Belated ovation for a diva

Marian Anderson returned to DAR Constitution Hall in Washington for one more triumph Thursday.

The late singer, famed for her contralto voice, was honored on a U.S. postage stamp. First-day-of-issue ceremonies for the 37-cent stamp were held at the venue where the singer was once denied a chance to perform because of her skin color.

The initial snub in 1939 caused First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to resign from the Daughters of the American Revolution and to arrange for Anderson to perform before thousands at the Lincoln Memorial.

In later years, Anderson did perform at Constitution Hall, including a 1942 concert to aid World War II relief efforts, and she began her farewell tour there in 1964. She died in 1993.