Professional Philatelist

image Félix Luis Pérez-Folch Jr. became a stamp collector in 1998 while serving in the U.S. Air Force; he later served in the U.S. Army and in 2018 retired after 29 years of service. He is the owner of The Stamp Professor LLC and is a member of 21 philatelic organizations. He writes for numerous publications on the postal history of Puerto Rico, exhibits at cultural events and contributes philatelic and research material to authors. In 2017 he co-authored the Illustrated Catalog of Postmarks for US Navy Ships Visiting, Ships Named for Puerto Rico, Commercial Passenger Ships and Military APO & FPO in Puerto Rico. Stamp topics he has exhibited at cultural events and military activities include Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Asian/Pacific Americans, Black Heritage, African Americans, Birds of Puerto Rico, the Holocaust, Medal of Honor Recipients, Women on Stamps, Mississippi and Roberto Clemente. He was presented the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal in 2018 for his worldwide exhibitions. A resident of Hattiesburg or "Hattiesbeard", Miss., he is a member of the youth and exhibit committees of the Gulf Coast Stamp Club. During GULPEX 2019, he received a vermeil award for his exhibit about the poet Julia de Burgos. He was featured in Topical Time for his display of holiday stamps and Mississippi on stamps at a Mississippi welcome center.  In 2021, he was presented the American Philatelic Society Nicholas G. Carter volunteer recognition award for national service. Félix served as a director for the American Topical Association (2020-2021) and as a director, webmaster and content manager for the Sociedad Filatélica de Puerto Rico (2021-2023). He currently serves as an ATA ambassador for the ATA Adventure Hub (2020-present); director and webmaster for the Penguins on Stamps Study Unit (2021-present) and the Gulf Coast Stamp Club (2023-present).


American Topical Association

image The American Topical Association (ATA) was founded in 1949 to bring together people who enjoy collecting postage stamps by topics. Throughout ATA’s history, that mission has not changed, but ATA has grown as topical collecting has become one of the most popular areas of philately. Through its numerous programs and services, ATA has encouraged beginning, as well as experienced, topical enthusiasts to collect, research, study and share their topics. Members have enthusiastically shared knowledge and research and have encouraged others. Another important aspect of ATA is to hold competitive exhibitions, where topical philatelists can display their work. The ATA holds the only all-thematic stamp exhibition in the U.S. each year.