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February 20, 2008
DENNIS DENGEL SELECTED AS 2008 DISTINGUISHED TOPICAL PHILATELIST
Dennis Dengel of Poughkeepsie, New York, has been selected as the American Topical Association's 2008 Distinguished Topical
Philatelist, according to an announcement by DTP committee chairman Donald W. Smith. The award will be presented on
Saturday evening, June 14, 2008, at the Awards Banquet during the ATA annual convention in Portland, Oregon.
Dennis Dengel is an ATA life member and has served since 1994 as secretary-treasurer of the ATA Americana Study Unit. He
has served on ATA show committees in computer support since 2000, and has presented lectures at the National Topical Stamp
Show to help members better understand electronic communications. He currently serves as chairman of the ATA audio-visual
committee overseeing the transfer of the old ATA slide shows onto Digital Video Discs (DVDs). He now authors a column in
Topical Time entitled "Now Showing" to help readers better understand the process of converting slides to DVDs.
In 1971, Ernest A. Kehr invited Dengel to join the International Press Club based on a series of articles the DTP recipient
wrote in the journal of the Society of Philatelic Americans. Dengel subsequently was appointed secretary of this group that
was dedicated to providing leadership for postal administrations to exercise integrity in policies related to the issuance
of postage stamps. Dengel continued in this position until 1996 when the group dissolved.
Dennis Dengel received a degree in data processing in 1971 from the State University of New York, and since 1972 he has
been employed in the computer field. He presently works in a special education department for a local school district in
New York.
The ATA Distinguished Topical Philatelist award was established in 1949 by Jerry Husak, to recognize notable service in
topical philately. In the past 54 years, this award has been presented to 115 topical philatelists, including residents of
Canada, Great Britain, and Italy.
The National Topical Stamp Show will be held June 13-15, 2008, in Clackamas, a suburb of Portland, Oregon. In addition to
being the only show in the United States with an entirely topical exhibition competition, the ATA will have several
open-to-the-public meetings of various organizations such as Study Units for Biology, Ships, Butterflies, Cats,
Lighthouses, Penguins, Jules Verne, Graphic Arts, Postal Stationery and the American Airmail Society. Nancy Clark will
give an audio visual presentation on Lewis and Clark. Oregon Historian, Richard H. Engeman will have a presentation at the
First Day of Issue Ceremony for a sheetlet of four stamps honoring early exploration and discovery In Oregon.
For information on the world’s largest all-topical philatelic organization, contact the ATA
Central Office, P.O. Box 57, Arlington, Texas 76004-0057 (telephone: 1-817-274-1181; email
americantopical@msn.com; or visit their
website at
www.americantopicalassn.org.
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