National Postal Museum to host 17th Maynard Sundman lecture Dec. 9

By Linn’s Staff

The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum will host the 17th Maynard Sundman lecture Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 4 p.m. Eastern Time via the Zoom online platform. Admission to the lecture is free, but registration is required via the NPM website (click on the Dec. 9 date).

The museum will welcome Yamil Kouri Jr. to discuss the topic of his most recent book, Under Three Flags, the Postal History of the Spanish-Cuban/American War, the winner of the American Philatelic Society’s philatelic literature grand award in 2019.

“Cubans had long sought liberation from Spanish rule during the mid-to-late 19th century, culminating in the Cuban War of Independence in 1895,” said the Postal Museum in a news release about the event. “After more than three years of fighting, neither side had a clear advantage. The United States’ declaration of war against Spain in April 1898 had a decisive impact on the conflict, leading to Spain’s surrender within a few months.

“Although brief, these coinciding military conflicts and the multi-country occupation of Cuba produced a rich and varied postal history legacy. The presentation will explore some of the fascinating aspects of this legacy that resulted in major global consequences.”

A stamp collector since the age of 8, Kouri has been active in several aspects of philately at the local, national and international level, including exhibiting, judging, writing numerous publications and coordinating an annual postal history symposium. He is an active member within the organized philatelic community and represents the United States both as vice president of the Inter American Federation of Philately and as commissioner at many international exhibitions.

Kouri is a fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London, as well as a member of the European Academy of Philately and the Spanish Academy of Philately.

He was named a distinguished philatelist by the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society in 2019 and was invited to sign the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in the United Kingdom in 2020.

One of Kouri’s exhibits won the American Philatelic Society’s Champion of Champions competition in 2019. He also received the APS Luff award in 2020 for service to philately.

Kouri is chairman of the board of trustees of the Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History, as well as vice president of the Boston 2026 World Expo.

The National Postal Museum is located at 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Washington, D.C., across from Union Station. The museum is temporarily closed at this time.

For more information about the Smithsonian, call 202-633-1000 or visit the museum’s website.

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