Seymour Saferstein has worked at USPS longer than most of his colleagues have been alive.
The 94-year-old mail processing clerk was looking for steady work after leaving the military and started his career as a temporary holiday hire in 1960.
The Detroit Processing and Distribution Center employee has operated letter and barcode sorting machines over the years, but his current position involves sorting letters manually.
“People still make mistakes when addressing their mail that can’t be caught in automation. I believe I have an edge in sorting mail because I still know all the 481-482 schemes,” he said, referring to Detroit-area ZIP Codes. “Unlike today, employees don’t need to know the schemes because of automation.”
That knowledge has paid off. “Seymour is the ideal employee,” Distribution Operations Supervisor Shanta Agee said. “He is a great example for today’s employees.”
The postal veteran still looks forward to coming to work every day.
“I’ve enjoyed working for the Postal Service because of the atmosphere to stay busy, to learn new things and all the wonderful people I have met,” he said.
He’s not done yet.
“As long as I stay healthy and there is still a manual operation, I have no plan to retire,” he said.
‘Mr. Greg’ gets a round of applause
Carrier Technician Gregory Gormong is famous in Carmel, IN — at least to the children enrolled at Primrose School.
He’s become a familiar face to the students who excitedly race to the playground fence to wave at his vehicle as he arrives to make deliveries.
Known to the preschoolers as “Mr. Greg,” he was recently surprised with handmade thank-you cards, posters and messages of appreciation from the kids. The show of gratitude was meant to recognize his service to the community.
In return, Gormong gave the schoolchildren an up-close look at his mail truck, answered questions about the mail, and shared that the most rewarding part of his job was watching them grow up.
Gormong said he planned to display the cards and posters at his Post Office to share with co-workers.
Aces behind the wheel
The National Safety Council recently honored four letter carriers — one representing each retail and delivery area — with its Joseph M. Kaplan Safe Driver Award, which recognizes drivers who have driven for 15 years or 100,000 miles without a preventable collision.
James Sawyer (Atlantic Area), James Thomas (Central Area), Richard McDonald (Southern Area) and Larry Marez (WestPac Area) received the award.
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