Students join postal celebration

High-flying event launches new stamps

By:Alec Moore
   Hundreds of local residents gathered at the Central Jersey Regional Airport Friday for a celebration honoring the Wright Brothers as part of the U.S. Postal Service’s issuance of the First In Flight commemorative stamp.
   The stamp honors the historic achievement of Orville and Wilbur Wright, who in December of 1903 successfully launched the first controlled, powered and sustained flight in a heavier-than-air-machine.
   "Our stamp illustrates the historic moment when the Wright Brothers first launched into the air, opening the door to world of modern aviation as we know it," said Vito Cetta, U.S. Postal Service District Manager for Central New Jersey, moments before unveiling a giant likeness of the stamp.
   The ceremony at the Central Jersey airport occurred one day after the stamp was officially unveiled for the first time on May 22 at separate events in Dayton, Ohio and Kill Devil Hills, N.C.
   Friday’s ceremony in Hillsborough, which included a high-flying, daredevil aerial display and the Hillsborough High School marching band, was attended by children from both the Hillsborough and Manville school districts.
   "The post office has a long history of trying to get the whole airmail thing going," said acting Hillsborough Postmaster John Mutchler, who pointed out that in the late 1800s, prior to the Wright Brothers’ achievement and the subsequent invention of the airplane, the Postal Service had experimented with hot air balloons as a means of delivering mail by air.
   Mr. Mutchler noted that the hot air balloons never quite worked out, but that ultimately the U.S. Postal Service has played a significant role in the development of the aviation industry in the United States. "American Airlines and Eastern Airlines, all grew out of the airmail business," he said.
   Also among the guest speakers at the ceremony was Hillsborough Mayor Tony Gwiazdowski.
   "North Carolina was the birthplace of aviation and here in Hillsborough, New Jersey, we continue to see it’s alive and well," said Mayor Gwiazdowski.
   "Up until a few months ago, this land that we stand on today was up in the air, so to speak," he continued, referring to the state’s acquisition of the development rights for the airport, which effectively ensure that the property will remain an airport.
   Additional speakers at the ceremony included U.S. Air Force Lt. Lance Keithley, who piloted a refueling airplane during the war in Iraq, and Hillsborough Superintendent of Schools Robert Gulick.
   "During that fly over, one of our students said something that typifies what today is all about," Dr. Gulick said. "He said it was ‘awesome’ and that’s exactly what all of this is here today, it’s an awesome opportunity for our community."
   Additional speakers and guests at the ceremony included Manville Superintendent of Schools Donald Burkhardt, Sunnymead School Principal Linda Gross, Millstone Valley Flight School instructor John Price and mechanical engineer Charles Byron.
   Tim Pultorak, a Hillsborough High School student, and 11-year-old Gabrielle Skinner, introduced as a "Flight Attendant of the Future," opened the ceremony by respectively singing the national anthem and leading crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.
   The Civil Air Patrol of the Raritan Valley Composite Squadron served as color guard for the ceremony.
   The 37-cent stamp is now on sale at post offices across the country and can be viewed online at www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/welcome.htm.