Fresh start

Two Post Office murals are side by side again and looking better than ever after almost 40 years apart.

The Depression-era murals, “Great Indian Council of 1833” and “Advent of the Pioneer, 1851,” greeted customers inside a Chicago Post Office before it closed in the 1970s.

The murals were then placed in storage until “Great Indian Council of 1833” was later chosen for display in the Chicago Loop Station without a plaque or any identifying information.

The mural was in poor condition by that time and continued to deteriorate through the years.

The General Services Administration (GSA) and USPS joined forces a few years ago to preserve murals with American-Indian themes.

The GSA received permission to reunite the mural with “Advent of the Pioneer, 1851,” which the agency learned was on display at the Chicago Cardiss Collins Main Post Office.

Though “Advent of the Pioneer, 1851” was in better condition than its former wall mate, it too received a makeover for the Chicago Loop Station reunion.

“The results of the conservation are dramatic,” said Caroline Sachay, a GSA regional official. “People have stopped from outside the glass windows to peer in at the murals.”

‘The Wailing Mailman’

Wailing mailman

The recent death of a retired letter carrier and renowned jazz musician in the Washington, DC, area is sparking loving tributes from his admirers.

Roger “Buck” Hill died last month at age 90. He was a musician for six decades and also had a 40-year postal career that inspired a memorable moniker: “The Wailing Mailman.”

According to news reports, Hill regularly arrived at his Northeast DC Post Office at 4 a.m. to practice playing his saxophone before sorting and delivering the mail.

When off the clock, he dazzled audiences in jazz clubs around the city, playing alongside legends such as Dizzy Gillespie and Sonny Rollins.

Hill also played with Miles Davis in the 1950s, taking the place of Davis’s regular tenor saxophonist, John Coltrane.

Davis was said to be so impressed by Hill that he asked him to join his tour. The letter carrier reportedly turned down the offer because he wanted to keep his postal job — which he did until retiring in 1998.

Hill recorded a dozen jazz albums from 1978-2006, performing well into his 80s.

“Music is captivating [and] compelling,” he once told The Washington Post. “After a while, you just have to do it, and you can’t stop.”

First-class fellowship

Baltimore District Manager Angela Curtis will represent the Postal Service in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan Fellows Program.

The 12-month program provides executives across the world with training and professional development. Curtis will join the program in June and receive a master’s degree in management studies upon completion.

Curtis, who began her USPS career in 1993 as a letter carrier, has served in several supervisory and management positions, including Mid-Carolinas District manager.

She has a master’s degree in business administration from Gardner Webb University. Additionally, she completed the Postal Service’s Executive Leadership Program and received green belt certification through the Lean Six Sigma business improvement program.

News quiz

Mississippi Statehood stamp dedication participants

Here’s Link’s latest “News quiz,” a weekly feature that invites readers to test their knowledge of recent stories. The correct answers appear at the end.

1. Which female philatelist graced her own 20-cent stamp in 1994?

a) Amelia Earhart
b) Ayn Rand
c) Maria Sharapova
d) Virginia Apgar

2. Robersonville, NC, postal employees helped deliver a young fan’s letter to what basketball star?

a) LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
b) Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
c) Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
d) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

3. The Mississippi Statehood stamp depicts a guitarist celebrating the birthplace for artists of what musical genre?

a) Rock ’n’ roll
b) Country
c) Blues
d) Folk

4. What year did Celebrate Diversity Month begin?

a) 1998
b) 2003
c) 2004
d) 2010

5. Fill in the blank: Employees are encouraged to review materials to educate themselves about (blank), a new program that will expand nationwide this month.

a) Informed Delivery
b) Informed Tracking
c) Informed Scanning
d) Informed Packaging

Answers: 1) d. 2) b. 3) c. 4) c. 5) a.

Look for a new quiz next week and share your feedback with Link at uspslink@usps.gov.