Friday, December 27, 2024
Two new PMG biographies are available
The articles chronicle the lives of Joseph Habersham and John A.J. Creswell
The Postal Service has published biographies of two former postmasters general — Joseph Habersham, who served from 1795 to 1801, and John A.J. Creswell, who served from 1869 to 1874.
Habersham, the sixth postmaster general, was nominated by President George Washington.
He picked up where his predecessor, Timothy Pickering, left off, implementing the provisions of the Postal Act of 1792, which authorized low newspaper rates and congressional jurisdiction over post roads.
Habersham also focused on speeding up mail delivery, and he called for mail coaches to be standardized with an easily recognizable color scheme.
During his tenure, the number of Post Offices grew from 450 in 1794 to 1,025 in 1801, while the number of letters delivered reached 2.2 million.
Creswell, the 26th postmaster general, was appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant.
He became the longest serving cabinet member during Grant’s two terms and the longest serving postmaster general in more than two decades.
His top goals were to improve service — relying on railroads to speed mail delivery — and to decrease postal deficits.
Creswell’s term was also marked by the first African Americans to be employed by the Post Office Department, including James Christian, the first-known Black letter carrier, who was hired in Richmond, VA, in 1869.
The Habersham and Creswell biographies are available in the postal history section of usps.com.
People
They made their mark this year
A look at some of the USPS employees who captured headlines
Each week, Link’s “People” feature turns its attention to interesting employes in the Postal Service.
This year, there was no shortage of subjects.
Consider Gaylend “Zee” Zahn, a San Diego letter carrier who has a special assistant: Roman Toriello, a young man with special needs who enjoys helping Zahn on his route.
Each day, Roman, 16, accompanies Zahn as he makes deliveries in the neighborhood, including opening gates for the carrier.
Zahn said spending time with Roman each day “makes my heart feel good.”
Meanwhile, when another letter carrier — Michelle Kuenn of Grafton, WI — learned that customer Bob Charles was a soon-to-be centenarian, she bought and delivered a birthday card a day — for 100 days — leading up to the big day itself.
Elsewhere, when a funeral procession wended its way through Barboursville, WV, Jaeden Layne, a city carrier assistant, paused in respect.
A passerby was so moved by the young man’s deference that he snapped a photo and posted it on his Facebook page — prompting the post to go viral.
“People” also introduced you to Donald Gates, a Billings, MT, letter carrier who allowed Google to choose his new home, and Ben Noble, a Minneapolis letter carrier who dons a vintage postal uniform to teach newcomers about the Postal Service’s history.
Speaking of history, we told you about Leroy Brown, a Los Angeles general clerk who recently marked 70 years of federal service — 68 of them as a postal employee.
Additionally, we covered a few families with postal ties, including three generations of the Penas, who all work at the Chula Vista, CA, Post Office, and Michelle Almeida and Chris Harris, a mother and son who were sworn in together as postmasters of Kihei and Puunene, respectively, in Hawaii.
Another fascinating familial story involved Jeanette Perry, a Melville, NY, mail handler who beamed with pride when her aunt, Constance Baker Motley, was honored with a Black Heritage stamp this year.
“She was a loving person. I am glad she is finally getting recognized,” Perry said.
Check out the “People” archive for more stories. Got news to share? Email us.
News Quiz
Take another look
Do you remember what you read in Link this year?
This special year-end edition of “News Quiz” will test your knowledge of Link stories published in 2024. The correct answers appear at the end.
1. Fill in the blank: USPS reported total operating revenue of (blank) during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.
a) $1.8 billion
b) $9.5 billion
c) $79.5 billion
d) $89.5 billion
2. What is the Postal Service’s fundraising goal for the latest Combined Federal Campaign?
a) $1 million
b) $2 million
c) $3 million
d) $4 million
3. True or false: Metallic mercury and items containing metallic mercury are prohibited in the mailstream.
a) True
b) False
4. How many USPS employees were attacked by dogs last year?
a) More than 5,300
b) More than 5,800
c) More than 6,300
d) More than 6,800
5. Match the National Association of Letter Carriers honoree in Column A with the heroic act he performed in Column B.
Column A
a) Randall Fields (Boulder, CO)
b) Dominic Jack (Plaquemine, LA)
c) Philip Moon (Amarillo, TX)
d) Timothy Martin (Hamburg, NY)
Column B
I) Aided a customer struck by a car
II) Guided a woman and her dog to safety during a fire
III) Helped evacuate the occupants of a burning home
IV) Saved a woman being attacked by a dog
Answers: 1) c. 2) c. 3) a. 4) b. 5) a. I., b. III., c. IV., d. II.
Postal Bulletin reviews holiday returns
Postal Bulletin’s latest edition, published Dec. 26, goes over the process of handling post-holiday returns.
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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Two new PMG biographies are available
The articles chronicle the lives of Joseph Habersham and John A.J. Creswell
-
People
They made their mark this year
A look at some of the USPS employees who captured headlines
-
News Quiz
Take another look
Do you remember what you read in Link this year?
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Brief
Postal Bulletin reviews holiday returns