Carolyn McKinstry at Birmingham Lunch and Learn.

In honor of Black History Month, the Diversity and Inclusiveness Advisory Committee invited Carolyn McKinstry to speak to employees at a Birmingham Main Post Office Lunch and Learn.

McKinstry has written a book entitled While the World Watched, which is about what her life has been like as a survivor of the infamous Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing that took place on September 15, 1963, in Birmingham, Alabama, when she was just 14 years old.

In 1963, Birmingham (or “Bombingham,” as it came to be widely known) was the most segregated city in the United States. “At the time of the Sixteenth Street bombing, there were already 60 other unsolved local bombings,” said McKinstry.

Immediately before the explosion at the church, it was Carolyn who had answered the office telephone when it rang. A man’s voice told her, “You have three minutes.”

He had been mistaken: the blast happened seconds later. Four of her friends were killed.

The planned lesson for that Youth Day had been A Love that Forgives.

Earlier that same year, she had participated in the Children’s Crusade in downtown Birmingham, where black youth were fire-hosed, attacked by police dogs, and arrested. “Hoses were used because Bull Connor had heard that they were powerful enough to break people’s legs,” McKinstry said.

In 1964, the house across the street from her family home was bombed. “At age 15, after the second bombing, I was convinced that this was how I was going to die.”

In the 8th grade that year, she won the state spelling bee. “But I could not go to the national competition because of my skin color,” she said. “I asked God, ‘Why did you make me this color if it is going to be a problem?’”

The culmination of these events and many others that happened to Carolyn in the 10-year period before she was 21 years old left a poisonous legacy. After the bombing, she suffered from severe depression for 20 years “before we had a name for it,” because of the hatred that surrounded her.

“It’s confusing, being told to love your neighbor when you’re being bombed, killed, and abused. Are we reading the same book?” McKinstry said. “Because I was born brown, someone could kill my friends, and for 14 years, nothing happened? My depression stemmed from that.”

After years of coping with the effects of terrorism and oppression, McKinstry asked herself, “What am I supposed to do?”

The answer was for her to embrace the path of love and reconciliation and to become an activist, speaker, and author. She earned her Masters in Divinity degree from Sanford University, has spoken worldwide about her experiences, and serves on numerous civic and charitable boards. Currently, she is an appointee on the governor’s committee charged with rewriting the antiquated Alabama Constitution. McKinstry has not allowed health concerns to slow her down. “I am on a mission,” she said.

In 2002, she was at long last called to testify in the trial of Bobby Cherry, who was one of the four men responsible for the Sixteenth Street Church bombing. He was convicted of four counts of murder.

Headland letter carrier Rudolph McGlown impresses youngsters

Remember when you were a kid and looked forward to getting the mail? When those postal jeeps seemed so cool, and the mailman or mail lady was your friend? 

Those days aren't over, thanks to letter carriers like Rudolph McGlown in Headland,  Alabama. 

Headland Postmaster Sandra Batchelor sent us the above picture and the following brief explanation:

Rudolph McGlown sharing with the local Headstart about being a mailman. They were studying the roles of public services last. Most of them wanted to be a fireman until we showed them that the steering wheel was on the wrong side of the mail truck! They thought that was pretty cool! lol

Packing the house in Blountsville

Blountsville Postmaster Rodney Ratliff entertained and educated a post office full of kids a few weeks ago, and he was kind enough to invite us, too. What follows is in his own words, with pictures taken by Postmarks' Marvin Owens: 

From Rodney: 

On Feb 10, we had a visit by more than 100 first graders from Blountsville Elementary. 

They came by to mail their Valentines cards and get an upclose look of the Blountsville Post Office.

The kids lined up at the counter and bought one stamp at a time.

The wait time in line was a little longer than normal, but we did not have any complaints. The kids were well behaved and each one had a story to tell.

I made sure that each one had one of our USPS color books and crayons to take with them. 

 It was good to help our school with this field trip and it made our day here at the Post Office.

Our thanks to Postmaster Rodney Ratliff and the kids from Blountsville Elementary for sharing your lovely day with us!

Dear Abby, how do we stay as safe as you?

Langston Post Office OIC Wanda Nelson recognized Langston Rural Carrier Abby R. Tyler (right) for 19 years of safe driving. Abby received a Safe Driving Pin and Certificate for 19 years of accident-free rural delivery driving.

Wanda is proud to work with Abby and considers her an asset to the Postal Service and her community.

About Abby, Wanda writes

Abby and her husband Ronnie live in Skyline, AL, where they have 3 children and 3 grandchildren. She began her postal career at Scottsboro as an RCA. 

Abby serves her customers in the Langston Community with care and respect. She has been known to go above the call of duty on numerous occasions to make sure that her customers receive the service they deserve. 

They all love their "Dear Abby," as she is referred to by many. Abby shows concern for those on her route-- not just as her customers but as someone who really cares about people. She checks on them when they are sick, and at Christmas, she made note of families that were in need and turned their names in to a local church for assistance. 

Abby is one of the best carriers I have ever worked with. She is an excellent employee that represents the Postal Service well.

A big thank you to Abby for her dedication, care, and service and to Wanda Nelson for telling us all about her.

 

Postal poster woman for Heart Health Month

February is Heart Health Month. West Blockton Rural Carrier Barbara Pope does all that she can to keep hers healthy and strong. That's a good thing, especially because she's got such a big one.

You all remember Barbara from the blog and newsletter last year: she's the amazing person who while on her route rescued the woman in the woods whose throat had been cut by her son-in-law. The man and his accomplice were hiding in the nearby bushes when Barbara came onto the scene.

To revisit the original article, click here.

In her early 50's, Barbara decided to take up distance running. Within a year of beginning to train, she was competing in races to raise money for charity.

Earlier this week, Barbara's husband kindly sent us a recent picture of her.

He wrote:

Barbara Pope Rural Letter Carrier of West Blocton, AL. ran in the Mercedes 1/2 Marathon on Feb. 12, 2012 her finish time was 2hrs 28 min 27sec.

The proceeds from this event went to Kid One.

Congratulations, Barbara. You continue to inspire us all.

Black History Month 2012

For easier reading, click on the picture.

Have a heart-healthy Happy Valentine's Day

February is Heart Health Month. To promote heart health, last week the Central Alabama Inclusiveness and Diversity Advisory Committee invited representatives from The American Heart Association to speak to employees at a Lunch and Learn. 

Nurse Lisa Williams spoke to a full house about the importance of both recognizing the warning signs of a heart attack or stroke and of  getting help to that person as soon as possible, even if they deny that it's necessary.

"There are about 600,000 heart attacks in America every year, and of those, only 14 or 15% of people survive," said Nurse Williams. "That's why early detection is the key."

If someone is suffering from a heart attack, it is critical that they receive immediate medical care because 85% of the damage to the heart occurs within the first two hours of the onset of a heart attack. "Getting help within the first 90 minutes saves the heart muscle," said Nurse Williams.

Training Specialist Matilda Johnson, center, shared her own recent experience with the group about having suffered from an unexpected stroke. Although it happened to her just last year and she has made a full recovery, she had none of the typical warning signs or contributing health issues prior to that, and the doctors  have yet to determine the cause.

The point was that anyone can fall prey to a heart attack or stroke, and that we all need to be ready to recognize the symptoms and seek immediate help for ourselves or our loved ones when such symptoms are displayed.

After the discussion period, attendees were treated to a heart-healthy lunch and were given gift bags and print information.

Pictured above from left to right are Human Resources Specialist Beth Bobulinski who was primarily responsible for arranging the event along with American Heart Association representatives Lisa Williams, Lettessia Bush, and Laura Catherine Mason. Thanks for the wonderfully informative afternoon, and a happy Valentine's Day to all. 

Beyond a customer, (above and) beyond customer service

A few weeks ago, tornadoes struck again in Central Alabama. One of the places hit particularly hard was Center Point. Then, we brought you pictures of the post office and of the school across the street, which was destroyed. Click here to revisit that post.

Center Point Elementary School after the storm. 

It wasn’t until several days later that we learned about the heroism of two Center Point postal employees that morning.

Immediately following the storm, clerks Sylvia Chwalek and David Lawler left the post office on foot a little after 5 a.m. with only a flashlight to make their way down a dark stretch of what used to be a road.

They were headed towards the home of George Linley, and 84-year-old customer who lives behind the exploded school.

                                                        

David Lawler and Sylvia Chwalek across from George Linley's house.

Mr. Linley is friendly with both David and Sylvia, but he has a special fondness for Sylvia. “David and I both know him, but he comes in to see me every day,” said Sylvia.

“Every day,” David said.

Sylvia continued. “My husband was his mailman at his house. When Mr. Linley’s wife became ill with Alzheimer’s, he came in and got a p.o. box. Once he got the box, we started seeing him every day. His wife passed away four or five years ago.”

“He brings me a drink and candy every day, and if he’s not coming, he’ll call and tell me that he’s not going to be able to make it,” Sylvia said.

When David arrived at work the morning of the storm, he heard Sylvia discussing Mr. Linley with a co-worker.  They knew that he had just gotten out of the hospital after having been there for five weeks and worried that his neighbors were not aware that he was back at home. “His house was right over there. I knew how bad it was, so I said to Sylvia, ‘Let’s go.’”

“I got my flashlight, and we both just took off on down the road,” said David.

The road to Mr. Linley's house a week after the storm. The Center Point Post Office is located in the structure at the top of the hill. 

Struggling to avoid downed power lines and trees in the near dark while hearing the hiss of a ruptured gas meter, the two-block trip took them 45 minutes.

“At one point, David said to me, ‘Let me go on,’ because he didn’t want me to get up there and see it all. I said, ‘No, I’m coming.’” Sylvia said.  “We couldn’t just walk down the street. We had to go from one side of the street to the other, over and under stuff.”

When they finally arrived, Sylvia banged on the door until he answered. It took him several minutes to answer because it was pitch black inside, and he was weak.

“He was scared,” David said. “He said that he was okay except for his oxygen. There was no place to plug it in.”

It was then that David decided to have Sylvia stay with Mr. Linley while he hiked back up the hill to get help.

Back at the top, he told the firefighter that down the hill was an elderly man who needed immediate medical attention.

“They came with me all the way back down there. They checked him and said, ‘We need to find some oxygen for him.’ They determined that what Mr. Linley had available was only going to last another 45 minutes and said, ‘We need to get him out of here,’” said David.

Four rescue workers carried Mr. Linley up the hill on a chair while David carried their gear and Sylvia stayed close by to comfort Mr. Linley.

“Before we got there, the sun started coming up, and we could see more. I said, ‘How did we even get down here?’” said Sylvia.

Mr. Linley’s two daughters, Debra Linley and Theresa Hall, are rural carriers in Tuscumbia, which is a 2.5 hour drive from Center Point. It was Debra Linley who called to tell us about Sylvia and David.

“David and Sylvia took their lives into their own hands to rescue my father,” said Debra. “His oxygen was down to 70, and fluid had built up around his heart. They saved his life.”

Debra also went on to say that this is not the first thing that Sylvia has done for her father. After Mr. Linley’s wife died, Sylvia always made sure that he was okay.  “If Dad didn't get to the post office by a certain time, Sylvia would call and check on him. And she is no relation to us,” said Debra.

“I can’t say enough good things about her and David. They deserve the highest award possible.”

AAA Alabama Travel Show

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