(Smithtown, NY)…This year marked the Bicentennial Birthday of American poet Walt Whitman, who was born in a farmhouse built by his father on May 31, 1819. In recognition of this occasion, the United States Postal Service has issued a Walt Whitman stamp to honor the poet’s bicentennial birthday.
Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta joined other elected officials, the Board of Trustees of Walt Whitman’s Birthplace, officials from the Postal Service and NYS Parks Department, as well as community leaders at the First Day of Issue Ceremony. “This is a historic moment with this stamp being the 32nd issued in the Literary Arts Series and it is a great way to honor Long Island’s native son, Walt Whitman,” said Suffolk County Legislator Trotta.
Pictured at the ceremony in front of the Walt Whitman stamp are from left to right: David Blaine Ford, a Walt Whitman look – a-like, Cynthia Schor, Executive Director of the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association, Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta and Master of Ceremonies Michael Gargiulo, co-anchor of Today in New York.