Island seasonal artist honored for Betty White stamp design

Illustrator and seasonal Vineyard resident Dale Stephanos was the man of the hour at Nobnocket Boutique Inn on Saturday, signing a recently released and popular line of U.S. Postal Service stamps that he designed featuring iconic actress Betty White.

Though Vineyard Haven postmaster Emily Texeira presented Stephanos with a plaque of the design and gave a speech, the late White was the real star.

Stephanos, an illustrator for decades, told The Times that he has been floored by how fast the stamps of the “Golden Girls” and “Mary Tyler Moore Show” actress have been selling nationwide. An initial run of 35 million stamps launched in March but the Postal Service is already looking to print more, he said.

“I was told [that the Postal Service] just had to put in a rush print order because they’re running out … I’ve done a lot of magazine covers, a lot of book covers and newspaper work. Thirty-five million is just inconceivable,” he said.

Stephanos told The Times that he got the opportunity to illustrate the stamp after getting a call from designer Greg Breeding, an art director for the Postal Service’s stamp project.

The assignment to honor White, who died in 2021 at 99 years old, came with a condition from her family — to highlight her advocacy work for animals.

Instead of deciding to place an animal next to White on the stamp or another space-costly element, Stephanos and Breeding chose to show her wearing a pawprint earring.

The team also had to decide what age to portray White as, a difficult choice given her decades of high-profile work. The portrait on the stamp is based on a 2010 photo by Kwaku Alston.

“It’s funny; you look at it and it seems like a pretty simple portrait, but it’s actually sort of complex,” Stephanos told The Times.

Like people all over the country, Stephanos has fond memories of White.

“I grew up in the ’70s, so Mary Tyler Moore was a really popular show in my family,” he said. “And I think everybody likes Betty White.”