American Greetings Produces Official 1998 Ohio Governor's Holiday Card; American Greetings Delivers High-Quality Production and World-Class Creative Talents

Business Wire, Dec 10, 1998

CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 1998--Governor George V. Voinovich and First Lady Janet Voinovich today unveiled their official 1998 holiday greeting card, featuring a Nativity scene and creche. The creche depicted on the card has been a treasured centerpiece of holiday celebrations in the Voinovich family since 1962, when the governor and his wife first decorated their home as newlyweds.

The card was created and manufactured by Cleveland-based American Greetings. The Nativity scene painting, as rendered by native Ohioan David Mueller, features Mary and Joseph cradling Baby Jesus. Encircling the manger are shepherds and their sheep. The inside verse reads: "As we are surrounded by the beauty of this Holy Season, May we each be a reflection of God's abiding love ... And embrace the New Year with a renewed commitment to enrich the lives of our fellow man."

"American Greetings associates are honored to work on the holiday card for the first family of their own state," said Morry Weiss, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American Greetings. "This project allows American Greetings to showcase our world-class creative talents and high-quality production while directly serving our plant communities in Ohio, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee."

American Greetings produced the official 1998 White House Card for President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton as well as the Vice Presidential Holiday Card for Vice President Al Gore and his family. In addition, American Greetings produced the 1998 holiday greeting cards for the governors of Kentucky, Arkansas and Tennessee. All three states are home to major operations of American Greetings.

American Greetings (NYSE:AM) is the world's largest publicly held creator, manufacturer and distributor of greeting cards and social expression products. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, American Greetings employs more than 21,000 associates around the world and has one of the largest creative studios in the world. For more information on the Company, visit our site on the World Wide Web at www.americangreetings.com.

Editor's Note: An accent mark should appear over the first "e" in the word "creche" found twice in the first paragraph of this release. The symbol has been removed for transmission purposes.

Editor's Note: Photographs of the governor of Ohio's holiday card are available upon request by calling Kristi Marusic at American Greetings at 216/252-7300 ext. 2610.