PEOPLE : Sununu Makes Sure Stamp Shows That Flag Is Still There

It’s going to be difficult to say John H. Sununu didn’t leave his mark on the White House.

With the debut last month of a new 29-cent stamp marking the bicentennial of the White House, there will be 913 million red, white and blue examples of his clout on sale in the nation’s post offices.

Last year, when Sununu was still running the White House as chief of staff, postal officials sent a copy of its proposed stamp to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. for review.

The stamp was to be part of the series of flag stamps that show Old Glory fluttering over the Capitol, Yosemite, Mt. Rushmore and other nationally known sites.

Sununu, perhaps Washington’s best-known stamp collector, said he liked the design, but he immediately spotted an oversight. Although there was a large, fluttering flag on the stamp, he pointed out that the view of the North Portico lacked its usual banner.

The former New Hampshire governor said he was careful not to order a design change.

“I just said it would be more accurate with it there,” he recalled recently.

Sununu said he cautioned that millions of tourists visit the White House each year and that some were certain to complain to the Postal Service about the missing flag.

Postal officials agreed and added the flag.

What Sununu probably didn’t know was that designer V. Jack Ruther of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing had included the flag in his initial design.