Philip Handleman recently had a very personal goal fulfilled – his photograph of the U.S. Air Force Academy’s famed Cadet Chapel was selected for a commemorative stamp by the U.S. Postal Service.
“I am honored beyond measure to have this image selected,” said Handleman, an avid airman and owner of the 160-acre Sky Ranch located on Noble Rd. in Oxford Township.
The picture of the renowned chapel will be used by the U.S. Post Office to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Academy’s founding, but for Handleman, the stamp will be used to relay an important message stemming from the 9-11 attacks.
“I wanted to create an image that would bolster and resolve my fellow citizen’s spirits in the wake of the attack on our native soil,” he explained. “I was looking for a symbol of American pluralism, tolerance and universality… and I feel this image does that better than I could have ever hoped.”
The Cadet Chapel is a modernistic glass and aluminum house of worship that contains Protestant, Catholic and Jewish Chapels, as well as two all-faith rooms. The Chapel’s multi-denominational program is open to all cadets.
“I found this one structure to say so much with all these spiritualities in one place,” said Handleman. “I wanted to portray this image of unity, especially because of those who are working so hard now to use religion as a mode of division. I don’t know of a better symbol.”
This is the second time the aviation photographer has had his work selected for a commemorative postage stamp. The first was in 1997 when the U.S. Postal Service selected an image he took in 1989 of the Thunderbirds.
“Phil Jordan, the art director for the U.S. Postal Service, called me out of the blue and said he was familiar with my work and had some of books in front of him,” explained Handleman. “He wanted to know if I would be interested in submitting some photos for a competition.”
For the current stamp, Handleman again entered a national competition and worked with Jordan on the artistic content. His photograph was selected by the Citizen Stamp Advisory Committee for the U.S. Postal Service.
“Jordan added the four streams in the back I believe to represent the four classes, what we would know as freshman, sophomore, junior and senior, of the Academy,” explained Handleman.
A photographer, author and historian, Handleman, who purchased his property in Oxford Township 15 years ago, began his career in flight when he was 12 years old and his parents took him for his first airplane ride.
“They took me for an air ride in a Piper Cub, and I’ve been flying ever since,” he remembers.
This experience, combined with tales from his mother describing the old air shows held in Cleveland, Ohio, formed the foundation of Handleman’s career. During the past 32 years, Handleman has been an active pilot, and currently owns and flies his own vintage aircraft of military lineage from his Oxford Township air strip. He and his wife Mary currently live in Birmingham and split their time between there and the Sky Ranch.
“I have to thank my wife Mary. If it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t be able to do all this,” said Handleman. “She’s my ultimate inspiration.”
In addition to his photography, Handleman has also published 18 aviation books and scores of aviation articles. As president of Handleman Filmworks, he has produces several award-winning television programs that have been aired on the Public Broadcasting Service. “Film is a means of expression – a way of saying things I feel are important,” said Handleman. “When I make a documentary, I feel I’m doing something very important, I’m trying to send out that message.”
The 37-cent stamp is scheduled to be released at the Academy of Colorado Springs, Colorado during a special anniversary ceremony in April of 2004.