29c Dr. Allison Davis stamp

A psychologist and educator, Dr. Allison Davis (1902-1983) served on the President's Commission on Civil Rights and was vice chairman of the Department of Labor's Commission Manpower Retraining during the Johnson and Nixon Administrations. Davis was an early student of the influence of social and economic factors in the education of poor children. He argued that as a result of defective intelligence testing, children in the lower two-thirds of the socioeconomic scale were not getting an adequate education. As a member of the University of Chicago faculty for over 40 years, Davis is thought to be the first African American to be granted tenure at a northern, predominantly white college or university.

The 29-cent Dr. Allison Davis commemorative stamp went on sale February 1, 1994, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and Atlanta, Georgia. Designed by Chris Calle, the stamps were engraved through the intaglio process by Stamp Venturers, Inc., and issued in panes of twenty stamps.

This stamp is part of the Black Heritage Stamp Series. Initiated in 1978, the USPS continues to issue a stamp featuring a notable Black American every February in conjunction with Black History Month and at other times during the year.

Reference:
Postal Bulletin (December 23, 1993).

Scott Catalogue USA: 2816

Copyright United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.

Museum ID: 1994.2087.21