Rockaway Beach, New York – This past week Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Rockaway Beach) sent a letter to the United States Postal Service (USPS) New York District Postmaster, Kevin Crocilla. The letter called for local artist and former National Parks Service Artist in Residence Robert Sarnoff’s 2004 matted print and cachet, Ye Olde Jetty, to be turned into a stamp commemorating Rockaway.

“Mr. Sarnoff’s matted print and cachet provided a glimpse of life in Rockaway Beach as a quiet beach town, before it became the dynamic and bustling neighborhood it is today,” Pheffer Amato said. “As the old wooden jetties are gradually removed, and since the Postal Service has already recognized his work through matted print and cachet, now is the time to turn this work of art into a stamp to commemorate both the history and progress of our community.”

“It was quite an honor for my image, Ye Olde Jetty, to be recognized as worthy of becoming a United States Postal Service matted print and cachet. That it was the first time a local artist was so selected was most gratifying,” Mr. Sarnoff said. “This battered, proud, wooden jetty has struck a chord, becoming an icon, protecting the Rockaway peninsula for over 150 years. This image has also been the cover of Rockaway’s map; the splash page for The Visitor’s Guide, and is the logo for The Belle Harbor Property Owners Association. It has come to symbolize a beach community’s deep rooted values and perseverance. It is time for Rockaway, New York, to have its very own stamp.”

Mr. Sarnoff first painted the image as a gift for his mail carrier around the holidays in the early 2000’s. The carrier was so impressed and grateful, that he forwarded the image to his district Postmaster. The image kept being escalated until 2004, when the USPS contacted Mr. Sarnoff in hopes of making his gift for his mail carrier a matted print and cachet. Mr. Sarnoff was the first local artist to have a homemade piece of art featured by the USPS.