Banchik's Mexico Takes Grand at CHICAGOPEX
Mark E. Banchik won a show gold, the Grand Award, the MPHS grand award, the Ben B. Newman Memorial Award for best United States Postal History Exhibit, the Postal History Society award, and the United States Philatelic Classics Society medal for his United States Intervention in Mexico 1846-1848. In fact quite a few military related exhibits did very well at our convention show, held November 19-21 in Arlington Heights, Ill.
A gold and the MPHS Reserve Grand went to Richard S. Wilson for British Forces in Egypt and the Sudan 1882-1898. The MPHS webmaster Karl Winkelmann also took a gold along with the APC award for excellence in written text of the exhibit, the APS research award, the Felix Ganz award for best foreign postal history, and the Éire Philatelic Association medal for his Postal Isolation of Ireland: British Censorship of Irish Mail in WWII.
Anthony Dewey won a gold and the United Nations Philatelists gold with Services of Intellectual Aid to Prisoners of War. Another show gold along with the APS pre-1900 medal of excellence went to Gerald Sattin for Soldiers of the Crown in Asia and Their Special Postal Rates to 1898. Additional golds were awarded to Ernest Bergman for Switzerland: A Safe Haven for Civilian Refugees and Military Internees during the Nazi Era, and to Jerry Miller for German Intervention in China.
Vermeil medals went to Robert Kinsley for French Occupation of West Africa 1892-1906, and to Myron Fox for German Postal Censorship World War II. Jerry Miller received a silver for End of German Presence in China: The War Years 1914-1918. Myron Fox also took a bronze with his Gentlemen Do Not Read Each Other's Mail. Al Kugel had a Court of Honor exhibit, The Allied Occupation of Germany 1918-1935.
The CHICAGOPEX show also offers a philatelic literature competition. Here again quite a few military related entries received nice honors. A show gold and the MPHS literature award were taken by John Alan Hicks for his book Civil War Occupational Licenses 1863-1873. MPHS publications reaped a number of vermeil awards including David Kent for the Military Postal History Society Bulletin. Three volumes of the APO handbook series by Russ Carter also won vermeil medals: Numbered Army & Air Force Post Office Locations, 7th edition, Vol. 1; Numbered Army & Air Force Post Office Locations, 7th edition, Vol. 2; and Numbered Navy & Marine Corps Post Office Locations, 7th edition, Vol. 3.
MPHS past president Jim Boyden picked up a vermeil award for his U.S. Air Service in the British Isles 1917-1919. Other vermeils went to Hans Moxter for Censorship of Mail in Ireland, to Borys Fessak for Ukrainian DP Camp, POW Camp, Government in Exile and National Council Issues, 2nd edition, and to Peter Prime for British Army Postal Cancellations of the Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902.
