Live from Monroeville: To Kill a Mockingbird commemorative event

Last Friday, the town of Monroeville, Alabama, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the film To Kill a Mockingbird by introducing a commemorative envelope and pictorial postmark that were designed by the world-famous artist Nicolosi. 

The festivities began at 10am  in the Monroeville downtown square, which is directly in front of the iconic courthouse. 

Second graders from Monroeville Elementary School waiting to march down the center of the crowd towards the front of the gathering.

Once there, they did a wonderful job of leading everyone in The Pledge of Allegiance.

Once again, Monroeville Clerk Stacey Walton-Leggitte sang a rousing a cappella rendition of The National Anthem that inspired an enthusiastic round of applause from the audience.

Monroeville Mayor Mike Kennedy: "I give a heartfelt thank you to Nicolosi for his contribution to our city. At this time, on behalf of the City of Monroeville, I would like to present him with the key to the city."

Postmaster Tonya Hadley and Nicolosi unveil the pictorial postmark that was designed by Nicolosi.

Postmaster David Neilon, Mayor Mike Kennedy, Nicolosi, and Postmaster Tonya Hadley with the freshly unveiled Nicolosi commemorative envelope.

Nicolosi and Tonya Hadley conclude the ceremonies.

For several hours, visitors lined up to meet Nicolosi and to have him autograph their commemorative envelopes.

Clerk Stacy Walton-Leggitte did triple duty that day: singing, selling, and stamping.

Behind the busy table are Sandy Scott, Nicolosi, and Survivor competitor Colton Cumbie.

Jerry Payne (l) and Tony Scaramouche came all the way from Florida for the festivities and to attend the Heritage Museum's red carpet documentary screening the next day.

We don't yet know the final revenue tallies, but no matter what they end up being, this event soared at achieving community involvement and public good will.

All of the pictures above were taken by Postmarks' own Marvin Owens.

Employee Assistance Program Month, Information Sessions

It’s not the load that breaks you down; it’s the way you carry it. --Lena Horne

As Postal employees, most of us do some amount of heavy lifting as a part of our jobs. And sometimes, that weight upon us is not just physical and is also not contained within our work environments. 

We asked the Alabama District’s EAP Consultant Dr. Patricia Hamilton if she knew any employees who had used EAP who might be willing to share their experience with us. This is what she sent: 

I have been visiting different facilities to assist in developing awareness of EAP. Yesterday, I interviewed an employee, and the following is her account of the services that she received. This individual did not want to be identified,  so I am only identifying her as Jane Smith.

Ms. Jane Smith stated that she has been working for USPS for twenty-five years. During that time, she had heard about the Employee Assistance Program but hadn’t used it until the death of her youngest daughter several years ago. 

Jane’s daughter had been killed in a car accident. Because of that terrible event, she was in much pain and felt alone, disconnected, and alienated. She couldn't receive comfort, even though all of her family and friends were there. 

Jane couldn’t seem to shake these feelings. One day, a co-worker saw her crying and suggested EAP; this co-worker even made the call for her. With reluctance and much effort, Jane kept the appointment, which she feels was the best thing that she could have done. 

She stated that the counselor helped her to understand the cycle of grief, which also helped her to understand that she was not crazy and that her feelings were a natural response to tragedy. 

After five visits, Jane said that she began to feel like a new person and that she was able to function daily. In addition, she said that she is now able to have understanding and empathy for others who have had the same experience. 

We want to encourage all employees who could use the vast amount of services that the EAP has to offer to give them a call or to look them up online at www.eap4you.com.

EAP Information Sessions will be conducted at the following facilities: 

Montgomery GMF

April 18, 2012

2pm - 4pm 

Birmingham Main Office, Room 277

April 19, 2012

1pm - 3pm 

Huntsville P&DF

April 20, 2012

1pm - 3pm

Mobile--COMING SOON

Columbiana clerk Les Whiting reaches 25-year milestone

Columbiana Postmaster Rhonda Kimbrough sent us the following about Columbiana Clerk Les Whiting achieving 25 years of Postal service:


Here are some pictures of  Les Whiting being presented with his 25-year pin. He is a clerk at Columbiana Post Office, where he has been for 20 of his 25 years. 

Rhonda Kimbrough and Les Whiting

Les is a staple of this office and is known by all here in Columbiana. He is also a pastor of a church here in Columbiana that meets at one of the schools. In addition to all of that, he also finds time to minister here at the jail located in Columbiana.

Our congratulations to Les on the recognition of his dedication, and thanks to Rhonda for inviting us all to share in the celebration of his achievement.

Reminder: TOMORROW is Monroeville's big day.

We want to encourage anyone who can get to Monroeville, Alabama, to make your way downtown at 10:00 a.m. for the unveiling of the Nicolosi commemorative envelope that was commissioned to honor the 50th anniversary of the film To Kill a Mockingbird.

It's destined to be one of the biggest events in Alabama postal history.

Last year's event in Monroeville was fabulous, and based on the worldwide interest in the film and in the artist, Nicolosi, we predict that tomorrow will be even bigger. Because of the expected crowd on the square, we recommend that you arrive as early as possible.

Postmasters Tonya Hadley and David Neilon in collaboration with The Monroe County Heritage Museum, the Chamber of Commerce, and Nicolosi himself have worked very hard to make this a first-class tribute.

About Nicolosi: 
Nicolosi, the world-famous artist who was commissioned to design the commemorative envelope, was kind enough today to take a few moments from his whirlwind schedule to tell us a little bit about himself and tomorrow's event.

He was born in Rockford, Illinois. Although he painted for most of his life, he began his professional life as a dentist (he remains, in fact, a practicing dental surgeon).

His life changed after his work was exhibited at a Miami museum when he received a phone call from the museum's curator. "There is somebody here who wants to pay you a compliment," the curator said.

That person was placed on the line. The admirer was Emmy winner Rue McClanahan, the actress best known for playing the role of  Blanche Devereaux on the television show The Golden Girls ("In real life, she was just like the woman on the show," Nicolosi said.)

"You've got talent: you need to think about pursuing your art," she told him.

"You can have it all," she said, meaning that he didn't have to choose between practicing medicine and devoting himself to his dream.

Nicolosi took those words to heart and became the true Renaissance man that he was meant to be. He discovered that indeed, there wasn't a conflict between the worlds of science and art. Happiness and success could be achieved by devotion to both.

"You know when you are following your heart and cultivating your soul," he said. "Don't waste your time on clutter."

In our conversation, he remembered a something from his childhood in Illinois, where he grew up with five brothers (now, three are doctors, two are lawyers). "I grew up in a very strict, disciplined household," he said. "And in my mother's kitchen was a sign on the wall that said What you have been given at birth is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to God."

"I want everyone to know about the good news that is coming out of the Postal Service," he said. "I want to move, touch, and inspire others."

While we were chatting, he was on his way to pick up a framed piece of art that he was going to give to Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird.

"I'm so proud to count her as one of my friends," he said.

While he was in the shop, he volunteered to snap a picture of it with his camera phone and send it to us:

That picture and the other framed pieces that were created for event were done by The Framery, a local Monroeville business.

He also wanted to make sure that Postmasters Hadley and Neilon were recognized for the efforts that they put into making tomorrow a success. "The USPS was going to retire the Gregory Peck stamp on March 31. David and Tonya campaigned and asked them to please grant an extension. It worked."

They purchased 14,000 Gregory Peck stamps. Everyone expects them all to be sold.

There were three postmark stamps created for tomorrow. The first postmark to be stamped by each of them is already committed: the first postmark from the first stamp will go to Harper Lee, the first postmark from the second stamp will go to the Heritage Museum, and the first postmark from the third stamp will be sent to President Obama.

Every person buying a commemorative envelope tomorrow will have the opportunity to stand in line to meet Nicolosi and have him autograph it (limit 20 per person, please).

While Nicolosi has been generous enough to do this and to also agree to being available for photographs with every person, he admits to being a bit worried about his hand's ability to do all of that signing. "I work out every day, and recently, I've been making sure to build strength in that hand," he said, laughing.

If you are unable to attend tomorrow's big event, Postmarks will be there to bring the event to you. We can't wait; it will be a thrill that will be talked and read about for years to come.

Our thanks to Nicolosi for speaking with us today.

For more information about Nicolosi, you can visit the Monroe County Heritage Museum's website by clicking here.

Meet the Challenge submit-a-lead contest winner announced

Starting late last year, Alabama District employees who submitted a lead that resulted in increased revenue received thank you gifts from District Manager Timothy Costello.

To see the original contest announcement, click here.

Then, all of these names were entered in a quarterly drawing for an iPad, which occurred yesterday. Business Development Specialist Gloria Conaway-Jones held the Priority box that contained the names of 45 employees.

With averted eyes, District Manager Timothy Costello pulled one employee's name from the box.

And the winner was...

FRUITDALE POSTMASTER CATHERINE E. (LIZ) MOSS!!!!!!!!

The Alabama District is currently in third place in the SW AREA for generated revenue. So far this fiscal year, leads have brought in $775,876.

Keep submitting those leads that that you can have a chance to win next quarter's prize and to help us rise to #1.
 

Women's History Month Event in Birmingham: Isabel Watkins Rubio and Brenda Massey Brantley

Fun ways to use the mail #5: Trading fabric postcards

Last week, we received an email from a website owner who wanted to know if they could share our article about the inspirational Mr. Michulek on their quilting site.

Before saying okay, we went and looked at the site to make sure that it was a wholesome place for Mr. Michulek to be.

Indeed, it was a lovely. We gave the site owner both our consent and a compliment, and in the course of our ensuing correspondence learned that not only are the site owner and her husband retired postal workers whom many of you might already know and love, but that they also own another fantastic website called Trading Fabric Postcards.

That would be perfect for our Fun Ways to Increase Revenue series! we thought. So we asked the site owner, Chris Wheeler, to write for us as a guest blogger. She agreed, and what follows was submitted by her. Enjoy!

Chris Wheeler: 

Gary and I both retired from the USPS Downtown branch March 2006. He worked in the Registry Cage, and I worked in the Tour Office. Both of us worked Tour 1.  
                                                                   
The post office was very good to us. We met in 1986 there and were married in 1987. We have been married 25 years this June.


I have always dabbled in some type of craft. For years, I had my own ceramic shop with Mother. We made porcelain dolls and all kinds of things pottery. Then I painted sweatshirts for a while.


A year or so before we left the Post Office, Gary saw in the paper that Blount County had a quilting guild. We live in Locust Fork, and it is only about 15 minutes to Palisades Park where the guild is held. I joined. 


I ended up falling in love with the sewing machine again. I am my happiest when I hear it humming. I was accepted two years in a row to have two of my quilts in national competition with American Quilter's Society Quilt show. 300 were selected from all over the world. It truly was an honor. 


Then it happened: I met my web master Carol Logan Newbill. In addition to designing our sites and getting us on the road to" Blogville,” she also owned a fabric postcard group online. That caught my eye.

Well, Carol decided that she had more work than she needed, so she gave up the group. I asked if I could have her members, and she willingly let me take over.

I changed the name to Trading Fabric Postcards. My group is worldwide. I have members in South Africa, Germany, Italy, France, Canada, of course the USA, and all over the world. We are more like friends than people who just trade.

The cards are 4 inches by 6 inches and consist of fabric backs and fronts with a Peltex stiffener in the middle. Then we stitch around them to hold them together. They actually are pretty easy to make and very enjoyable.

We look at it as your own tiny work of art. No two will ever be alike. It makes going to the mailbox a pleasure! They are something to look forward to receiving in the mail.

I am always amazed at the beautiful workmanship the ladies have. Some cards come in beaded by hand in ways that you could not even imagine. Some are hand-painted, and some the designs are made by just sewing tiny pieces of fabric together to make the scene. We waste nothing. I have used tiny pieces of fabric before that I had to pick up with tweezers.

Yes, it is an addiction but in a good way. You can see a lot of beautiful cards on our web site www.tradingfabricpostcards.com. When you get to the bottom of the page, just click on older and go on. There are a lot of cards there.

(The postcards above come from Chris' collection. She has received over a thousand fabric postcards. The next two are examples of ones that she has made and sent to others.)

Sometimes at 10 pm, I look up at the clock and I can see my coworkers clocking in. I thank the good Lord that I am about to go to bed and not headed off to the Tour One office or somewhere else. I do, however, miss a lot of you. 

We passed the post office this week, and I said to my husband, "It sure was good to us: we met there, it gave us good salaries, good retirement and insurance, and a lot of people we care a lot about crossed our path." Friendships from there will last an eternity.

We are always up to something, and if you are interested you can keep up with us at www.chriswheelerquilts.com.

May you all be blessed, healthy, and happy. Drop us an email sometimes at SadieMaesAttic@aol.com. We'd love to hear from you.

Chris and Gary Wheeler