Scott Meyer faithfully marks last time stamp

If you were to ask someone what the motto of the postal service was, you’d probably hear something like, “Neither rain or snow, nor sleet or hail, keeps the mailman from delivering the mail.” 

That may have been why Postmaster Maureen Black decided to hire Scott Meyer as a part-time postal worker for the Blanding Post Office back in October of 1988 – because she knew he was a farmer.

He was raised doing daily chores out in the snow and rain and heat. He was also a young husband and father, which made him all the more dependable as an employee.

Now, 33 years later, Scott is retiring from the post office and going back to farming full-time.

“I was a [part-time flex carrier] for 15 years,” Scott recalls. “Then I became a regular clerk in the post office from about ’93 on.

“I’m the last of the bunch I was hired on with to retire. First was Layne Lyman, then Casey Shumway, then David Bradford.” 

Scott becomes reflective as he names off former co-workers, but he claims what he’ll miss most are the customers.

“Some people we saw nearly every day as they came to pick up their mail. A lot of them, like Annie Rabbit, have passed on, but we love having Bonnie Petty come in – she’s great to visit with – and Bevan Wright, who brings us a plate of cookies about every week.  

“Then there’s Joyce Pehrson. For years she would come in to get the mail for Transitions and we’d always tease back and forth.

“One day when she reached her hand into the postal box, I reached in from the other side and grabbed her hand. That really scared her at first – she about came out of her wheelchair – but then she laughed. We liked joking around. There are so many people that have brought joy to my job.”

One consolation to leaving his job may be that there aren’t nearly as many customers now as in the past. Scott attributes that in part to COVID concerns, but he also points out that people now use social media platforms instead of sending letters and cards.

Much of business is conducted over the internet, and instead of sending personal packages, most people order gifts sent through online businesses.

“It’s just not the same as it used to be,” Scott observes wistfully.

Oh, and by the way, that motto? The post office doesn’t really have one. The quote that everyone gets wrong was originally written in 500 B.C. by Herodotus, a Greek historian, in reference to carriers during Greece’s war with Persia.

He wrote, “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these courageous couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

The postal service does have a mission statement, though, which includes the promise they “shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons.”

Scott Meyer has certainly completed his part of that mission, and he will be missed. However, Scott is hoping Bevan knows where to find him whenever he wants to share a plate of cookies.

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