September 21, 1999 – The U.S.P.S. releases a commemorative postage stamp honoring Iowa’s Music Man – Meredith Willson.

It’s a special honor when the USPS releases a commemorative postage stamp celebrating your life. Over the years, there have been only a handful of good folks with strong Iowa connections who have shared in that honor. Meredith Willson (May 18, 1902 – June 15, 1984) distinguished himself as a writer of symphonic works and popular songs. His most famous work, The Music Man, premiered on Broadway in 1957, and was adapted twice for film (1962 and 2003). The idea for the show began in 1949, when he was reminiscing with friends about his childhood years in Mason City, Iowa. Willson referred to the show as “an Iowan’s attempt to pay tribute to his home state.”

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