KENT, OH.- The Kent State University Museum will be adopting the United States Postal Service’s newly-issued commemorative stamp on Katharine Hepburn as the official stamp for its highly anticipated exhibition on the legendary star’s personal collection of stage and film costumes. The KSU Museum exhibition, “Katharine Hepburn: Dressed for Stage and Screen,” opens October 2, 2010. Recognized as one of cinema’s greatest actresses and a universally acknowledged film legend, Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003) has influenced generations of women. Costumes in the collection given to the museum by her estate were designed by some of the greatest 20th century designers for fashion, stage and film.

The announcement was made at a May 12 luncheon on Katharine Hepburn’s influence on fashion sponsored by Dillard’s department store. A framed image of the Hepburn commemorative stamp was presented to the museum’s director Jean Druesedow by Cleveland Postmaster W. Spencer Hsu. The stamp portrait is a publicity photograph from Woman of the Year (MGM, 1942), the film comedy that first teamed Hollywood’s famed screen partnership, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. In all, they made nine films together.

After Postmaster Hsu noted Miss Hepburn’s personality has had a profound influence on American culture, he revealed that as a boy in Taiwan, he had been so influenced by Tracy that he adopted “Spencer” as his English name.

“Well, we are thrilled to ‘adopt’ this stamp, too” exclaimed Druesedow, adding the stamp will be used for correspondence relating to the museum exhibition. “It is indisputable that Katharine Hepburn’s iconic impact still influences fashion’s designs and trends, whether classic American wear or today’s Tomboy look.”

As testament to Miss Hepburn’s influence, Dillard’s fashion show presented Hepburn-inspired looks ranging from Hollywood Glamour to Hepburn’s signature trousers and tunics.

Represented was a wide range of American couturiers and lines – a veritable Who’s Who of American designers, many of whom, like Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein have publically acknowledged their debt to the screen legend and fashion icon.