In 1988, the life of educator Jaime Escalante – a Bolivian immigrant who taught math to mostly Latinos at Garfield High School in East LA – was immortalized by Edward James Olmos in Stand and Deliver. Escalante, who passed away in 2010, defied the odds when a record number of his inner-city students passed the AP calculus exam.
Now, 28 years later, Escalante is being honored with a stamp. United States Postal Service spokesman Roy Betts said that out of the tens of thousands suggestions, Escalante was chosen because of his legacy. “He is, without question, a very deserving subject,” Betts said, according to NBC News. “The legendary educator is well-known for academic excellence and working with inner-city youth to help them master calculus.”
A committee of 14 decides who will get a honored with a stamp, and this year, Sarah Vaughan, Richard Allen, and Shirley Temple will also get their own stamps.