It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood for Letter Carrier Alex Newell.
He delivers mail to the ZIP Codes of Squirrel Hill, an area of Pittsburgh that is home to the beloved children’s television program “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”
Newell’s route has another special connection — his father, David, played the show’s mail-delivering character, Mr. McFeely, known for his memorable “speedy delivery!” tagline.
“It’s very ironic that I’m a mailman actually delivering to Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood and everyone knows who I am on my route,” said Newell, who began his postal career in 2016.
He enjoys passing by landmarks including WQED, the public television station where the Emmy-award-winning show was taped, and the home where the show’s host, writer, composer and producer, Fred Rogers, lived with his wife and two children.
Newell fondly recalls helping his dad prep for the show as he took him and his siblings to school.
“I would go over the script with him in the car along the way. I visited the show’s set all the time. I didn’t really think about it that much at the time, but as I got older, I appreciate how cool that was,” he said.
Prior to USPS, Newell went to school for sports management at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. After working for sports teams throughout the United States, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue the acting bug he caught from his dad.
He worked as a production assistant on a few reality shows and acted in a couple of short films before deciding to return to Pittsburgh.
“I came back here seeking a stable job. I looked into USPS, and I applied. I love working outside. It’s been a wonderful, good-paying job with great benefits,” he said.
Newell’s parents, who still live in the Pittsburgh area, are both supportive of his career path and think his delivering role is fitting.
“[Alex] could’ve had any assignment in Pittsburgh, but he got that area. I delivered to the television neighborhood, and my son is delivering in the real neighborhood. He really enjoys it,” he said.
Rogers died from stomach cancer in 2003. Almost 1,000 episodes of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” were made during its run from 1968-2001 with David Newell.
Rogers appeared on a 2018 Forever stamp and he also visited USPS in 1984 to interview Assistant Postmaster General Gordon Morison for his show.
David Newell thinks Rogers would approve.
“I think Fred would get the biggest kick out of it,” he said. “He would’ve probably had Alex on the show had he still been living. He would have done some story for the neighborhood or worked it into the show if it was still on.”
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