Stamp Depicting Haleakalā National Park is Dedicated

The Haleakalā stamp was officially dedicated Thursday at Makawao Post Office. Taking part in the ceremonies were, from left, USPS Honolulu (A) District Manager Noemi Luna, USPS Pacific Area Vice President Dean Granholm, Haleakalā National Park Superintendent Natalie Gates, Makawao Postmaster Celine Balthazar-Suda, and longtime Haleakalā patron Rose Cambra Freitas. Photo by Rodney S. Yap.

By Rodney S. Yap

The Forever Stamp depicting Maui’s famed Haleakalā National Park was unveiled today during a dedication ceremony at the Makawao Post Office.

The majestic Haleakalā National Park Forever Stamp is first USPS stamp to ever depict a Maui locale. It’s part of a sheet of 16 Forever Stamps portraying an assortment of national parks in celebration of the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary.

The Haleakalā stamp was officially dedicated during the event by USPS Pacific Area Vice President Dean Granholm, USPS Honolulu (A) District Manager Noemi Luna, Makawao Postmaster Celine Balthazar-Suda, Haleakalā National Park Superintendent Natalie Gates, and longtime Haleakalā patron Rose Cambra Freitas.

USPS Pacific Area Vice President Dean Granholm took part in Thursday’s dedication at Makawao Post Office. Photo by Rodney S. Yap.

“The stamp will be our way of sharing our Aloha Aina around the country and with all who remain passionate about its beauty,” said Gates.

Three generations have served as postmasters at the Makawao Post Office — the latest being Balthazar-Suda, who was named Hawaii’s Postmaster of the Year in 2005.

Balthazar-Suda thanked her late father, former postmaster of Makawao, Emil “Bill” Balthazar, and shared stories of her grandfather Frank P. Freitas.

“Today I am honored to follow in my dad’s footsteps and share with you a place that has been like a home away from home for my family,” Balthazar-Suda said. “Haleakala crater was my grandfather’s first place of work and it would become his last.”

Freitas ran his own tour-guide business, making more than 1,000 trips into Haleakala crater.

“Haleakala is a special place in which visitors can renew their spirits with historical volcanic landscapes and tropical rain forest with an unforgettable view of the sunrise over the crater or a hike through the back country,” said Granholm.

Makawao Postmaster Celine Balthazar-Suda said growing up Haleakala was “home away from home.” Photo by Rodney S. Yap.

“Visited by more than 275 million people every year, these parks tell the story of America,” Granholm added. “Families, couples, school groups, international tourist, everyone who visit, pursue their interest and personalize their experience. Learn, relax and explore, that’s the beauty of our National Parks.  . . . The stamps are absolutely beautiful and the locations selected are breathtaking.”

Also among the honored guest was Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa and his wife.

Those in attendance were able to purchase sheets of the national parks stamps and have them hand cancelled for free with a special commemorative postmark.

The Haleakala stamp image, which features a stunning image of a rainbow within the crater at Haleakala National Park, was shot by Seattle photographer Kevin Ebi who commented in a statement saying: “National parks take us into a different world, a world of jaw-dropping scenery and experiences that are dramatically different from our daily lives. Such was the case that afternoon I spent chasing Haleakalā’s rainbows.”

Haleakalā National Park Superintendent Natalie Gates said the stamp will serve as way of sharing our Aloha Aina. Photo by Rodney S. Yap.

Ebi said he decided to take a look at the crater during the day in order to determine where he wanted to be the next morning for sunrise.  “But the closer I got to Haleakalā’s summit, the less I could see. The fog got thicker and thicker. Then . . . sunlight poked through a tiny hole . . . and a rainbow dipped into the crater. I managed to get a few shots before the sun slid back behind the storm clouds . . . It was a beautiful scene.”

The National Parks stamp sheets will be available for purchase on June 2 at Post Offices nationwide, online at USPS.com and by phone at (800) 782-6724.

The dedication at Makawao Post Office was one of 14 ceremonies taking place near National Park Services site locations depicted on the stamps. The public is asked to share the news on social media by using the hashtags #NPSStamps, #FindYourPark or #NPS100.
The 16 National Park Service sites featured on these Forever Stamps include Acadia National Park, Arches National Park, Assateague Island National Seashore, Bandelier National Monument, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Everglades National Park, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Grand Canyon National Park, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Haleakalā National Park, Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, Mount Rainier National Park, San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

The Forever Stamp will depict Maui’s famed Haleakalā National Park, featuring an image of a rainbow within the crater, taken by Seattle photographer Kevin Ebi.

The National Parks Stamp Pane

This sheet includes 16 different stamps, all of them showing views of national parks or plants, animals, artwork, objects, and structures found in or associated with a national park. Small type on the margin of each stamp indicates its location.

First row, left to right: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska (Tom Bean, photographer); Mount Rainier National Park, Washington (Matt Dieterich, photographer); “Scenery in the Grand Tetons” (Albert Bierstadt, artist; painting at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, Vermont); Bass Harbor Head Light at Acadia National Park, Maine (David Muench, photographer).

The Maui stamp is part of a sheet of 16 Forever Stamps depicting an assortment of national parks in celebration of the National Park Service’s centennial.

Second row, left to right: “The Grand Canyon of Arizona, from Hermit Rim Road” (Thomas Moran, artist; chromolithograph-on-canvas at Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona); Assateague Island National Seashore, Virginia and Maryland (Tim Fitzharris, photographer).

Third row, left to right: Balclutha, a ship at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, California (Tim Campbell, photographer); Arches National Park, Utah (Tom Till, photographer); Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota (QT Luong, photographer); Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens, Washington, D.C. (Cindy Dyer, photographer).

Fourth row, left to right: Administration Building at Frijoles Canyon, Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico (Helmuth Naumer, Sr., artist); Everglades National Park, Florida (Paul Marcellini, photographer).

Fifth row, left to right: Haleakalā National Park, Hawai’i (Kevin Ebi, photographer); Yellowstone National Park, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming (Art Wolfe, photographer); Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico (Richard McGuire, photographer); Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida and Mississippi (John Funderburk, photographer).

The image at the center of the sheet is a detail of the 1-cent Yosemite stamp issued in 1934, rendered here in light brown.