Becoming a community’s first Postmaster is pretty nice — but getting a street named after you is even better.
Emil Radtke became the first Postmaster of the small community of Argo, IL, in 1909. At the time, the job was a political appointment.
Officials in nearby Summit, IL, recently honored Radtke by renaming a portion of a street after him, the Desplaines Valley News reported.
Radtke’s family, including his granddaughter Patti Radtke Pirko, joined officials in unveiling the street’s new sign: Emil A. Radtke Way.
Radtke brought other firsts to Argo before his death in 1957.
“He was the first butcher and first grocer,” Summit Trustee Sam Dardovski said of Radtke, who operated the Post Office from his grocery store and meat market.
Pirko said her grandfather also owned a beverage company in Chicago.
If he wasn’t busy enough, the pioneering Postmaster also reportedly built mailboxes for his customers out of grocery boxes and window glass. Dardovski read a quote from Radtke during the ceremony: “I am a politician, but I always want to be a good one.”