Dr. Peter P. McCann

Peter's collecting interest revolves around the postal history of the islands of the Caribbean and the South Atlantic. His enthusiasm is easily reflected in his service of co-editing and co-authoring numerous books and articles relating to this field as well as several philatelic exhibits.

He is a graduate of Columbia University, and then received a PhD in Molecular Biology from Syracuse University. Subsequently he was a Fellow at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. Later in his scientific career he was President of British Biotech USA and then President of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute.

Peter is known as an ambassador to the philatelic community through his hands-on approach towards organized philately. In the realm of exhibitions, he is a nationally and internationally accredited judge and served as Director and also Vice President of the FIP for twelve years. As a collector, he has managed to win a number of national grand awards with several different exhibits.

In addition to his work in exhibitions, he has also held numerous positions within the APS, including the positions of Vice President and then President for two terms. He is again currently an APS Director at Large. He also served as the Co-Chairman and then Member of the Council of Philatelists of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum for seven years.

Over the years, Peter has been awarded by various organizations for his service to philately. These awards include Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London and Royal Philatelic Society of Canada, the APS Luff Award (2008), the Collectors Club New York Alfred F. Lichtenstein Award (2010), and the Neinken Medal of The Philatelic Foundation (2016) among others. A culmination was his signing of the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists (RDP) in 2007 – the ultimate honor in world philately.