title: Maybe We Need a Letter from God: The Star Trek Stamp
author: Bill Kraft
description: Book recalls history of Star Trek stamp: (review) "Perhaps you think that in 1998 the U.S. Postal Service issued the 33-cent Star Trek stamp on a whim. "Actually, that stamp, an illustration of the Enterprise with the Starfleet emblem illuminating the background, was almost 13 years in the making."'Maybe We Need A Letter From God, The Star Trek Stamp,' by Bill Kraft, a native of Strasburg, tells how the Star Trek stamp developed from an idea from Kraft and other Trekkies. "Kraft didn't become a Trekkie until 1979 after seeing the movie, 'Star Trek, The Motion Picture' which he loved because, 'It promotes peaceful, humane exploration of space.' In 1985, Kraft organized the Star Trek Stamp Committee, made up of other Trekkies who felt as he did about getting a stamp issued commemorating the Star Ship Enterprise from Star Trek and also possibly incorporating the Space Shuttle Enterprise. "The group soon discovered that the Citizen's Stamp Advisory Committee, which approved recommendations for stamps and submitted them to the postmaster general for consideration, was not easily persuaded. "But Kraft's group was as equally tenacious in their endeavor. A letter-writing campaign to the committee began in earnest. Some influential people wrote letters supporting the Star Trek stamp. James Manning, planetarium director at the Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University wrote: 'The Space Shuttle Enterprise represents the best of our technology; the Star Ship Enterprise, the best of our hopes and dreams.' "Science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, who Kraft tracked down in Sri Lanka, sent a letter to the committee with an endorsement for the stamp. "Letter endorsements came from governors, members of Congress, space science educators, NASA, high-profile science fiction writers, and even Clyde W. Tombaugh, the discoverer of the ninth planet of Pluto in 1930, wrote giving his support."And still, the committee said no. Kraft's response was 'Maybe we need a letter from God.' "By a stroke of luck, or perhaps as a way of getting Kraft off of their backs, in 1998 the Postal Service sponsored a 'Celebrate the Century' ballot as a way of determining the 'peoples' choice' in choosing new stamps. With several categories represented, Star Trek had made the cut in the arts and entertainment category. A total of 15 stamps were chosen, with Star Trek being one of those with 257,000 votes. "'Maybe We Need a Letter from God' is a Trekkie's dream book, a story of believing in your dreams and persevering until they become a reality."  Maralee Kalianoff, Bismarck Tribune November 3, 2013 More than a blast from the past: (review) "My first impression on reading this book was nostalgia: it carried me back to the days when people communicated primarily by postal mail rather than email, by telephone rather than Skype, in printed newspapers and broadcast radio rather than Internet news sites. In that sense, it's a valuable historical account of a campaign waged the old-fashioned way."But it's much more. I remember writing the letter I submitted to the Post Office in support of the Enterprise stamp. I gave it my best; as a young philosophy instructor, I poured my best logical argumentation into it along with my heartfelt belief in the value of the project. But I kept in mind that old saying about trying to overcome (even unreasonable) regulations: 'You can't fight City Hall.' "I didn't actually believe that the Post Office would ever change its mind. AND THEN IT DID."And there, I think, lies the true value of this book. It's about a grassroots effort that took on a quasi-government entity and won. It's about people's beliefs and convictions overturning bureaucratic rigidity. It reminds each of us that we CAN make a difference."Bill Kraft's campaign for the Enterprise stamp didn't just give us a stamp. It gave us hope in the democratic process, hope in the input of the everyday citizen--in short, hope in the future."  Dr. Anne Collins Smith, Amazon Review, September 3, 2013
zlib_text: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Contents
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [COPYRIGHTS](part0001.html#UGI0-2fdd88f035af43aea127d01007785b2c)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [ABOUT THE AUTHOR](part0002.html#1T140-2fdd88f035af43aea127d01007785b2c)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [WRITTEN BY STEPHANY
  WALLACE](part0003.html#2RHM0-2fdd88f035af43aea127d01007785b2c)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [NEW FROM STEPHANY
  WALLACE](part0004.html#3Q280-2fdd88f035af43aea127d01007785b2c)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [ACKNOWLEDGMENTS](part0006.html#5N3C0-2fdd88f035af43aea127d01007785b2c)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [TRADEMARKS](part0007.html#6LJU0-2fdd88f035af43aea127d01007785b2c)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [GLOSSARY](part0008.html#7K4G0-2fdd88f035af43aea127d01007785b2c)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [PROLOGUE](part0009.html#8IL20-2fdd88f035af43aea127d01007785b2c)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 1. High
  Priestess](part0010.html#9H5K0-2fdd88f035af43aea127d01007785b2c)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 2. Bridesmaids](part0011.html#AFM60-2fdd88f035af43aea127d01007785b2c)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 3.
  Preparations](part0012.html#BE6O0-2fdd88f035af43aea127d01007785b2c)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 4. And So They Were
  One](part0013.htm