminating in being awarded Gold Medals in Vienna (1975) and Madrid (1980) for his Brazil exhibits and in Prague (1978) for Haiti. In 1979 at Sofia the Federation Internationale de Philatelie awarded him their Research Award.
- He also founded and was President of the Spanish Main Philatelic Society and published numerous articles.
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Dr. Peter P. McCann of the United States of America RDP FRPSL
PSSC Member (since 2003)
Signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 2007.
- Peter is best known for his research and publications on the postal history of the small islands in the Caribbean and in the South Atlantic for which his exhibits have achieved Gold at international exhibitions on a number of occasions.
- He has had a distinguished career in service to philately as Vice President of FIP, a trustee of the Philatelic Foundation, a member of the Smithsonian Institution National Postal Museum Council for Philatelists and was President of the American Philatelic Society from 1999-2003.
- Peter has served as an international judge and was Chairman of the exhibits committee for Washington 2006.
- He has received a number of awards including the Eugene Klein (1990) for the best book published by a member of the American National Congress, the Phoenix Award (1993) for service to philately, the Skavaril Award (2006), the John N. Luff Award (2008) and Alfred F. Lichtenstein Memorial Award (2010) for service to philately.
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Dr. Cheryl R. Ganz of the United States of America RDP FRPL
PSSC Member (2019)
Signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 2018.
- Cheryl Ganz of the United States of America is best known for her lifelong philatelic outreach at local, national, and international levels, engaging a vast spectrum of collectors from specialists to new audiences. Her collections, exhibits, research, and writing, and speaking focus primarily on her specialty of zeppelin posts.
- Philatelic recognitions include the Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award, Luff Award for Exceptional Contributions to Philately, Alfred F. Lichtenstein Memorial Award for Distinguished Service to Philately, American Air Mail Society Research Award, and Single Frame Champion of Champions. She has written and edited books, articles, and online content, putting philately in a wider context to reach larger audiences without sacrificing philatelic scholarship. Her service to organized philately is multi-faceted in a variety of positions of influence and accomplishment.
- Altogether hers is a very fine achievement, and she rightly deserves to be a signatory of the Roll.
- RDP from the Honorary Secretary to the Board of Election 4 April 2018
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Patricia Stilwell-Walker RDP, FRPSL
PSSC Member (2017)
Signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 2022.
- Patricia Stilwell Walker has been honoured in the USA with many of the most prestigious awards, including the John N. Luff Award (American Philatelic Society) and the Lichtenstein Award (Collectors Club New York), which underline the important role she has played at many different levels within many different areas of philately in the USA. Her interests cover not only traditional collecting and postal history, but she has been a vice-president of the American Philatelic Research Library.
- Patricia’s collecting interests cover a range of postal history subjects, including Ireland up to 1900 which has received many high awards including the National Grand Prix at London 2000. Likewise, her collection of the postal history of the City of Baltimore has received high awards, including being a three times contender for the Champion of Champions in the USA national championship.
- A chief judge at several USA shows, Pat is an FIP accredited judge on postal history and youth and has been acting chairman of the FIP Commission for Traditional Philately since 2019, as well as being on the FIP Commission for Youth Philately. As a promoter of youth philately, she has given considerable encouragement to the potential collectors and exhibitors that will be the future of the hobby. She has written and presented extensively about exhibiting in journals and seminars, being a past President of the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors and a recipient of their Bernard A. Hennig award for excellence in judging.