Morris Wilkinson: 70 years of service

On Tuesday, friends, co-workers, and Postal officials gathered at the Center Point Post Office to commemorate 92-year-old Letter Carrier Morris Wilkinson's 70 years of federal service, which makes him the longest-serving letter carrier in the entire United States.

“Morris Wilkinson epitomizes the Postal carrier. He is a veteran of the Marine Corp, and he comes to work every day like a Marine—that’s what he looks like. He’s prompt, he does a great job, he doesn't call in sick. He’s an example to everybody else," said Supervisor Lonnie Williams.

"If I had to think about one bad thing about Morris, I guess that I’d just be up a creek in a chicken wire canoe because I couldn’t think of anything," said Williams.



Lonnie Williams and Morris Wilkinson

Almost every person we spoke with about Morris began their stories with how he comes to work early each morning in a perfectly creased uniform, with every hair in place and his shoes freshly shined (everyone mentioned Morris' shiny shoes). He raises the flag on a pole in his yard before heading out. The habits that he learned in the military remain ingrained in him to this day.

Most of you already are familiar with Mr. WIlkinson's military background, but for those who aren't, we'll give a brief summary. His national service began in World War II. As a Marine, he served for two years in the Pacific campaign before pulling guard detail at Warm Springs, Georgia, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Little White House. He ate with Roosevelt in the mess hall and swam with him in the springs when off-duty personnel were invited to join the President.

Since then, he was been a letter carrier with the Postal Service. He has been delivering mail on his current route since 1967, where he is known for going the extra mile for his customers. "Sometimes, he goes after work and picks up groceries for some of his older customers who can't drive anymore," said Center Point Manager Tommy Morrison.

Tommy Morrison, Mike Allison, Morris Wilkinson, John Richardson, Lonnie Williams, Sandor Jacobs

Acting Birmingham Postmaster Mike Allison opened the ceremony by expressing his admiration and gratitude to Morris, and then introduced Alabama District Manager William Mitchell. Mitchell presented three other Center Point employees with years-of-service awards (we'll have that in a separate post) and then gave Morris a golden eagle trophy along with a plaque from the District, which was created especially for the occasion because 70-year pins do not exist.

SW Area Vice President Linda Welch came from Texas to participate in this special day. "I have never met anyone with 70 years of federal service, so it is my honor to be here today," she said.

To Morris, she delivered a letter from Postmaster General Pat Donahoe. "It is impossible to measure the amount of people who have learned from you and have benefitted from your example....Your example has given inspiration and hope to many people."

Then, she showed Morris a sample of the commemorative coin that he will be receiving. Unfortunately, the real coin had been shipped Express Mail to Alabama, but it had not arrived in time.

Everyone but Morris groaned with disappointment. "This is what our customers feel like when they're expecting something and we don't deliver," Welch said to the crowd.


William Mitchell, Morris Wilkinson, Linda Welch

"I am proud to be part of an organization that has someone of your caliber," Welch concluded. 

Earlier in the ceremony, Mitchell had said, "People in the Postal Service are more like a family than any other business you'll run into, " and this was evident in the amount of emotion displayed by everyone in the room. There was much applause for Wilkinson, and many tears were shed all around.

Lonnie Williams is the person who best described the collective feelings of the group: "There is a genuine love for Morris here. Not just respect--we all love him. Morris Wilkinson is a national treasure."


Center Point Post Office staff with Morris Wilkinson


After the celebration, Morris did as he has done for the past 70 years: cased the day's mail and left to deliver to his customers.




Stamping Out Hunger in Anniston and Talladega

We received these pictures today of Stamp Out Hunger at the Anniston and Talladega Post Offices. David Alexander sent them our way.

It looks like everyone not only did a fantastic job that day but also had a lot of fun doing it. Postmarks will definitely have to visit you all next year. We can celebrate the 20th anniversary of the food drive together.

Bruce Tankersley, Nathaniel David, Erin Blackmon, Teresa Forrester, and Marcel Gentes, Anniston Post Office

Last Row: Teffeney Staples, Lindsey Irwin, Kenneth Shannon, George Rivers

Middle Row: Vivian Stinson, Linda Bishop, Arlene Ponnders, Mark Cloud

Front Row: Willie Wall, Connie Fannin, April Spratlin, Valerie Jones, Becky Baxter, Traci Cruise, and Matt Peters, Talladega Post Office

Wow, look at all of that food! So many people are going to benefit from your hard work. Thanks, everybody. 

Seale's Million Mile Man Aims for Two

On May 17, the Seale Post Office recognized a significant milestone in Rural Carrier Roy Cutchin's career when Postmaster Debra Exline presented him with the National Safety Council's highest honor for USPS drivers, the prestigious Million Mile Award.

The National Safety Council developed the Safe Driver Awards Program for the USPS. Employees who drive as a part of their normal daily duties become eligible for the exclusive Million Mile Club when they have driven 1,000,000 miles or have worked 30 years without an at-fault incident, which is an admirable accomplishment that very few drivers achieve.

Cutchin is pictured above with Exline, who has nothing but good things to say about him as a driver, as an employee, and as a person. "Mr. Cutchin is an asset to the U.S. Postal Service as a whole and invaluable to the Seale Post Office as well," Exline said.

"In this office, Mr. Cutchin has an unmatched work ethic," she said. "His previous employment with the U.S. Air Force (Cutchin retired after 20 years of service before joining the Postal Service 31 years ago) instilled in him a heightened sense of dedication, pride, and initiative."

One example that she gave is how Cutchin eagerly guides and helps beginning carriers learn job requirements and about how to take pride in their new careers.

Cutchin's response was a modest understatement: "I try to help when I can," he said.

His advice to other drivers is simple: "I just think that someone can remain safe by trying to follow all of the rules. If you pay attention and watch what you're doing all of the time as much as you pay attention to delivering the mail, you'll stay safe enough."

About receiving the award, Cutchin said, "I really am proud. It is quite an accomplishment when you see all of the accidents that happen."

The next day, Cutchin expressed his gratitude towards his colleagues in Seale. "I think that he was a bit misty eyed when he thanked us for the small presentation and the cake we had for him the day before. He told us of his appreciation and thanked his co-workers for being so special," Postmaster Exline said.

She added, "And he smiled and stated that he is now working on his second Million Mile Award!"

Daphne makes a difference

The entire town of Daphne, Alabama answered the call to feed the hungry on last Saturday's annual Stamp Out Hunger day, and Daphne Post Office employees were there, as always, to pick up and deliver.

The Daphne Post Office services 28 rural routes and on this day collected about a wire's worth of donated food for each of them. "As you can see, the amount of people who donated in Daphne was phenomenal," said Daphne Postmaster Dennis Carter."We were nearly overwhelmed."

Most people don't realize how much extra work the food drive means for Postal staff. The added volume alone is difficult to contend with. "I started going out to carriers at 9:30 in the morning to rob them up (retrieve the donations that they had acquired) so that they could complete their routes," said Carter. "The green truck in the pictures is mine. In it, I picked up four loads from the carriers."

And then there is the matter of all of that lugging and lifting: load after load of canned food can make for a really heavy day.

 

Daphne Rural Carriers Trent Henson and Greg Bartush prepare a load of donated food for delivery to the local food pantry. "We did not have time to take any posed shots. All were action shots because we were so busy with the carriers coming in to drop off loads and going back out."



Daphne RCA Lynnita Armstead and her Daphne co-workers are happy to work hard for a good cause.

Daphne Rural Carriers Trent Henson, Greg Bartush, and Kari Johnson form a food chain to help unload a carrier's vehicle.

Daphne Rural Carriers Kathy Fitzpatrick Susie Wagner, Crystal Godwin, and Traci Burroughs worked together to get the job done.

Postmaster Carter: "Some of them stayed with me to help the food bank people load the truck. They remained long after their routes were done and their pay had stopped for the day."

 

Daphne Rural Carrier Charlotte Grimes with her arms full of food as she unloaded her delivery vehicle.

"I am so proud of the way our carriers worked together to pull this off," said Carter. "It proved that we can do together what none of us can do alone." 

Postmarks thanks MPOO David Dilbeck for sharing the pictures of the food drive in Daphne and is especially grateful to Postmaster Dennis Carter for sending more pictures and a first-hand account of the day's success.  



National Dog Bite Prevention Week

Despite the fact that last year, 5,600 of our letter carriers were bitten by dogs, we here at the USPS don't hate dogs. Many of us adore our canine companions but are simply cursed with having to wear a uniform that irks the stew out of a majority of our customers' beloved, four-legged family members.

Owney, the Postal Mascot from the late 1800's, will be honored on his own stamp later this year. You can still visit Owney (who is preserved taxidermically) at the National Postal Museum. Learn more about him by clicking here.


Here are some tips that might help you avoid being bitten by an aggressive dog or, if you're a dog owner, how to keep your canine friend from biting our letter carriers:

• Don't run past or away from a dog: that energizes their natural instinct to chase.
• If it seems like a dog might attack, try to place whatever you have readily available (a backpack, a chair, a rake, etc.) between yourself and the dog.
• If a dog threatens you, try not to run or scream and AVOID EYE CONTACT. Remain as still as possible until the dog retreats a bit. Then, back away slowly until you return to safety.
• Don't approach dogs that you don't know (and with canines as with people, being a casual aquaintence is not the same as being a real friend), ESPECIALLY if they are tied up, on a leash, or teathered in some other way. This confinement can excite their urges to lunge and pull.
• Have your dogs spayed or neutered. In addition to helping to control the pet population, you'll also probably end up with a healthier, less aggressive animal.
• Keep your dogs inside and away from the door when it's time for your letter carrier to arrive.

On a lighter note, San Diego Letter Carrier Ryan Bradford has posted an entertaining series of photos on his blog. You can see them by visiting All the Dogs Want to Kill Me, which was featured last Saturday on National Public Radio.



Postmarks' canine mascot, Alfi, giving a letter carrier a lift



Stamp Out Hunger 2011 in Birmingham

Woodlawn Carrier Nikki Johnson was the first carrier of the day that we were lucky to encounter on her route. Seeing her enthusiasm about participating in the drive and her overall positive attitude towards her job was a great way to start the day. "As long as I do my job to the best of my ability, I have peace of mind," she said. 

A dapper City Carrier J.J. Rutledge was also happy to show us the beginning of his haul: "I feel that the food drive is very good. There's a need, and this drive fills a big gap. This is my 17th year doing it; it's a good cause."

City Carriers Regina Bryant and James Key 

Bradly Bowden and Justin Epperly at the Downtown Carrier Facility. Epperly: "Me and my buddy compete every year to see who can get the most food."

Reginald Berry

Gary Glover and Mike Mearns

Edwin Butler unloading all of the food that he collected at the Green Springs Carrier Facility

 Jerome Morgan and Willie Salter

Levente Stewart and Ron Widner

Gary Ballard shows off his take for the day.

Food Bank Director Mike Fuller: "I've been here at the food bank for 21 years, since the very beginning of the food drive. That first year, we got 5 banana boxes worth of food. Two years later, it grew to 175,000 pounds."

Will Simley

Jeff Anderson: "When you do this, you're helping somebody. I've seen a lot of people who need help right now because I live in Pleasant Grove."

Eastlake Carrier James LLewellyn at the food bank

Eastlake Carrier Tyrone Murray

Eastlake Carrier Robert Thomas helping to unload his truck at the food bank.

 Hoover Carriers Michelle Strothers and Angela Smith

Hoover Carrier Richard Foster and Acting Birmingham Postmaster Mike Allison 

Mike Allison with carriers Pam Colston, Antonia Shields (local NALC president), Sherica Gardner

Leslie Green catches his breath while his truck is unloaded at the food bank. 

Mike Allison unloading a truck at the food bank

Forestdale Carrier Kyle Wilkinson delivers an LLV that is completely full of donated food. 

Within the next couple of days, we'll post all of the pictures that we took of the food drive in our Facebook album, which you'll be able to access by clicking on our link that is located on the upper left corner of this page. 

Postmarks is so proud of all of our carriers and looks forward to posting more pictures from around the state. 

Donations stream into Community Food Bank of Central Alabama as annual Stamp Out Hunger drive commences | al.com

A big thank you to all of our carriers. You worked hard and did a wonderful job today. We'll try to have some pictures of our own posted tomorrow.

Donations stream into Community Food Bank of Central Alabama as annual Stamp Out Hunger drive commences | al.com


BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- A steady stream of food-filled postal vans backed up to a warehouse Saturday, giving a Community Food Bank of Central Alabama official hope that donations to its largest drive did not drop because of last month's deadly tornadoes. 
 
  The annual Stamp Out Hunger campaign, run by the National Association of Letter Carriers, is key to helping the food bank get through the summer, when demand for food assistance is the greatest, officials say. 
 
  In 2010, local Stamp Out Hunger campaign donations had risen to 160,000 pounds, an increase of 72 percent since 2007 and 9 percent from the year before, said Mike Fuller, the warehouse manager at the community food bank. 


CONTINUE>>> 

Alert Crossville carrier delivers crooks to police

Recently, Crossville Rural Carrier Lorie Wilkes was delivering mail in a secluded portion of her route when she noticed a vehicle that seemed out of place. “It was going real slow, and the people inside were looking around,” she said.

When she saw the car stop in front of the customer’s house, she sat at the mailbox and watched. The three young men in the vehicle were not typical visitors for the older couple who reside there.

She saw one of them get out of the backseat, approach the house, and knock on the front door.

“It just felt like something was not right, so I thought I’m going to remember this,” Lorie said. “I wrote down the tag number and a description of the car.”

A few days later, the wife of the couple waited for Lorie at the mailbox and asked her, “The other day, did you see anything suspicious?”

After Lorie had driven away that day, the men had broken into the house. Alone at the time, the sleeping wife awoke to the sound of something falling onto their washing machine.

Assuming that it was her husband, she went to investigate, and that's when she encountered an intruder. He was carrying a large bag filled with their guns, her wallet, and other items from the house. She startled him, and he ran away.

Lorie also learned that there had been a string of burglaries in the area and that this was the fourth or fifth time that the residents in this house had been victims.

Lorie told the customer about what she had seen and reported a description of the vehicle and a partial tag number to the police.



Rural Carrier Lorie Wilkes

Because of Lorie's attentiveness and intuition, the suspects were apprehended. When customers learned about this, started calling and coming by the Crossville Post Office to thank her.

They've also been stopping Lorie on her route. "All of the neighbors have said thanks and how much they appreciate me," Lorie said. "One fellow came outside and said  I just want to shake your hand.”

Postmarks thanks Lorie for caring so much about her job and community and for telling us her story, and also thanks proud Crossville Postmaster Peggy Galloway for alerting us about Lorie's good deed  and for sending us the picture.





Peterman pays tribute to retiring rural carrier Brenda Cobb

Brenda Cobb was a rural carrier out of the Peterman Post Office for 22 years. When she decided in April that it was time for her to retire, co-workers, friends, and customers attended a party held in her honor at the Peterman Post Office.

RCA Wilson Gardner, retired Postmaster Pauline Lowrey, Brenda Cobb, current Peterman Postmaster Tonya Hadley

In small towns especially, carriers and customers can become attached to each other, and this was certainly true with Brenda. "I recently rode the route with Brenda and watched as she waved to customers or greeted them as they stood out by their mailboxes awaiting her arrival," said Peterman Postmaster Tonya Hadley. 

During the celebration of her milestone, Brenda received a certificate of recognition for her years of devoted Postal service, along with hugs, thank yous, and a few tears from colleagues and members of the community.

"Brenda has been an integral part of our growth and continued success, " said Hadley. "Our little Postal family here in Peterman will miss her."

Postmarks thanks Tonya Hadley for sharing the story and pictures of Brenda's retirement and wishes Brenda all the best as she enters this new phase in her life.

Olé! in Madison

On May 5, 2011 at the Madison Post Office, the Learning Development & Diversity department (LD&D) and the North Alabama Inclusiveness Diversity Committee Advisory Council sponsored a Cinco de Mayo event from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

From left to right: Human Resources Specialist Terri Gardner, Madison OIC Tracey Bibbs, Madison Supervisor Estela Hamlet, SSA Penny Cordar, SSA Margaret Walker, a customer, Air Records Processor Thomas Malone

The committee served salsa, chips, and punch in the lobby to Postal staff and members of the public.



Tracey Bibbs, Madison Police Officer Ed Sasan, Training Technician Candace Snead

Terri Gardner, Estela Hamlet, Killen Postmaster Don Ross, and Tracey Bibbs

Margaret Walker (l) shared refreshments and a smile with Madison customers.

Tracey Bibbs, Madison Supervisor Lisa Hefner, Thomas Malone, Huntsville Plant Manager's Secretary Laura Watson-Gummel, and Estela Hamlet offered warm greetings to all who join the festivities.

Also created and distributed were 250 special Cinco de Mayo bookmarks that contained the Madison Post Office hours of operation and the USPS web address.

The successful event drew a large, diverse group of attendees and was the perfect chance for the Diversity Committee and the Madison Post Office staff to connect with our customers in a fun, colorful way.