Membership in the Grand Ole Opry has its privileges, as Link reported last week.
Every current member of the Nashville institution has their own mailbox backstage — a tradition carried over from the Ryman Auditorium, which housed the Opry from 1943-1974.
“The mailboxes are one my favorite spots in the Opry House and it’s a popular stop on our visitor tour,” said Dan Rogers, the Opry’s senior vice president and executive producer.
Music and the mail also come together in the person of Ron Lantz, a mail processing clerk at the Pittsburgh Network and Distribution Center who was profiled in “Off the Clock.” Known as “Rockin’ Ron” on his off hours, he was recruited by a fellow postal employee to sing and play bass in the band Honky Tonk Heroes.
He also composes songs, including “Nobody Loves You Like Your Doggie Do.”
In “Heroes,” Jeffrey Ballenger, a rural carrier in Belleville, IL, became concerned when he noticed mail piling up at a customer’s home. Ballenger got no response when he knocked on the door, so he shared his concern with neighbors, who looked through the window and saw the man lying on the floor.
“He had had a stroke. He was lying there for three days without any food, water or anything,” Ballenger said. The customer is recovering.
Link also told you about new stamps celebrating the Native American tradition of powwows; a USPS video exploring the recent Battlefields of the American Revolution stamps; a Connecticut rural carrier who dressed up as a bunny for Easter; and reminded employees to never use their position to endorse private products or services.
Finally, Link ran the third installment in its series celebrating 250 years of the American postal service; unveiled a special graphic design for use during anniversary celebrations; and offered a peek into the latest Eagle magazine, which was mailed to employees’ homes in mid-April. This edition includes stories on the organization’s package strategy, disaster recovery preparations and retail modernization.
