USPS employees are often well-known figures in their communities, but some workers gained wider audiences in 2017.
A photograph of New Bedford, MA, Letter Carrier John Gomes braving a snowstorm made the Wall Street Journal’s front page, while a shot of Rochester, NY, City Carrier Assistant Robert Franklin saluting the flag went viral on social media.
Also going viral: videos of Santa Rosa, CA, Letter Carrier Trevor Smith driving an LLV through a neighborhood destroyed by wildfire and Central Islip, NY, Business Mail Technician John Lawless’s Michael Jackson-inspired dancing.
Other employees displayed Hollywood connections.
Chattanooga, TN, Postmaster Pete Dechelle and his wife, Eastern Area Retail Equipment Coordinator Chivon, showed their pride in their daughter Caitlin, who served as Gal Gadot’s “Wonder Woman” stunt double.
Elsewhere, Pasadena, CA, Letter Carrier Peter Rangel delivered to the stars, while Doris Jenkins, who runs the Topsail Beach, NC, Post Office and an adjacent roller skating rink, became the subject of an independent film.
Several employees appeared on TV, including Rachel Moyner, a Charlotte, NC, operations support specialist and “Jeopardy!” contestant; Wendy Nunnery, a San Antonio health and resource management specialist who appeared on “The Price is Right”; and Michael Bulbuk, a Novi, MI, customer services supervisor who won big on “Family Feud.”
Other employees became hometown newsmakers, like Sanford, NC, Letter Carrier Irene Tillman, who won $1 million through the state’s lottery.
“It’s like a big family in my Post Office,” Tillman said, describing her co-workers’ response to her win. “When something good happens to one, something good happens to all.”
The Link archive has more employee stories from 2017.