The U.S. Postal Service is issuing a commemorative stamp on July 21 honoring longtime Beacon resident Pete Seeger as part of its Music Icons series.
Seeger first gained prominence in the early 1950s when he was part of The Weavers folk music group. The Weavers were blacklisted in the McCarthy era, but Seeger persevered as a solo performer and penned some of the most notable songs of the 1960s, including “We Shall Overcome” and “Turn! Turn! Turn!” During his career, he won five Grammy Awards including a Lifetime Achievement honor and was presented with the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts.
Seeger was also a major figure in the regional environmental movement. He co-founded the Poughkeepsie-based nonprofit Hudson River Sloop Clearwater that focused on conservation efforts across the Hudson River and local waterways, and he raised further awareness to ecological concerns through the annual Great Hudson River Revival.
Photo courtesy USPS
