Barbara (Lee) Anderson (1934-2017) was born in Chicago and graduated from the University of Illinois in 1957 with a degree in journalism and married James L. Anderson. She spent her life raising her children and working as a fiber artist and freelance journalist, and was an avid collector and exhibitor of stamps and First Day covers. One of the subjects of her stamp collecting efforts was documenting the life and music of John Philip Sousa through U.S. postage stamps. Throughout her life she was an active member of the American Philatelic Society, the C-U Spinner and Weaver’s Guild, the Urbana Stamp Club, the Urbana Tree Commission, Champaign County Democrats, C-U Herb Society, and the Oratorio Society. She was also the founder of HIPS (Housewives Involved in Pollution Solutions), the first environmental recycling organization that was established in Urbana, Illinois in 1970.
The collection consists of John Philip Sousa U.S. stamps, souvenir booklets, exhibition certificates, and biographical information and articles about John Philip Sousa dating between 1924 and 2011. For information about this collection please visit the Barbara Anderson Papers and Sousa U.S. Stamp Collection finding aid.