Ocala letter carrier delivers as Santa's elf

Letter Carrier Mark Gourley in his elf outfit.

Reprinted from Ocala Star Banner

By Andy Fillmore
Correspondent

SILVER SPRINGS SHORES — Letter carrier Mark Gourley, known this time of year as the “Elf Mailman,” would have a heap of trouble sneaking up on anyone.

It's not just the red elf jumper with suspenders, the full-length green and white striped elf leggings, the red elf hat and the special shoes he dons for at least two weeks during Christmas season.

It's those big, noisy elf bells on his feet.

“People mention they hear the bells all the time,” said Gourley, 51, who has dressed like this during Christmas for the past six years.

The get-up is Gourley's way of spreading holiday cheer — even if all he has for you in his mail sack is a pile of bills.

Gourley's wife, Wendy, said the elf outfit was the result of a friendly seasonal costume competition among employees at the Maricamp Road branch of the U.S. Post Office.

“It started with bells,” she said, “and escalated.”

“The kids love it. They look for him coming along the route. If he wears the elf costume at a place like Walmart, everyone asks to take a picture with him,” she said.

Mark Gourley commented on the costume challenge that launched the elf look.

“I started doing this basically because someone said I wouldn't do it,” he said on a recent day after finishing his route.

“He sure brings a smile to your face,” said Ashley Huff, whose three children — Jayleigh Scott, 9, Jordyn Scott, 7, and Nevaeh Huff, 6 — “go crazy” when they hear the mailman pulling up to their home.

While making his rounds recently the kids piled out to see the elf. One even clutched the family cat, Tigress.

Ashley Huff's mother and the children's grandmother, June Huff, said both adults and kids like to see 'Mark the mailman.'

“The kids go crazy when he comes around; he makes everyone smile,” June Huff said.

On a recent day Gourley stopped to greet a young boy and his mother when he passed them near Wings of Faith Church, which is on his route.

The youth, Dylan Kucharck, chuckled at the elf when Gourley said he was a friend of Santa's.

People driving by Gourley as he delivers the mail often honk or wave.

“I don't think I could wear one of those outfits myself,” Wendy Gourley said.

The Gourleys live in Fort McCoy. He has been with the Postal Service about 14 years.

“As a rural carrier I'm not required to wear a uniform, but I had to get permission to wear this get-up. The first time I asked my supervisor he didn't really think I would do it,” Gourley said with a laugh.

Co-worker Cheryl Hopkins said Gourley is the only postal worker at the branch who dresses up in full seasonal costume.

“He's got the spirit,” Hopkins said.

Gourley said one of his favorite elf memories was when he had to take a certified (letter) to a door for a signature.

“A little girl answered the door and stared at me and shouted back to her mom, 'There's an elf at the door,' and the mother said, 'Yeah, yeah, and stayed on her cellphone until she also came to the door,” Gourley said.

When asked why he doesn't dress up like Santa, Gourely said with a wry look it was because elves are a bit “mischievous.”

“Actually, I wanted to dress up like Baby New Year,” he confessed. “But they wouldn't let me.”

Macon customer praises USPS letter carriers

Here is a letter from a Macon GA customer who truly appreciates her USPS letter carriers:

To Whom It May Concern:

I would like to express my grateful feelings towards two individuals at the South Macon Station in Macon Georgia.

I have known Mr. Wiliam Rich since I have lived in my current home from around 2006.

Mr. Rich has always gone out of his way to take care of the needs of our neighborhood and treated his people on his route as if they were his own neighbors.

For a short period of time, I was concerned that my mailbox had been tampered with and Mr. Rich hand delivered the mail to my front door.

When Mr. Rich was ever out of town, he always informed me that that a new postman would be in his place.

When Mr. Rich was away, he didn't just leave a replacement, he sent Mr. Johnny Beaton, who was just as diligent in taking the same meticulous care on his mail route.

It was important for me to write about these two extraordinary men and their work ehtic, because it is so rare to find such honorable and ethical individuals to go the extra mile as they do.

I em extremely grateful for people like Mr. Rich and Mr. Beaton.

Warmly,

Mary Kay Groover Williams
Macon, GA

Gainesville Postal workers help get flags waving again

By Andy Fillmore
Correspondent Gainesville Sun

FORT McCOY — And long may they wave.

That's the sentiment of the 55 residents and all the staffers at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Retirement Village in Marion County now that 40 American flags lining the entranceway have been replaced after a three-month absence because of a controversy over flag etiquette.

The newly installed flags are the result, in part, of the efforts of VFW Post 4209 Senior Vice Commander Robert Ortiz, an employee at the 34th Street Post Office in Gainesville, who got contributions from three post office branches in Gainesville.

When the debate boiled over in August, the board of directors of the facility ordered the flags taken down. Between now and then, six flags had been displayed near the building during the day and were struck each night.

The newly installed flags are lighted by solar lights affixed to each pole, with each set costing about $50.

“It's wonderful they are back and the flags on display meet the Flag Code,” said Doris Ogburn, 94, a World War II veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps who has lived at the VFW Village twice, most recently over the past two years.

During his latest residency, Ogburn initiated a letter-writing campaign to bring attention to what he considered a display of the American flag that lacked proper respect because the flags were not illuminated while they remained flying outside at night.

“The flag should be treated as a living thing. It represents our country, and we need to set an example for our children,” said Ogburn, who said he is a great-great-great-grandfather.

The letter campaign was first carried out anonymously but Ogburn later was identified by fellow residents.

Jim Gerline, 90, a World War II veteran who spent harrowing hours in a submarine trapped beneath a Japanese ship aimed at destroying the sub, said he felt the flag flap was over a “technical point.”

“The flags belong there,” Gerline said.

Al Lugo, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and veteran of the war in Afghanistan, has supervised the retirement village for about five years. He said manpower and expenses were an issue in lighting the flags.

“The facility is funded by resident rent, the VFW, fundraisers and backed by individual VFW posts and individual Friends of the VFW Village,” Lugo said.

He said the nonprofit, established 22 years ago, gets no federal, state or county financial support.

When word about the flag removal got to the McCullough-Mixon VFW Post 4209 in Ocala in August, members and officers jumped in to try and help the home restore the beloved flag line.

Ogburn is a “Life Member” of Post 4209 and has his original membership card, dated Dec. 1, 1945. Ogburn retired from the Army as a master sergeant in 1962.

Post 4209 Commander Mike Roberts said a fundraiser was held at the post and Ortiz, who works at Gainesville's 34th Street Post Office, got post office branches in Gainesville involved in donating.

The efforts by Post 4209 netted about $1,600 toward buying new flags and solar LED lights.

Lugo said the village hosted a Family Day on Oct. 12, with proceeds supplementing the flag fund.

So far, the monies have helped replace flags on both sides of most of the entrance road and for the placement of two flags at a gazebo.

“We hope to line the rest of the distance (about 125 feet) to the front entrance,” Lugo said.

He added that it would require about 20 more flags and lights to complete the line.

Lugo said the return of the flags seemed to boost the “camaraderie” at the home.

Korean War veteran John Becker, 82, and his wife, Maxine, are pleased the disagreement has been resolved.

“It shouldn't have happened,” Maxine Becker said.

Dino DeAngelis, 88, a World War II veteran and recipient of the Purple Heart for wounds he got at the Battle of Anzio, said he is glad the flags are back.

“When I moved here about two years ago, we had trouble finding the location. When I saw the flags I knew I was home. It's that important,” DeAngelis said.


This is the link to the article from the Gainesville Sun: http://www.gainesville.com/article/2013131129516

The article from the Ocala Star Banner can be found at http://www.ocala.com

Glen St Mary Post Office enjoys "little helpers"

If you happened by the Glen Saint Mary FL Post Office in late November you may have seen little helpers everywhere.

Glen St. Mary Postmaster Latrelle McDowell hosted a tour for Westside Elementary’s entire 2nd grade of about 200 students. 

Each class toured the facility which included the inside of a right-hand drive rural carrier vehicle furnished by Sanderson Rural Carrier Kim Pietrowski.

At the front window, they put all the little helpers to work at the window dating postcards that each child had handwritten and addressed with a special message to someone.

Then the students went on a scavenger hunt that taught them how a post office box works for customers to receive mail and packages.  

Postal coloring books and juice were provided for the students that made the trek from the school to the post office in chilly weather. 

Although teachers commented they were quite warm by the time they arrived at the post office, Nathan King, MacClenny Post Office supervisor, volunteered by talking about delivery to rural mailboxes, showing the rural mail vehicle and helping facilitate the kids as they toured the inside of the post office. 

Historic stamps featured at Florida Classic football game

Gulf Atlantic District Manager Charley Miller, Marketing Manager Lucious Sumlar and Orlando Officer-In-Charge Gary Vaccarella joined Congresswoman Corrine Brown on the field during the Florida Classic football game Nov. 23 in Orlando to highlight three commemorative stamps that were issued in 2013.

Orlando OIC Gary Vaccarella, Congresswoman Corrine Brown, Gulf Atlantic District Manager Charley Miller and Marketing Manager Lucious Sumlar
held a stamp dedication event at the Florida Classic in Orlando last month.

The Althea Gibson, Ray Charles, and the 1963 March on Washington commemorative stamps have great historic value related to sports, music and civil liberties.

“May each of these images be stamped in our thoughts to remind us of the contributions by the late Althea Gibson, the late Ray Charles and those
who played a role in The 1963 March on Washington,” said Miller.

 “The Postal Service continues to recognize notable people and events to ensure they are never forgotten.”

St. Augustine school honors alumni Ray Charles

From left to right, Dr. Jeanne Glidden Prickett Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, Congresswoman Corrine Brown, Gulf Atlantic District Manager Charley Miller, and Acting Jacksonville Customer Relations Coordinator Amy Escobar attended a special stamp unveiling of the Ray Charles stamp.

A Ray Charles Stamp unveiling event was held at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind (FSDB) last month.

Ray Charles was enrolled at FSDB in 1937 after becoming blind at the age of seven.

At FSDB, he learned to read Braille and played a variety of musical instruments including the piano, organ, and clarinet.

He left the school at age 15 to begin performing and along the way, dropped his last name of Robinson because
boxer Sugar Ray Robinson was rising to prominence and he didn’t want any name confusion.

District Manager Charley Miller noted another honoree, Frank Sinatra, once described Ray Charles as “The only true genius
in show business.”

After the dedication, Miller gave each Outta Sight Band member a copy of the Postal Service Ray Charles Forever CD.

The CD is still a chart topper and available at local Post Offices.

Veterans, Purple Heart recipients honored at Mayport ceremony

Captain McCall, Congressman Ander Crenshaw, Chapter 524 Commander Bill Thompson and Gulf Atlantic District Manager Charley Miller formally recognized 33 Northeast Florida Veterans with Veterans Special Recognition Certificates at a ceremony held at Naval Station Mayport’s Ocean Breeze Conference Center on Nov. 8. 

In addition to recognizing these Veterans, the Postal Service unveiled the Purple Heart Forever Stamp. “As you may know, the Postal Service issued a special stamp 10 years ago to recognize the spirit and honorees’ of the Purple Heart. Every postage stamp is unique, but my Postal Service colleagues and I take special pride in this one.” said Miller.

During the annual ceremony, they officially honored the military service of veterans who served the country from World War II through Operation Storm. 

Crenshaw, McCall and Miller also presented certificates of recognition from the Postal Service to Purple Heart recipients.

“Jacksonville’s Week of Valor is a fitting time to honor all our veterans, including 33 servicemen and women from Northeast Florida communities who received the Fourth Congressional District Special Recognition Certificate,” said Crenshaw. 

“The United States Postal Service also gave special tribute to regional Purple Heart recipients.  Let us never forget that our nation’s greatness is drawn from the blood and sacrifices of honorable and courageous men and women. I thank each of our honorees for standing in the face of incredible danger and hardship and give them my deep appreciation.”