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Although it isn't receiving as much publicity as the Elvis Presley stamp to be issued January 1, a stamp honoring a noted African American scientist will be available next month. Percy Lavon Julian, who pioneered the chemical synthesis of drugs, is to be featured on a 29-cent stamp as part of the U.S. Postal Service's commemorative Black Heritage Series. Julian, who lived from 1899 to 1975, was one of the first African Americans to receive a Ph.D. in chemistry and to open his own chemical manufacturing operation. He received a master's degree from Harvard University in 1923 and a Ph.D. from the University of Vienna in 1931. He taught at Howard University and several other institutions before founding Julian Laboratories Inc. in 1953. In 1935, Julian synthesized physostigmine, a ...