Postal Service employees made headlines for all the right reasons in 2019.
Ronald Murphy Jr., a Tacoma, WA, letter carrier, was dubbed the “Good Guy Mailman” after a viral video showed him going out of his way to keep a package safe for a customer.
“I took an oath and I’m going to do my best to not put mail into danger,” Murphy said.
The news media also took note when Ogden, UT, Distribution Clerk Sterling Harris received praise on social media after he went out of his way to ensure the widow of a National Guard officer killed in Afghanistan received an important letter.
“Harris gave this small gesture as a service, not expecting anything in return, but simply a selfless act to help people he probably will never know,” Robert Gerhke, a columnist for the Salt Lake City Tribune, wrote.
Several of this year’s stamp releases also thrust employees into the spotlight.
After the debut of the Music Icons stamp honoring Marvin Gaye, Richard Sherrill, business customer intelligence director at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC, recalled performing with the Motown great in 1974.
Meanwhile, the release of the George H.W. Bush stamp prompted Randall “Buck” Brawner, a Maricopa, AZ, retail associate and military veteran, to recall serving aboard Air Force One during Bush’s presidency.
In addition to chatting with the president, Brawner interacted with first lady Barbara Bush.
“Sometimes I had to remind her the plane was getting ready to leave so she could get on it,” Brawner said. “Of course, the plane wasn’t going to take off without her.”
The release of the Sesame Street stamps also had employees sharing personal stories about how the groundbreaking show affected their lives, while Erica Mann, a Lake Mary, FL, senior diversity specialist, attended the USS Missouri stamp dedication to honor her late father, Rear Adm. Charles Mann, who served aboard the ship.
“At the ceremony, the speakers talked about preserving the history of the Missouri and that the Postal Service is helping to do that with the stamp,” Erica Mann said. “When I started at USPS, I never thought I’d be able to connect working here with my dad.”