Front:
Mitfaly
REAL-LIFE AMERICAN HEROES
YORK
JUN 72
2002
10199
FIRST-CLASS
HEROES
2001
FIRST DAY OF ISSUE
Back:
Heetwood
SECRETARY
An integral component of any organized civilization, the secretarial
profession has existed for thousands of years. In ancient Rome, sec-
retaries were usually educated men who, in addition to serving as
scribes, often acted as closely trusted advisors. Before the invention
of pen and parchment, early secretaries had to rely on crude methods
of dictation: chisels used upon stone and styluses used upon clay,
wood or wax tablets. This lead to the first forms of shorthand which
were learned by not only aspiring scribes but even the Roman em-
perors themselves, including Julius Caesar. Men filled most clerical
roles until the late 19th century, when women began to enter office
employment in large numbers. By the 1930s, women comprised the
overwhelming majority of the secretarial workforce in America. In
1942, a group of these women established the National Secretaries
Association (now the International Association of Administrative
Professionals) to professionalize the occupation and set standards
of excellence. Today, the American workplace is kept running by over
3 million secretaries specializing in a variety of fields. Often known
as administrative professionals, secretaries in the 21st century are
highly skilled individuals who command a vast array of information
and communication technologies while providing a wealth of internal
services essential to the successful operation of many thousands of
institutions around the world. On the terrible morning of September
11, 2001, the terrorist attacks on the United States took the lives
of 56 secretaries at the World Trade Center. Like all of their fellow
citizens who perished in the catastrophic events on that terrible day,
they represent the everyday American heroes who, by their diligent
work and compassion for others, help to keep America a great and
prosperous land.
