Donald Jackson was recently named postmaster of Apple Valley, CA, about 95 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
Jackson began his USPS career as a letter carrier in 1990 and transferred to Apple Valley that year. In 2023, he moved to a supervisory position before accepting the job as postmaster.
“I am looking forward to making the United States Postal Service and the town of Apple Valley even greater places to work and live,” he said.
As postmaster, Jackson manages 80 employees, 45 delivery routes and 1,900 PO boxes.
A Tucson two-fer
On Aug. 20, 1775, the Presidio San Augustín del Tucson was born — less than a month after the U.S. postal system.
“Today, we are celebrating Tucson’s 250th birthday,” local Postmaster John LaFreniere told an Aug. 20 gathering at the Postal History Foundation, a Tucson nonprofit dedicated to philately.
“Coincidentally, we are also celebrating 250 years of the United States Postal Service. … The city of Tucson and the Post Office have grown together over the last 250 prosperous years.”
The foundation held a birthday postcard design contest for young artists to mark the occasion. Of the nine finalists, Elizabeth Luxbacher was the grand-prize winner for her image of a gilded flicker — a large desert woodpecker — atop a saguaro cactus in full bloom.
LaFreniere also unveiled a special pictorial postmark designed by local artist Don Regole featuring a saguaro and mountain with the words “Tucson 250 Years, 1775-2025, Postal History Foundation Station.”
Postcards of Luxbacher’s artwork, and cachets of additional winning designs, are available for order on the foundation’s website.
An unexpected honor
The last surviving member of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, a Women’s Army Corps battalion that ensured mail was delivered during World War II, was honored recently.
The Veterans Administration unveiled a plaque honoring Fannie Griffin-McClendon, 104, in Phoenix.
“It’s amazing because I didn’t expect anything like this,” she told reporters at the unveiling.
The 6888th was the subject of “The Six Triple Eight,” a film starring Kerry Washington and written and directed by Tyler Perry that was released in theaters and on Netflix last year.
Anna Mae Robertson, who was one of the last two surviving members of the 6888 serving along with Griffin-McClendon, died at age 101 in May.
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