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                                                                      EXHIBIT 24


                         AMERICAN GREETINGS CORPORATION

                       REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON FORM S-8

                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

American Greetings Corporation (the "Company") hereby constitutes and appoints
Phyllis Alden and Stanley E. Everett, and each of them, with full power of
substitution and re-substitution, as attorneys or attorney of the undersigned,
to execute and file under the Securities Act of 1933 a Registration Statement on
Form S-8 relating to the registration of 6,500,000 of the Company's Class A
Common Shares and 500,000 of the Company's Class B Common Shares and any and
all amendments and exhibits thereto, including post-effective amendments, and
any and all applications or other documents to be filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission pertaining to such registration, with full power and
authority to do and perform any and all acts and things whatsoever necessary,
appropriate or desirable to be done in the premises, or in the name, place and
stead of the said directors and officers, hereby ratifying and approving the
acts of said attorneys and any of them and any such substitute.

Executed at Cleveland, Ohio, this 20th day of July, 2001.


                             American Greetings Corporation


                             By:      /s/ Morry Weiss
                                      ---------------
                                      Morry Weiss
                                      Chairman & Chief Executive Officer


                             Attest:  /s/ Jon Groetzinger, Jr.
                                      ------------------------
                                      Jon Groetzinger, Jr.
                                      Secretary