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Post office to honor Mount bicentennial

By Rick Fulton  - Times Staff Writer

Mount Saint Mary’s University’s 200-year history will be honored in the spring by the United State Postal Service.

University staff announced Monday that a special U.S. stamped postal card featuring the Mount’s campus will be issued in April marking the bicentennial of America’s second oldest Catholic university.

The artwork on the postal card will feature a watercolor painting, “The Terrace,” created by award-winning architectural illustrator Frank Costantino of Winthrop, Mass.

The Terrace — consisting of DuBois, Bruté and McCaffrey Halls — is one of the oldest and central attractions on the university’s mountainside campus.

“The Postal Service’s 2008 stamp program will honor great influences of the American culture, including: Frank Sinatra, Bette Davis, American journalists and scientists, U.S. national flags and the theme “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” a press release stated.

“Mount St. Mary’s University is honored that the U.S. Postal Service recognizes its historic significance and the contributions that the university has made to higher education,” Mount’s Bicentennial Director Liz Monahan said.

Monahan stated that the issuance of the stamped card will serve as “a catalyst to promote awareness of our strong academic programs” and will enhance the public’s perception of the university.

“The commission of the Mount St. Mary’s postal stamp card and subsequent unveiling will be a highlight of our Bicentennial celebration,” she stated.

Frank Costantino based his artwork on historic photographs and drawings dating back to the early days of the Mount’s establishment and worked with art director Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, Ariz., according to Monahan.

The stamped postal card is part of a year-long celebration of the Mount’s founding in 1808 by French émigré Father John DuBois envisioning a spot for a future university and seminary.

Today, Mount Saint Mary’s is considered one of the top universities in the country for fostering a strong Catholic identity for its students, according to Mount communications staff.