Award-winning graphic designer J. Bradbury Thompson was born on March 25, 1911, in Topeka, Kansas. Thompson designed more than 100 US postage stamps and influenced countless others, making him one of the most prolific US stamp designers in history. 1971 8¢ Traditional Christmas: Adoration of the Shepherds US #1444 – Thompson designed most of the Madonna and Child stamps between the 1970s and 90s. Thompson spent his childhood in Topeka before attending Washburn College where he edited and designed the school yearbook. He graduated in 1934 with a degree in economics and a minor in art and later designed the school’s mascot, The Ichabod. After graduating, Thompson worked as a designer at Capper Publications, where he learned everything he could about print production. He then moved to New York City in 1938 and designed the 1939 World’s Fair Catalog.