Friday, June 28, 2024
People
Mail ahoy!
A Michigan boat has its own ZIP, an Oregon city gets a new postmaster and a star’s stamp is remembered
There is one, and only one, floating ZIP Code in the United States — 48222.
It belongs to the J.W. Westcott, a 45-foot contract boat that has been delivering mail to ships along the Detroit River for 76 years.
With the J.W. Westcott’s parent company celebrating 150 years in 2024, USPS recently marked the occasion with a pictorial postmark to show its appreciation.
“I’m most proud of all the work done by the men and women through 76 years of mail deliveries by Detroit’s hometown treasure,” said Rick Moreton, Michigan 1 District manager, during the postmark’s unveiling.
Those wishing to receive the special cancelation should send stamped, addressed cards or letters in a larger envelope to J.W. Westcott Pictorial Postmark, Postmaster, George W. Young Post Office, 1401 W. Fort St., Detroit, MI 48233-9998.
All the way in Halfway
Halfway, OR — a small city near the Idaho border — has a new postmaster: William “Billy” James, a seven-year USPS veteran who began his career as a letter carrier in the Portland area.
In addition to his duties in Halfway, James will also oversee Post Offices in nearby Richland and Oxbow.
“I lead from the front and would never ask an employee to do something that I wouldn’t do myself,” James told the Baker City Herald newspaper last week.
Star of stage, screen and stamp
In October, Canada Post honored actor Donald Sutherland with a postage stamp.
The New Brunswick native, who died last week at age 88, was thrilled.
“When they showed me this stamp, I felt that everything had come together,” he told a Canadian Broadcasting Corp. podcast in December, according to Linn’s Stamp News.
Sutherland also mentioned that fans had been sending him letters with the stamp and later followed up with the CBC to invite fans to send him stamped postcards, even providing an address.
“You know, when you’re 88 years old — very nearly 89 — it means a lot, a stamp, because we grew up writing letters. The stamp for me is everything, just everything,” he said.
“People” appears regularly in Link. Got news to share? Email us.
News Quiz
Nights at the museum
See how much you remember about these stories
“News Quiz” is a weekly feature that lets you test your knowledge of recent Link stories. The correct answers appear at the end.
1. The National Postal Museum in Washington, DC, is hosting a guest artist program with which stamp artist?
a) Joe Ciardiello
b) Katie Kirk
c) Charly Palmer
d) Kim Parker
2. True or false: USPS offers round-the-clock sign language interpreting accommodations for employees who are deaf or hard of hearing.
a) True
b) False
3. Fill in the blank: The Postal Inspection Service is promoting (blank) awareness throughout June.
a) Identity fraud
b) Investment fraud
c) Romance scam
d) Work-from-home scam
4. By the 1840s, at their height, approximately how many Shakers lived in America?
a) 50
b) 500
c) 5,000
d) None of the above
5. USPS is discontinuing which of the following Priority Mail boxes?
a) Priority Mail DVD box
b) Priority Mail Express medium box option 1
c) Priority Mail medium box option 2
d) All of the above
Answers: 1) b. 2) a. 3) a. 4) c. 5) d.
July 5, 2024
Datebook
EAP orientation
The USPS Employee Assistance Program will hold its next online orientation on Friday, July 5, from 9 to 9:30 a.m. Eastern.
The orientations, held on the first Friday of each month, offer information on how Postal Service employees and their families can use the program.
Employees must register in advance on the EAP website.
Their work was ‘nothing short of perfection’
The Shaker Design stamps are dedicated in Massachusetts
The Postal Service honored the refined, timeless beauty of Shaker design at a June 20 stamp ceremony in Pittsfield, MA.
The release of the Shaker Design stamps coincide with the 250th anniversary of the arrival of the first Shakers in America.
Founded in England in the 18th century, the Shakers were a celibate, pacifist and socially progressive offshoot of mainstream Quakerism.
In 1774, a small group of Shakers immigrated to America to escape persecution and eventually settled near Albany, NY.
By the 1840s, at their height, approximately 5,000 Shakers lived in more than a dozen, largely self-sufficient settlements from Maine to Kentucky.
Their minimalist designs — including furniture, textiles and architecture — include no excessive ornamentation. Instead, the Shakers concentrated on the harmony of form and function, creating pieces renowned worldwide for their simplicity, utility and impeccable quality.
“Shaker design exemplifies some of the core values of their life: honesty, humility and joyful simplicity,” said Pittsfield Postmaster Stefanie Curry, who spoke at the ceremony.
“They viewed all work as a form of worship, so they aspired to nothing short of perfection. Indeed, their pieces have a reputation for exceptional craftsmanship.”
The event was held at Hancock Shaker Village, a former Shaker commune that now serves as a museum and working farm. In addition to the unveiling of the stamps, attendees viewed the collection of furniture, crafts and tools.
The stamps, which feature 12 designs, showcase several attractions at Hancock Shaker Village, including a meeting room, a wooden box and a heater stove.
Other stamps show a tannery at a Shaker village in New Lebanon, NY, and a rocking chair in Canterbury, NH. The stamps are available at Post Offices and usps.com.
Postal Bulletin covers the Internet of Things
Postal Bulletin’s latest edition, published June 27, offers advice on how to keep internet-connected devices — known as the Internet of Things — secure.
Updates to the organization’s policies, procedures and forms are also included.
Employees can go to usps.com to read and download the latest Postal Bulletin, along with past issues.
View past printouts
Printout details
What's included
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People
Mail ahoy!
A Michigan boat has its own ZIP, an Oregon city gets a new postmaster and a star’s stamp is remembered
-
News Quiz
Nights at the museum
See how much you remember about these stories
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July5Datebook
EAP orientation
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Their work was ‘nothing short of perfection’
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Brief
Postal Bulletin covers the Internet of Things