july - august 2019 · 2019. 9. 11. · july ag 2019 e. page 3. state convention. sharon janicek....

JULY - AUGUST 2019 ISSUE

J U L Y - A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

LONE STAR LEADER

From the FieldSherry BridgesPresident, TX UPMA

A huge thank you to everyone that came to the State Convention this year! What a successful event we had with had 79 attendees in beautiful Austin, Texas. From the

bat cruise to the SOTOL tasting (desert door distillery) to the training to the food, we couldn’t have asked for a better convention. If you were unable to join us, make plans for next year in College Station, Texas. The Hilton College Station will be our host from June 25-28, 2020.

We’ve got a great group in place to lead us beginning November 1, 2019. Greg Nors will take the helm as the President, I will assume the Executive Vice President role, Darwin Adams will continue as the Dallas Vice President, as will Joanne Richardson as the Vice President of Houston. Bernice Sawyer is welcomed as our Vice President of the Rio District and Steve Kelley will come aboard as the Fort Worth Vice President. I don’t want to forget our new editor, Eva Finley. Welcome, y’all, we are excited for what the new year brings!

I recently attended the quarterly Management Association meeting in the Houston district and want to pass along some important information. The (mock) zero bundle exercise is a hot topic, so be sure you are in process when it comes to that exercise. If you need an SME, just reach out to me and I’ll put you in touch with someone. If you are interested in upward mobility, be sure your ecareer profile is in tip top shape. Get a fellow Postmaster to proof it for you, or come to the state convention next year, we will have a class on how to prepare a great profile. Suspenses in our district are constant, make sure you keep on top of them. For me, I stop what I’m doing and take care of them as soon as they come across my computer. I’ve learned the hard way that if I put it to the side and think that I’ll come right back to it, that NEVER happens and I get on a “poo-poo” list because I failed to clear it. Don’t forget about your NPA, try to drive the items that will bring you a raise next year. I guarantee that your bosses are also looking at NPA, that’s why they push so hard to get scanning/eCC cases/etc handled appropriately. Another way to look at it is this: all things customer. Think about it from the customer’s perspective and appreciate the customer, after all, we wouldn’t be here but for the customer.

Enjoy the rest of the summer and keep your eye on the upcoming peak season!

PRESIDENTSherry BridgesPM Bryan, TX 77801

PO Box 4777Bryan TX 77805

[email protected]: 979-774-7302Cell: 832-212-2170

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

Sharon JanicekPM Simonton, TX 77476

747 Main StreetSealy TX 77474


SECRETARY-TREASURERCynthia Jameson

PO Box 818Leonard TX [email protected]

Office: 903-587-3615Cell: 214-208-4336

DALLAS DISTRICTVICE-PRESIDENTDarwin Adams

PM Carrolton, TX 75006MEMBERSHIP


HOUSTON DISTRICTVICE-PRESIDENT

Joanne RichardsonPM Iola, TX 77861

[email protected]

Office: 936-394-5201Cell: 936-348-8339

FT. WORTH DISTRICTVICE-PRESIDENTSteve Kelley

LEGISLATIVE1902 N. 6th Street

Ballinger TX [email protected]

Cell: 325-660-6068

RIO GRANDE DISTRICTVICE-PRESIDENT

Jenness RogersPM Harper, TX 78631

PACPO Box 161

Harper, TX 78631-0161Cell: 830-285-2972

NATIONAL VICE-PRESIDENTGreg Nors

1856 W W A Neel RoadWest TX 76691


EDITOREva Finley

PO Box 500Graford TX 76449-0500

[email protected]: 512-569-4680

Home: 864-333-2840

PRESDIENT UPMA RETIRED& SCHOLARSHIP CHAIRStephen Auffarber

876 Shoal Point LaneLeague City TX 77573


NATIONAL ADVERSE ACTIONGeorge Finley

PO Box 500Graford TX 76449-0500


Home: 864-333-2840

All views epressed in The Lone Star Leader are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect official UPMA opinion. Articles, editorials and other submissions are welcome but must be signed. Names can be withheld on request. Please email items for potentional publication to the Editor of

The Lone Star Leader at [email protected].


State ConventionSharon JanicekExec. Vice President, TX UPMA

National UPMA president Dan Heins shared the national message and Edmund Carley, National Legislative Chair provided updates on current postal legislation.

The training provided was exceptional with attendees filling their minds with great knowledge. The bat cruise on Lady Lake was a great opportunity to visit with everyone and wait for the emerging of the bats from under the bridge. Thanks to Molly Garwood for planning the bat cruise and Ross Johnson, Federal Employee Development Services, Inc. representative for sponsoring the bat cruise.

The district breakout sessions with each district leadership team gave a great opportunity for questions and answers to be directed to the leadership. Thanks to the Houston, Rio Grande and Fort Worth districts for supporting Texas UPMA and allowing their district leadership to attend.

The 2020 Texas executive board was elected and will take charge November 1, 2019. The 2020 state Convention will be held in the Bryan-College Station area and I am looking forward to an exciting convention!

First Timers @ State ConventionKaren Bolles (San Marcus)

Paula Slade (LaGrange)Gina Jaworski (PM Anna)

JoNell Pick (Gonzales) retiredTosha Hightower (Arlington)

Patrick Downs (PM Whitewright)Kitirne Mills (Garland)Paula Jordan (Irving)

Tan Coleman (Granbury)

Thanks to the 2019State Convention Vendors & Sponsors:• American Employee Service Association - FESA-Will Strother-Nicole Standly • 225-454-7021 sponsored golf tournament, hospitality room, children’s hospitality room, retirees’ luncheon• Blue Cross Blue Shield - Mary Hasty• Federal Benefits Consulting Associates - D. Lee Johnston • 970-231-3729• Federal Employee Benefit Consultants - Starrla Norman • 573-225-3988 Calvin Bagley • Federal Employee Development Services - Ross Johnson • 405-204-6778 Bat Cruise• Horizon Benefits Group - Greg Edwards • 225-921-1362-sponsored coffee & soda breaks• Signature Federal Credit Union - Paula Hoelzel & Nick Somers • 202-733-8150 registration badge holders & welcome bags• Texas Federation - NARFE, Dr. John Cresswell • 830-620-0344• Treybig Benefits - Ben Smith • 770-876-5847

The Texas chapter 2019 stated convention was a successful and outstanding convention!! Thanks to all who volunteered, donated, and helped in any way. There were 9 first timers who attended and brought their exciting energy to attend their first state convention. Ten vendors

attended and brought their services to provide information and giveaways to the convention attendees. Thanks to Federal Employee Service Association for sponsoring the hospitality room, the children’s hospitality room, the golf tournament and retirees’ luncheon. Signature Federal Credit Union provided name badges and welcome bags. Greg Edwards, Horizon Benefits Group treated attendees to coffee and soda drinks during the business sessions.

Trish Fisher was recognized as the Lifetime Achievement recipient and LeAndra Beckemeyer took honors as the recipient of Member of the Year award. Trish and LeAndra are two outstanding individuals who work and have worked to support the Texas UPMA chapter.

All together, they raised $775.00

LONE STAR LEADER

Busy SummerStephen AuffarberPresident, PM Ret, TX UPMA Scholarship Chair

I served as Scholarship Chair this year and we had quite a successful year raising money for our scholarship fund. We have raised $6441.00 so far in 2019. Since we do not have any more meetings this year that amount will only increase with personal donations individuals make in memory or honor of someone. Of that total, $3425.00 was raised at the state convention. $1820.00 in the live auction, $410.00 in the silent auction, $875.00 in the baseball ticket raffle and $320 in the personalized license plate raffle. Special thanks to 3 individuals who really helped with donated items and their artistic talents to the scholarship raffles; Kaye Vaughn, Nat Maxson & Ron Mason. Kaye & Nat donated the Rangers baseball tickets that brought in $875.00 for scholarship. Thanks to them and thanks to our members who purchased those raffle tickets. It was quite an exciting moment when the winner was announced. Many of our attendees really, really wanted those tickets. Ron Mason donated the time and materials to make a personalized license plate family name sign to the winner of his raffle. Ron wanted to do something to help with scholarship and he did by raising $320.00. We thank him for his time and dedication.

At the banquet on the last night of our state convention we awarded five $1000.00 scholarships to students who will be entering their first year of college or trade school in the fall. All five of the winners were very deserving and I am quite sure they will all be successful in life in whatever field they choose. While it was great to award five scholarships, I am still disappointed. At the Executive Board meeting prior to the state convention your Executive Board voted to award to 7 scholarships. However, I only received 5 scholarship applications for 2019. This means 2 deserving students missed out on $1000.00 scholarships simply because they did not submit an application. Please help spread the word about our UPMA Memorial Scholarship Program so that next year we have plenty of applications to choose from.

I Just Want to Say

Thank YouThank you so much for the scholarship award! I am extremely grateful for this scholarship and your faith in my future! It wil help so much with my college experiences!

Sincerely, Avery Tanner

It’s been a busy month and now I sit down to write my article from Wichita KS. My journey to the national convention begins with a stop to visit two of the grandkids. Then it’s on the northeast and a two-week odyssey before finally arriving in Connecticut. I know this trip will

be fun but it will hard to match the great time we had at our state convention. Everything seemed to go very smoothly and everyone seemed to genuinely have a good time. First, a special thank you to FESA for stepping up and sponsoring not only the hospitality room but also our golf tournament. We had lost our previous sponsor but they stepped up just when it seemed we had no one. Congratulations to the winning team of Terry Thompson, John Jilson, Wayne Johnson & Walker Johnson as they took home the traveling trophy. Terry, Wayne & even young Walker also took home individual awards for closet to the pin and longest drive. Let’s just say it was their day……

The Retirees were honored at a luncheon on Saturday. A big thank you from all the Retirees to President Sherry for this special luncheon. During the luncheon I was given the honor of presenting the Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is given annually to a UPMA Retired member who has devoted their time and energy over the years to our organization. The 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Trish Fisher. I can think of no one better to receive the award this year. Trish has served our organization for many, many years in just about every role available in Texas UPMA. She has held almost every office possible at the state level and still volunteers to help on any committee when called upon. What a well-deserved honor for her.

The Retiree business meeting was held after the luncheon and we had an election for the position of President & Vice President. I was elected President for another 2-year term. Rosa Gonzales was elected Vice President and she too will serve a 2-year term. Our Secretary-Treasurer Billie Collins has one more year on her current term.


Scholarship DonationsRio District Meeting Auction $305Rio District Meeting Presenters Donation $170 Jenness Rogers $50 Ft. Worth District Meeting Auction $345 Ft. Worth District Meeting Presenters Donation $100 Houston District Meeting Auction $640 Ft. Worth District Meeting Presenters Donation $150 Billie Collins $60 Dallas District Meeting Auction $556 Dallas District Meeting Presenters Donation $100 Jenness Rogers - Cindy Nors, sister of Greg Nors $25 Donna Hill - Cindy Nors, sister of Greg Nors $25 Jenness Rogers - Gary Nace, husband of retired PM Darius Nace $25 Donna Hill - Gary Nace, husband of retired PM Darius Nace $25 Steve Auffarber - Cindy Nors, sister of Greg Nors $25 George & Eva Finley - Dee Smith PM Graford $25 George & Eva Finley - Cindy Nors, sister of Greg Nors $25 Leslie & Kelly Yauck - Cindy Nors, sister of Greg Nors $20 Stephen Auffarber - Charles Self, father of Jenness Rogers PM Harper $25 Greg Nors - Charles Self, father of Jenness Rogers PM Harper $15 Monica Broesche - Charles Self, father of Jenness Rogers PM Harper $15 Sharon Janicek - Charles Self, father of Jenness Rogers PM Harper $20 Sherry Bridges - Charles Self, father of Jenness Rogers PM Harper $20 Marsha Griffis - Charles Self, father of Jenness Rogers PM Harper $20 Molly Garwod - Charles Self, father of Jenness Rogers PM Harper $20 Jerilyn Black - Charles Self, father of Jenness Rogers PM Harper $15 Sharon Janicek- Dennis Carlsen, father of Paula Slade PM Round Top $10 Sharon Janicek - Cindy Nors, sister of Greg Nors $10 Lynda Hill - Cindy Nors, sister of Greg Nors $25 Lynda Hill - Charles Self, father of Jenness Rogers PM Harper $25 George & Eva Finley- Charles Self, father of Jenness Rogers PM Harper $25 George & Eva Finley - Bill Davis, brother of Gail Teegarden Retired PM $25 Milana Reiswig - Charles Self, father of Jenness Rogers PM Harper $25 Donna Hill - Cooper Martin, son of Wendy Martin PM Fairfield $25 Donna Hill - Loree Roberts, mother of Ann Roberts Boyles $25 Schoarship Live Auction at State Convention $1,820 Schoarship SIlent Auction at State Convention $410 Raffle Baseball tickets $875 Raffle License Plate - Ron Mason $320 $6,441

2019Scholarship WINNERSBrady CardenasDevine High SchoolDevine TX Attending Texas Tech UniversitySponsor - Grandfather George M Mills, Jr. Retired PM Universal City TX

Gina JaworskiWylie High SchoolWylie TXAttending Stephen F AustinSponsor - Mother Georgina Jaworski PM, Anna TX

Trinity SmallMcKinney Boyd High SchoolMcKinney TX Attending Collin CollegeSponsor - Grandfather John Lindsey PM, Greenville TX

Brianna SyrinekWeimar High SchoolWeimar TXAttending Blinn CollegeSponsor - Gwendolyn Syrinek PM, Schulenburg TX

Avery TannerSpur High SchoolSpur TXAttending Angelo State UniversitySponsor - Father Jason Turner PM, Spur TX

THANK YOU TO ALL

LONE STAR LEADER

Let Us Be Bigger And Better Where It Counts!LeAndra BeckemeyerNational Membership Committee ChairWe have just finished with a great contest designed by the Membership team, led by Frank Augustosky, National

Membership Director. A lot of effort was made to ensure that it was fair to every chapter, no matter their size. Even though Texas lagged in our group, I appreciate all the efforts that were made at the Career Awareness Conferences, District meetings and the State Convention. Every new member that we sign up is a potential leader for our state organization and a great source of knowledge as well.

Stay tuned for the new contest announcement at the National Convention; there will be more opportunities for our state to shine. Do not miss the Membership Chairman training class on Sunday (currently scheduled for 10:30) or the Membership Workshops on Monday (3:15-4:30) and Wednesday (1:30-2:45). There is going

to be great information for everyone, including navigating the national website, online learning center and resources pages.

Some of the topics that will be discussed will be challenges for membership, supervisor training classes, Postmaster appointment lists, cancelation policies of other organizations and the new membership system that is coming. Richard Hui, Mari Beth Kirkland and Kathy Frame will be teaching classes at some of the workshops. Make sure you take some time to attend and learn some valuable information.

Texas has been so fortunate with our great leadership and attendance at events. Let’s put us over the top and take the time to sign up those new members! If you have questions or would like some more information, please call me or any of the officers listed in this newsletter. We are here to serve.

EAS ExplainedDarwin AdamsDallas District VP - MembershipToday, a growing population of new Postmasters and Station Managers and as well as EAS Supervisors are not even aware of what the organization is or does it stand for. We still have a ways to go.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?UPMA is available at all stages of their career grow in the craft and career, UMPA now offers four levels of membership R Postmaster R Manager/Station Manager/Supervisor R Associate R PMR

We all know how important a welcome message is to new members. Without a warm welcome, new members might feel neglected or even ignored by UPMA. But, what are the most engaging ways to welcome new members to UMPA? How do you ensure members feel valued from the start?

Another strategy is to reach out to new members via phone call. A phone call is a personal way of letting new members know you’re available for anything they may want or need. It’s also a great way to get to know new members: Who they are, why they joined, and what they want out of your organization.

Welcoming a new member from is a great way to boost member engagement from the beginning stages of membership.

UPMA PRIDETEXAS PROUD


Remembering Roy NelsonNat & Kay Vaughan

Hot Topic!Joanne RichardsonHouston DistrictYou thought Texas summer is hot! Not compared the hot topic of MZB (Mock

Zero Bundle) and SPM (Service Performance Measurement)! Seems there have been too many failures.

Here are the websites for Carrier/Collection:SPM: http://blue.usps.gov/delret/L2DelvryOps.htmBlue>Inside USPS>Delivery Operations>Delivery Strategy

If you missed the State Convention, you missed some amazing training! Did you know about the links on the TACS page?! Click on the TACS Help Desk and explore!

A huge thank you to all who coordinated the trainers, the fun activities for the kids and the retiree blanket event for the State Convention! This was the first time my mom tagged along and she had a fabulous time meeting everyone. Thank you all for making her feel welcomed!

Please join us for the Southern Officers Conference in Orlando Florida, October 10-13, 2019 at the Embassy Suites Orlando Lake Buena Vista Resort, 8100 Lake Street (800-377-8898).

Several years ago we decided to donate a set of our Texas Ranger Season tickets to the PAC fundraiser through an Auction process. Later we had a dear friend and fellow Postmaster, Roy Nelson, Whitewright TX, passed away too early. Roy left a legacy of what a Leader and Postmaster should be. We decided to dedicate all money made from ticket sales to the scholarship program to help kids with school funding in honor of Roy Nelson, since Roy’s daughters are both involved in education. So everyone would get a fair opportunity, we changed from an auction to a raffle. Since changing the process, we have had more contributions going to scholarships which in turn are given back to our great organization. Let us always remember our fallen friends and find ways to honor them.

LONE STAR LEADER

New EditorEva FinleyEditor, TX UPMAEva Finley has accepted the position as Editor for the Texas State Newsletter, The Lone Star Leader. Eva was

State Editor in 2001-07, and has agreed to gather information and publish the newsletter for the 2020 year.

TO ALL TEXAS UPMA MEMBERS:

I am honored to be able to serve you once again as Editor of the Lone Star Leader. I offer you my past experiences in putting together several newspapers for our organization and for the USPS. I began my Editor’s experience as the publisher for the Jacksonville Division of QWL/EI. Later, the restructuring of Districts placed me in the South Georgia District where I continued to print the QWL/EI newsletter. I was elected as the South Carolina Editor of NAPUS and served a four-year term, gaining much training and many awards, such as Southern Region Editor by the president at that time and “Editor of the Year” by my peers.

After moving to Texas, I was honored to be elected Editor and serve you, the members, for several years. Because of wonderful articles sent by the members, our State paper won several awards. It was all due to the cooperation of all the officers and members, so they were YOUR awards.

I hope that all of you will continue to submit articles that you feel will benefit the members. Please share your experiences, any training that you can offer, your memories, anything about your family (since we are all family that includes all of us) and any meetings, career conferences, and just newsy items that are interesting. Not everyone feels that they can write. That’s simple. Just email me, text or call and you can relay your story to me, and I will see that it is printed in the paper. Did I mention photos???? Send me any pictures about your office, your town or any news about post office life that you would like to share. We live in a BIG state, so there could be no limits to the information that is available. I will always include the deadline for the next issue, so be on the lookout for the date.

If I can be of service to you, just let me know. I am anticipating a fantastic year and I want it to include all of you. My contact info will be listed near the front, so don’t hesitate to let me hear from you. And, you can always send “A Letter to the Editor.” I will not print anything that I feel would be unprofessional in nature, but I’m sure you have concerns and questions that you would like answered. I will attempt to find the right manager who would be willing to assist you.

Thanks to President Sherry Bridges for asking me to fill these big shoes that Editor Lynda Hill has filled these last few years. And thanks to you for helping me make our newletter worthy, informative and timely. I also plan to visit with the Districts managers and interview them to get timely information. Please let me know your concerns. Thank you State UPMA members. I look forward to serving you.

Texas Chapter Made A Total Of 58 Blankets For Veterans!! Members and guests assisting at the Convention in Austin were:

MADE IN

Helen BauerMary StaubTrish FisherSue BehlenJo Lynn Pick Kelly Yauck

Kathy WalkerMolly GarwoodRosa GonzaleEva FinleyRodney BolandKaren Heins

Mavis ConnollyShirley ChristopherBraiden NailMelanie PickHailey Roach

If I missed any of you, let me know and I will include next issue. Thanks for all the hard work!!

LONE STAR LEADER


RETIREES

LONE STAR LEADER

Getting Ready for National

LONE STAR LEADER

Rosa Gonzales the birth of baby Archie. We also took a boat tour that evening and saw London Bridge and the Love locks on the bridge. We had a great time seeing all the main sights of London before returning to our hotel to rest so we could depart the next day on our tour bus to travel across Europe.

We began our trip headed to Amsterdam in the Netherlands, it was wonderful, the city so pretty and the canals were all throughout the city. Be careful here are you will get hit by a bicycle. The bicycle is their main mode of transportation and I do not exaggerate when I say there are hundreds. They were in the process of building a six level bicycle parking garage. They also have a legal red light district, never know what you will learn on a tour. Next we headed to Boppard, Germany on the Rineland River

this was a pristine little town with cobblestone streets. We took a cruise on the river and it was amazing. We spent the night and headed to Lucerne Switzerland where we took a trip up to the mountain top on a train and trolley car. It was beautiful from the snow topped mountain looking down into the valley below. We also to a boat ride on

Well Steve and I finally went on the trip we planned for over a year. We took a 17 day transatlantic cruise from Galveston, Texas to Barcelona, Spain. Then we flew from Barcelona to London, England to continue our trip for 16 more days on a guided bus tour. Steve calls it our trip of a life time and I agree. We worked our entire careers and talked about what we wanted to do when retired, seeing Europe was at the top of the list of the things we had always wanted to do.

We left on April 19 and ended out journey May 23. Our Cruise took us to Puerto Rico, Saint Thomas, the Azores region of Portugal, Malaga Spain, Alicante Spain, Palma de Malarca Spain, and Barcelona. Steve and I love to explore the history wherever we go so we try to always take the tours that tell us about the area. The exception to this trip was a whale watching trip in the Azores of Portugal. The Azores is the best place to see the blue whale during migrating season. We were not disappointed we saw two blue whales during out excursion. The guide told us we were extremely lucky since there are only 10,000 blue whales left and seeing them was extremely unlikely. There were two people on our excursion that had been five times before and this was the first time they had seen any. My theory is god knew this was our one and only shot to see them and he intervened. I was always unsure of taking such a long cruise but no more, we were always busy and the entertainment was excellent throughout our entire trip.

We arrived in Barcelona on May 6 and went directly to the airport to fly to London to begin our next 16 day adventure. We arrived at the hotel late that afternoon and immediately booked a tour for the next day to see London. We saw the changing of the Queens Horse Guards which was something we will never forget. We were also lucky enough to see the gold easel in front of the Buckingham Palace announcing


Lake Lucerne and were told the water was so clean you could drink it from the lake although I did not do that. The next day we headed out to Italy to see Venice, Florence, Rome and Pisa. Italy was amazing we rode the gondolas and had a meal with the locals in Venice, we went to a vineyard in Florence where we saw and old

winery had a great meal and drank so of the best wine of Italy. In Rome we experienced the wonders of the Roman Coliseum and the Vatican which was more beautiful that words can express. I cannot slight Pisa with its leaning tower, in the Square of Miracle although not much else is here. You know they were so upset when it leaned and wanted to fix it but they were lucky they couldn’t or didn’t because that is all that is really in Pisa but it was a grand thing to see. We then traveled along the coastline of the French Riviera through Monaco and Saint Paul. I loved Saint Paul it is a artist village full of so much history. We continued along the French Riviera through Avignon and Lyon which is the third largest city in France located in the Rhone-Alps region. We spent the night in Lyon and then headed to Paris with a stop on the way at Versailles. This is a must see with its magnificent Palaces and Gardens.

We spent our last two days in Paris touring the city, and taking a night time boat tour. I highly recommend the nighttime boat tour here seeing Paris at night is a unforgettable experience. This is only a highlight of our trip but all I can say if you love history go to Europe and experience all it has to offer. We had a great time and look forward to our next adventure. Life is short enjoy it!

LONE STAR LEADER

LONE STAR LEADER

With DaleRobertsonSubmitted byLeandra Beckemeyer(This article was submitted in the early 2003 when I was Texas

State Editor. I found it and thought it was so interesting. I don’t remember which paper she found it in, but if you remember, please let us know. Dale Robertson is from Texas and is widely remember starring on the TV Hit Show, “Wells Fargo.”).

Calico,California, was the typical wild west community – hard livin’ and hard celebratin’…all the time and all at the same time. In the late 1880’s Jim Stacy was the Postmaster of Calico and he knew that folks in his town depended on the U.S. mail to keep in touch and in a mining community; that meant some hard traveling to some mighty remote mining camps.

It was a hard job, he put in many miles every day, but Jim says ‘he loved his work.’ He loved to see the delighted looks on the people’s faces when he brought them some very welcomed mail.

Then, one day Jim broke a leg in a fall. What now? He just couldn’t disappoint all the folks who depended on him. That’s when he turned to his friend Dorsey. Jim didn’t worry too much about the people in town; they could just drop by the Post Office and pick up their mail. But the men and women in the mining camps, now that was a different story. Dorsey had gone on a number of mail runs with Jim in the past, so he knew the routes. But there was one little problem. Dorsey didn’t speak a word of English, so Jim was worried how Dorsey would do without Jim’s guidance. Jim could see that Dorsey

was going to have a hard time just carrying the mailbag!

So Jim rigged up a special tote bag for him and wrote a note to the customers explaining the situation and sent Dorsey on his way. Jim waited nervously, but Dorsey returned at the end of the day with the mail having been delivered. Dorsey even came back with outgoing mail. Jim knew Dorsey was going to work out. And he did!

This went on for several weeks! And when Jim starting that people actually liked having Dorsey deliver the mail, he learned that Dorsey was more popular in town that he was! People said Dorsey was friendlier than Jim and easier to get along with. Jim’s leg had healed by now, but he figured that if everybody liked Dorsey so much, well, then Dorsey could keep delivering the mail and Jim would just handle the chores at the post office. So for the next three years, Dorsey delivered the mail every single day. Although Dorsey wasn’t the sort to complain, Jim finally figured it was time for a vacation, so the two traveled to San Francisco – where to Jim’s surprise, Dorsey already established a name for himself!

San Franciscans even staged a parade for Dorsey! Jim was flabbergasted! But it’s all true! Every word of it. Why all this fuss about a mail carrier?

Well, it’s a little-known fact that Dorsey, the mail carrier of Calico, California was… a dog – and the only dog in the history of the United States Postal Service who regularly delivered the mail. You can still visit Calico, California. By the way, it’s not a mining town any longer though…nope, a man named Walter Knott bought the entire abandoned town and moved some of the buildings to, Yep, you guessed it, his amusement park called Knott’s Berry Farm, near Los Angeles.

New Texas UPMABoard

for 2020

LONE STAR LEADER

Eva Finley, EditorPO Box 500Graford, TX 76449-0500

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDAUGUSTA, GA

PERMIT NO. 510

PLEASE EMAIL YOUR NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS TO

[email protected] Eva Finley: 864-333-2840 . 512-569-4680

2019 Lifetime Achievement Award

july - august 2019 · 2019. 9. 11. · july ag 2019 e. page 3. state convention. sharon janicek....

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