#4510 - 84¢ Oveta Culp Hobby

It is fortunate that being featured on a postage stamp is not the only honor bestowed upon Oveta Culp Hobby, because it would be a pale tribute to the magnitude of the contributions she made to the United States in her lifetime. Culp was the first woman to receive the Distinguished Service Medal, awarded for her efforts leading the Women’s Army Corp during World War II. Under President Dwight D. Eisenhower she served as head of the Federal Security Agency, and later became the first secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. In this position, she approved the polio vaccine created by Jonas Salk, which eradicated the paralyzing disease. Scott 4510 Oveta Culp Hobby