Balloons R Fun Class Graduates in Montgomery

The Montgomery Diversity Group and Life Work Planning Center sponsored a Balloons R Fun Training class, which was taught by Ziann Goree (aka Q-T-Pie). Despite the fun and whimsical nature of balloon crafting, the students had a lot to learn in six sessions, which often ran hours past their expected end times.

The class included Postal employees, as well as non-Postal people who were accompanied by Postal employees. Graduation ceremonies for 7 students were held on August 26 at 6:00pm, and from the looks of it, the students were completely exhausted from the grueling curriculum.

And now, presenting ... the Balloons R Fun Graduating Class of 2010:

Annette Johnson-Bell, Joanne Pickett, Beverly Addison (all non postal); Ziann Smith Goree, Instructor and Plant Manager’s Secretary; Elaine Taylor, Supervisor, Customer Service Support; Angela Crenshaw, Mail Handler; Wanda Cooper, CFS Clerk; Eve Golden, Postmaster’s Secretary.

About the class, Ziann wrote, "The class was a huge success. There was a small graduation where the students invited some of their friends, family and co-workers. It’s amazing what you make in 6 lessons. These students had too much fun creating a lot of balloon sculptures to make people happy."

Eve Golden reminisces about all of the fun times that were shared by class participants.

Postmarks thanks Ziann Goree for both taking her time to teach the class and for sharing her pictures and experiences with us.

A Reluctant Hero At the Prattville Post Office

Rural Carrier Mark Knight

On June 28, Prattville Rural Carrier Mark Knight was delivering mail to a lone mailbox on a dirt road when heard a loud sound, looked up, and saw smoke rising in the distance across a nearby field.

 He drove towards it, and when he rounded the corner, he saw the source of the smoke: a truck had swerved into the ditch. It was on fire.

Mark stopped at the scene of the crash, as did another passer-by. Both drivers jumped  out to help. “Call 911,” Mark yelled as he ran towards the burning vehicle.

When he saw a man on the floorboards of the burning truck, he remembers saying out loud,” Jesus, help me.”

Flames leapt from under the hood, and thick smoke poured out. “Get out!” he yelled as he tried to open the doors, which wouldn’t budge. Nor would the man inside, who moved around a bit and muttered but was unresponsive to Mark’s instructions.

Unable to open any of the doors, Mark reached in an open window, grabbed the man under the armpits, and proceeded to drag him out. “Whatcha doin’?” the man said.

“Man, I’m getting you out of your truck--it’s on fire!” Mark said, as he continued dragging him far away from the vehicle.

Later, Mark said.” I don’t know if he was drunk or if he just had head trauma because he was saying stuff that didn’t make any sense.”

Within five minutes, the rescue crew was there and the man was receiving aid, so Mark got back in his own vehicle and drove away. That’s when the gravity of the situation hit him: “I guess I just realized that I could have died if that truck had blown up on me. Actually, I was thinking about it when I was hollering at the guy to get out, but it kind of set in as I was driving away. That wouldn’t have changed nothing—you can’t leave somebody in there.”

His clothes were covered with blood from the man’s broken nose, and Mark still had mail to deliver, so he stopped off at his nearby home, changed his clothes, and finished his route.

The only person he told about the incident was his wife, who had been at home upon his return.

But witnesses at the scene had called the local newspaper. A week later, when a reporter called Prattville Postmaster Keith Farrar for comment, he was taken by surprise. “I said that I didn’t know anything about it, “ Farrar said.

When the reporter called Mark’s proud wife, she told him, “It’s not uncommon for my husband to come home with blood on him. Just this time, it was somebody else’s.”

He is a reluctant, humble hero who insists on minimizing his role in the man’s rescue

“I didn’t tell anyone at work. I really didn’t want anybody to know,” he said. “Five minutes after I put him on the ground, the fire truck arrived. The truck was still burning, but the fire never reached the cab. In hindsight, I thought that I didn’t really save anybody’s life.

He added that the only reason that he agreed to do this interview was because he wants to help improve employee morale: so many carriers help people in the course of their daily work routines, and he wants that to be recognized.

The victim’s identity and status remain a mystery. “He was in his 50’s or 60’s. I don’t know who he is or how he’s doing,” Mark said.

 Prattville Postmaster Keith Farrar (left) with Rural Carrier Mark Knight

Gadsden Carrier Returns Man's Long-Lost Class Ring

From The Associated Press:

GADSDEN, Ala. - Thanks to his mail carrier, an Alabama man has his class ring back — 14 years after he lost it. Michael Amberson hadn't seen his Gadsden High School class ring since he took it off to wash his hands at his dorm in 1996, when he was a freshman in college.


About two weeks ago, mail carrier Chad West was mowing the grass at the home of a woman he knows when he spotted the ring in the grass near a dogwood tree.

He picked it up and saw Amberson's name.

Then he noticed Amberson's name on a piece of mail while making a delivery one day and realized the ring was his.

He made arrangements to return the ring to Amberson, who says he has no idea how it ended up on the woman's lawn, but is glad to have it back.

___

Information from: The Gadsden Times, http://www.gadsdentimes.com

Recipe Contest Reminder and Deadline Extension

Susan G. Komen North Central Alabama Race for the Cure

Myra Brown, an employee at the Birmingham Main Post Office, died earlier this year after a long struggle with breast cancer. Her family, friends, and co-workers still miss her very much. In honor of Myra, Safety Specialist Sylvia Stack has organized a Postal team for the 2010 Susan G. Komen North Central Alabama Race for the Cure. 


If you would like to join the team or make a donation, here is the information from Sylvia:

2010 Susan G. Komen North Central Alabama Race for the Cureâ

Saturday, October 9, 2010
Linn Park, Birmingham AL

v     Did you know that 20 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during your lunch hour today?  One could be you mother, daughter, sister, or friend.  So please come support the women in your life by joining Team (Myra’s Friends – USPS) at the Susan G. Komen North Central Alabama Race for the Cureâ on Saturday, October 9, 2010 at Linn Park. Visit www.komenNCalabama.org for more information or call or email Team Captain, Sylvia Stack at 205-608-3854 or SibbieCakes@Charter.net, for more information. 

Website registration: On middle of page click on Register on Line

On Left Side click on Search for a Team

Scroll down the Team Listing & click on Myra’s Friends – USPS

If you do not want to walk but want to donate,

On the Top Middle of page – Click (General Team Donation) Enter the amount you wish to donate and then click on continue until your donation is completed.

If you do want to walk

Click on (Join Our Team) – it is highlighted in blue

Click on Waiver Agreement

Fill out the requested information until your registration is complete.

I hope you support this cause.  We have all lost family and dear friends to breast cancer and have even more that have won the breast cancer battle.  Together, we can make a difference.  We can join together, make a difference and feel good about participating in such a worthy cause. 

Thanks for your donation or for joining (Myra’s Friends – USPS).

Krayons for Kids at the Anniston Post Office

Krayons for Kids is a non-profit organization that collects crayons and coloring books for patients in the Children's Hospital. In the hospital, crayons can't be re-used because they might spread illnesses and infections, so Krayons for Kids' goal is to make sure that all kids in the hospital have their own.

On July 23, the Anniston Post Office along with the Lineville and Millerville Post Offices sponsored a Krayons for Kids event that lasted all day.

 

Several local businesses donated food and refreshments, and for every book of stamps sold, the Post Office donated either crayons or a coloring book.

Michelle Stone, coordinator for Krayons for Kids, speaks to 24 News in the Anniston Post Office.

Retail Clerks Karen Mathis and Nicole Miller were kept busy that day: because the public's support of the event, Anniston exceeded its weekly revenue goal by 2.5%.

Retail Clerk Ayanna King can attest to the fact that Forever Stamps were hot sellers: normal sales were trippled. Normal weekly sales of Forever Stamps in Anniston is $789.06, but for this week, Forever Stamp revenue was $2613.60.

Total revenue for the event was $3432.68. And the Post Office collected 1550 boxes of crayons and 1340 coloring books.

Anniston Postmaster Derick King said, "We intend on making Krayons for Kids an annual event."

Postmarks thanks King for submitting pictures and a summary of the event. Congratulations, Anniston,on such a successful day! What a fine example of how the Post Office's participation in communities that it serves is beneficial to everyone.

Rickwood: Door to the Past, Window To The Future

Rickwood Field in Birmingham is the oldest baseball park in the world. Last week, the park turned 100.

The U.S. Postal Service was an integral part of Rickwood's celebration:

Postmarks' Marvin Owens used the Rickwood Centennial logo to design a pictorial postmark for the day; he also designed a Rickwood cachet that featured the park, the pictorial postmark, and images of Postal employee Cleophus Brown today and during his playing days in the Negro League.

The Postal Service had a table at the entrance to the park where the cachet, the Negro League stamps, and other philatelic items were sold.

Nearby sat Cleophus Brown and several other former players.

Postal employees Audrey Betts and Cleophus Brown with Betts' husband (r), who had played baseball with Brown in the 1970's.

Postal employee Donnie Flint asked all of the former Negro League players to sign her book We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, an 88-page hardcover book by Kadir Nelson (the artist who designed the Negro League stamps).

The Woodwards of Woodward Iron were the original owners of the park. Two of their descendents participated in the event as well.

For those of us with the Postal Service, the highlight of the afternoon came at the conclusion of the on-field activities when Retail Specialist Stevie Mason (in the back) presented Cleophus Brown with a framed cachet.

The heavy rains did little to dampen the audience's nostalgic mood. As a representative from the State of Alabama Tourism Office said, "A rainy day at Rickwood is better than a sunny day at any major league park."

 

More Birmingham Negro League Stamp Pictures

Here are some more pictures from last Monday's Negro League stamps promotion in Birmingham.

Birmingham Postmaster Mike Allison with the players. 

Employee Terri Gardner escorting her young fans. 





Birmingham Diversity members. Kudos for a great event!

USPS employees Veronica Johnson and Reginald Capers with the players and their manager. 

Cleophus Brown with Ziann Goree. 

Take Me Out to The Ball Game

Rickwood Field, the Old Ballpark in Birmingham, Is Turning 100 - NYTimes.com

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Mitch Earnest, an 18-year-old catcher from Decatur, Ga., was reaching for his bat to go out on deck at Rickwood Field when he was told Babe Ruth also reached for his bat in this same place during an exhibition game. Earnest paused for a moment to consider his next at-bat.


“I hit from the right side,” said Earnest, who was playing in a wood-bat tournament at the park. “Maybe I need to get in there lefty just so I can say I stood where Babe Ruth stood.”

Earnest does not have to explain his reverence. After all, lawyers from Chicago flew here one weekend and rented the field for a game. It is why Rickwood Field, which will be 100 years old on Wednesday, has been able to escape a wrecking ball and become a shrine as America’s oldest baseball park.

There is nothing that moves the thrill meter for a baseball fan the way walking the path trod by baseball gods does. Dizzy Dean pitched in Rickwood. Jackie Robinson andHank Aaron played there. Satchel Paige twirled from the mound.

It is still possible to roam where Willie Mays roamed as a teenage center fielder because some local baseball fans organized in 1992 to become the Friends of Rickwood. When the minor league Birmingham Barons moved out in 1987 for a newer park in the suburbs, Rickwood seemed doomed like so many other ballparks of its era.

The Friends of Rickwood hold an annual game, the Rickwood Classic, to raise money for the park’s maintenance and restoration as a museum. They host instructional camps and wood-bat tournaments for amateur leagues. They rent out the park, at $100 a game, $30 an hour extra if it requires lights, which, by the way, were first installed in 1936.

David Brewer, the executive director of the Friends of Rickwood, wants to export Rickwood Field as a model to other communities that have aging ballparks. It is more than baseball at stake, he said.

To continue reading, click here.

Negro League Baseball Players at the Birmingham Main Post Office

You'll have to be patient with Postmarks this week because there are lots of Postal events going on, so we might be a little slow about updating sections of this site.

Today in the Birmingham Main Post Office Lobby, several former Birmingham Black Barons came to sign autographs for their many fans and to help us promote the new Negro League stamps. In 5 hours, about $1200 in philatelic products were sold (not including the stamps).

So many people couldn't wait to talk to the players and to interact with these friendly fellows who played such an important role in the history of both baseball and Birmingham. We look forward to seeing them all again on Wednesday, when Postmarks and hopefully many of you will be attending the 100th anniversary of Rickwood Field, which is the oldest baseball stadium in continuous use in America and was the home of the Birmingham Black Barons.

All of the players were kept busy for hours by their fans.

Even balloon baseball players were enlisted for autographing assistance.

These young players will have a much different baseball experience because of the men sitting in front of them.

Passing around  a Negro Leagues stamps enlargement to sign.

Fans wanted the players to sign everything and anything.

Cleophus Brown adding his signature to a Negro Leagues stamps enlargement.

The players clown around with Postal clown Ziann Goree.

Postmarks wants to thank all of the players for attending the Birmingham promotion, with extra appreciation going out to Cleophus Brown for inviting his charming friends and former teammates to the event. 

Prattville Carrier Pulled Man From Burning Truck

From The Prattville Progress:

Rural mail carrier Mark Knight, a 15-year employee of the Prattville Post Office, has been given credit for possibly saving the life of a man he pulled from a burning vehicle last Wednesday. (Don Fletcher, Progress)

It wasn't snow, it wasn't rain that temporarily stayed a local U.S. Postal Service employee from his appointed rounds last week. It wasn't heat or gloom of night that caused a slight disruption in completion of the postal carrier's route.

Instead, the Prattville postman was drawn away from his duties by the sights and sounds of a nearby car crash as he was making his daily delivery June 28. Forgetting his postal motto only momentarily, the USPS employee rushed to the scene, just a few yards away from where he was working.

Mark Knight, whose rural route takes him along the north-central sector of Autauga County, said he was stuffing letters, bills and advertising flyers into the mailbox of a County Road 85 resident when the mishap occurred. Suddenly, just a few yards away, a vehicle ran off County Road 57 in a curve and crashed into the front yard of one of Knight's postal customers.

Although the mail carrier downplayed his part in the incident, Knight's biggest fan said her husband -- whom she labeled as a "modest mailman" -- performed a heroic deed.

 

Preview of Rickwood Centennial Postmark and Cachet

There's just 1 week left until Rickwood Field's 100th birthday celebration. Here's some general information about the event from the Rickwood site:

The Friends of Rickwood and the baseball community will be celebrating the park’s 100th birthday on Wednesday, August 18. The event will be an open-house of-sorts, including tours and collector exhibits, dignitaries speaking, theatrical baseball presentations, books signings by several Rickwood authors, and a shortened ballgame featuring players from the Great South League, a summer collegiate wood bat league. The activities will begin at 3:00 pm central (opening game time on August 18, 1910), and the game will run 4:30 – 6:00 pm. The event is open to the public, free-of-charge.

Of course, the Birmingham Main Post Office will be there to join in the fun. Cleophus Brown will be present at the Postal booth to sign autographs, answer questions, and help promote the Negro Leagues stamps. Prior to the exhibition game, Mr. Brown will also be on the field to accept a token of appreciation from the Postal Service for all that he has done as a player and as a Postal employee.

A pictorial postmark was created for the special day by Postmarks' Marvin Owens that incorporated the Rickwood Field 100th anniversary logo. Marvin also designed the cachet that will be available for purchase. Here is a sneak peek:

Please plan to join us in recognizing and celebrating this important time, place, and person in Alabama history.

This Is What It's All About

No matter what your job is with the Postal Service, no matter how large or how small your office, each and every employee can do his or her part to increase revenue, participate as an essential team member, and provide the best customer service that we possibly can. And if you've tried before and received no response, don't give up. Keep trying: just because somebody else may have dropped the ball in the past doesn't mean that you have to, too. 

The following example was submitted to Postmarks today from little old Loxley, Alabama: 

The shipping manager at Seco Promotions in Loxley, AL spoke with Rural Carrier, Paula Long, and told Paula that her company was interested in shipping solutions with the US Postal Service.  This company was a new company that shipped t-shirts and novelty items in Loxley.  Paula submitted a Rural Reach Lead and Karen Lane, Business Solutions Specialist, visited the shipping manager.  Karen provided the customer information on usps.com and commercial rates/free delivery confirmation, by using "Click and Ship."  She also showed the customer how to order free Priority and Express Mail supplies on usps.com.  This lead from Paula resulted in a projected sale of $500.00 annually for the US Postal Service.

Postmarks knows that sometimes, this is hard to remember, but try to keep this truth in mind: every dollar counts, every customer counts, and most importantly, every employee counts. 

Thanks to Mobile's Lauren Cooper for sending this story our way. 

Answer to "Who's That Scout"

Last week, the new Scouting stamp was unveiled at the 100th Anniversary Boy Scout jamboree. In the Scouting spirit, Postmarks asked readers if they could identify the young man pictured on this magazine cover that celebrated the 50th anniversary of Scouting (see post from July 27) and promised to reveal the answer and tell the story behind the photograph in a later post.

The picture-perfect young Scout was Terry Dozier, the Postmaster of Opelika, Alabama.

We asked Terry to tell us more about the picture, and this is what he said:

That magazine was issued by WestPoint Pepperell Manufacturing Company. The area had a lot of cotton mills and more or less supported all of the people in that area.

The magazine was a product of that company. All of the employees would get one. This was an issue that they had to support 50 years of Scouts. The gentleman on my right was Basil McGinty, who was responsible for bringing Scouting to that area.

The picture was made at the Riverview School. Mr. McGinty came down there. We didn’t know what they were going to do. I was one of the youngest scouts in Riverview, which was where he was from, and that’s why the picture was taken. It wasn't planned at all.

About 10 years ago, my brother purchased the McGinty homeplace, which adjoins my parents’ property. Mr. McGinty's daughter is now in her 80’s. My brother assured her that the house would be restored, not remodeled. It was during the restoration process that my brother ran across this magazine as well as the big glossy original photograph.

Mr. Basil worked for WestPoint Pepperell. He was a very educated man, one of the first ham radio operators, a very community-oriented person.

Postmarks offers a special thank you to Terry for sharing the story, magazine cover, and current photo.