A MOTHER’S DAY COMMEMORATIVE ENVELOPE Morning Star, May 5, 2002, pg. 12 Most of our readers are familiar with the story of Juliet Calhoun Blakeley (1818-1920), Albion’s so-called “Original Mother of Mother’s Day” and the legend that grew around her through the years. There is another aspect to the story which we are featuring this week in preparation of Mother’s Day next weekend. Back in 1934 the Albion Business & Professional Womens Club (ABPWC) issued a commemorative envelope in honor of the late Mrs. Blakeley. The envelopes were postmarked Friday, May 11, 1934 (two days before Mothers Day) and contained a 3¢ U.S. Postage stamp “In Memory and in honor of the Mothers of America.” This stamp shows a seated mother facing left, with a vase of flowers in the lower left. I am not a stamp collector (I am a numismatist instead) and so you’ll need to consult your nearest philatelist for the Scott number. Most importantly however is the local addition to the envelope. These special covers contain a purple-colored imprint that was hand-stamped with a rubber stamp. Oval in size, the imprint measures approximately just over two and three quarters inches wide, and one and three quarters inches tall. The text states, “Sponsored by Albion Business & Professional Womens Club. Commemorating the Birthday Anniversary of the Founder of Mother’s Day, Juliette Calhoun Blakeley. May 13, 1918-Nov. 29, 1920. Albion, Michigan.” I had read somewhere years ago that the ABPWC had issued a “stamp,” but what they meant was a rubber-stamped imprint, not a lick-it type. This article should clarify any confusion. From our Historical Notebook this week we present a photograph of the only such envelope I’ve ever seen (does anyone else have one?) in all my years of researching Albion history. This is courtesy of the Connor family. It is addressed to Mrs. Earl Connor (Ruth) from her postal carrier husband, Earl Connor. In a bit of irony, not only did Juliet Calhoun Blakeley live to be 102 years old, but so did this envelope’s addressee Ruth Connor (1896-1999), who lived to be 103. Ruth lived a long and productive life and was well loved by her family, church, and those who knew her. This envelope, by the way, will be included in my upcoming 128-page pictorial book “Albion in the 20th Century.” The book will contain over 225 photographs “by decade” from 1900 up to the present time. It just went to the printers and will be released sometime in August. I’ll have more information on this later as the time approaches. Mother's Day Commemorative Envelope Next: ALBION 100 YEARS AGO - MAY, 1902 Back to the Top of this Page All text copyright, 2026 © all rights reserved Frank Passic  |  Artwork copyright Maggie LaNoue © 2026 Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook  |  From the Archives  |  Subject List  |  100 Years Ago  |  Alphabetical Index  |  Frank Passic Home Page  |  Albion History Books  |  Contact Frank Michigan Prints by Maggie LaNoue Michigan Prints offers limited-edition archival Giclée prints, miniprints, notecards and boxed sets featuring Michigan landmarks, nature, resorts and nostalgia. Each print and card includes a legend on the back with stories about Michigan history. Albion scenes include the Kalamazoo River waterfall and the Blizzard of 1978. Find Michigan Prints online and at local shops. 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General Guide — Community  |  General Guide — Outdoors Robin James — Indices Unlimited Robin James is the editor of the Albion Historical Notebook and has kept Frank Passic's thousands of articles organized and searchable for decades. A trained librarian and archivist, Robin specializes in back-of-book and online indexing, multimedia collection management, and corporate information distribution. He also enjoys strange music and is a contributing editor for Igloo electronic music magazine. For more about his indexing services, visit Indices Unlimited. AlbionDesign.com — Communications Specialists Since 1981  |  Advertise on AlbionMich.com