Park City, UT (Tuesday, July 30, 2002) - The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association is urging the U.S. Postal Service to honor the late Gretchen Fraser, the first American to win an Olympic ski medal -- slalom gold and combined silver in 1948, by being portrayed on a postage stamp.

"Her historic performances were a collective seminal moment as the American ski industry began to grow following the war. She gave the nation a gracious champion," USSA President and CEO Bill Marolt wrote in a letter to the Postal Service. Fraser died on the eve of the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway

In a day when women were not encouraged to take part in elite-level sports, Fraser was the epitome of a great champion. Alpine skiing -- for men and women -- was introduced to the Olympics in 1936 and in the first Winter Games after World War II she became the first U.S. skier to earn an alpine medal.

She grew up in Vancouver, WA, but lived more than a half-century in Sun Valley, ID; it was in Sun Valley that she met and taught many World War II amputees how to ski. Understandably, her adopted hometown also has helped lead the drive to make Fraser the first skier specifically represented on a U.S. postage stamp. Several stamps have been issued in Olympic years, showing a generic skier -- alpine, cross-country, jumper, biathlete -- but Fraser would be the first "real" skier on a stamp.

Fraser spent her life "living the Olympic ideal and sharing the Olympic spirit as an energetic contributor to her community," according to Marolt. "She worked with wartime amputees, helping them learn to ski so they could enjoy the sport which meant so much to her; she also was instrumental in Special Olympics programs."

The USSA is urging its membership to also write to the USPS in support of the stamp for Fraser. "Gretchen was a humble champion and she probably would not encourage any campaign to promote her for anything, but that's what made her even more special," Marolt said. He said letters should be sent to:

Citizen's Stamp Advisory Committee
U.S. Postal Stamp Development
475 L'Enfant Plaza SW -- Room 4474E
Washington, DC 20260-2437