Thank A Mailman Day 2014 - Steve

YOU'VE GOT MAIL

 

Photos & story by William Hughes

bhug82@yahoo.com

 

CHARLESTOWN - Where would we be without the postal service? Today's mail has to reach its destination and not take horse and buggy to get there. It's doesn't matter what country you are in, there is someone delivering the mail. On Tuesday, it was the world's chance to say, "thank you" to our mail carriers and postal workers who have, as Ron of Elkton Post Office said in a 2008 interview, "not a hard job, but it's important to do the job right." He celebrated Thank A Mailman Day on Tuesday at Lyon's Pharmacy, which is his routine stop, with a turkey melt, courtesy of the business who remembered the special event.

This winter weather has been extreme and the men and women who tromp through the rain and snow to get the job done are dedicated. The unofficial words above the James Farley Post Office in New York City says, "Neither snow, nor rain nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."

"That's really not our motto," said Charlestown Postmaster Lynne Reed (in photo) on Tuesday afternoon in the bustling post office of nearly 391 rented postal boxes. "but we have to be here regardless. If you can't depend on the post office, that's not good. People need their mail and checks. We're like the pillar. The post office is a vital part of life. It's still an integral part of life in a little town."

One of the things you will not find in just any post office is a book swap like the one found at Charlestown Post Office for the last five years. "If they want to take one book and bring it back, they can. Of course I have first dibs and I love to read. It (book swap) started when one person came in and said they were going to take some books to the dump. My husband just got a cart from an auction. I told him what I needed and he said, "I've got just the thing."

Just like Ele Crossan of Fair Hill who hand writes six lengthy letters a day, there are others who still partake in this fashion. "I have a few customers who handwrite cards, but some of them are older people who don't have a computer or don't want one."

As for the unofficial motto, the carriers on their routes take pride in their job and one way or another in these crazy wintry days, they deliver. "It wears on you, but u get used to it," said 13 year veteran Steve Jourdan (in photo) of the Elkton Post Office as he delivered mail during last month's blizzard. "You try to provide a service, but you try to be safe. You have to be smart about it."

As for Lynne, she has been in the Charlestown location since 2002 and although she had a hard act to follow when she took over, the residents have grown to love her and she has been able to know them personally. At the Charlestown Post Office, it is like a gathering place for the locals to catch up on the latest community news and gossip while they check their boxes and pick up packages. "It's a wonderful job. I love my job here. I'm a people person for the most part. You know who you can joke with. I have a fairly good memory. Sometimes I hear way more than I want to hear. Sometimes they (locals) need people to vent to. It's like one big happy family here. I think a lot of people think of me here as a little sister. I like it right here. I can build a good repoire with them. It's a perfect fit. "

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