“Part 6, Post Office random thoughts”
L –R J. R. Brazzell, J. E. (lil Frosty) Barclay, Joe E. Ward, Robert (Bob) Templeton, Billy Weatherford
Stanley (Ace) Griffin, Robert Edward Latta, Edward Truman Allison, J. D. (JD) Barclay,
Pete Halteman and Jerald Chandler. Vintage 60s. Billy Morris Holland was absent that day.
Pete Halteman was my mentor. He helped me when I was hired to stock shelves for John B. Evans and when I was hired at the Post Office.
Pete was also a scout leader and on weekends went on hikes with his troop. Little did I know that I would do the same in years to come.
Upon his death I was assigned to city route one full time. Following in the steps of Pete was a monumental task. He was so endeared to the people on the route. Every day for years someone would still call me Pete. Partly because of Pete and partly because of my dad, who was also called Pete, whichever it was such a compliment and great honor. I never once corrected any of them for we kept the memory of both alive.
No reflection on the Post Office would be complete without mentioning my friend and coworker Truman Allison.
He was a big deer hunter and took a week each year to hunt with family further east. We always teased him that every time he missed or did not see a deer he would buy a new deer rifle.
Truman also loved dove shooting. I do not really consider this hunting but it is fun sport. Jim Brummel spotted a small field south of town and had permission to shoot it. It was a very small field and the doves were working it really well. It was just right for three to five hunters.
We had shot a few doves and I spotted a pigeon almost dove colored fly up the field and let it pass. Truman shot it and yelled, “I just shot the biggest dove I have ever seen.” We had a hard time convincing him that it was a dove colored pigeon.
He used to have someone’s big black lab following him called Sam. Sam would take every step Truman did. Sam was a car chaser and ran for my tires once and the spinner hub caps threw him head over heel but lucky did no serious damage. We were cautioned by the PO not to make friends with dogs but if they befriended us we did not complain. We loved dogs and they would protect us or distract other dogs which might not be so friendly.
Truman was retired Marine and Marine through and through and it would distress him if I wore a different uniform. I always told him I would call and let him know what I was going to wear the next day if he wanted. That did not float with him. He really got shook up when I started wearing the short legged uniform with knee socks. This was just not military.
He was an expert on flag etiquette and once when city hall put the flag out and upside down Truman knew this is a distress signal and went running in the door yelling, “What is the emergency, what is the emergency.”
Once he got really bad sick at Henry Featherstone`s drug store and would not let the ambulance take him to the hospital until they called someone from the PO to get his bag. Several offered to take care of it but he was adamant. The handling of the mail is only to be done by active employees. Once relief showed up he let them load him in the ambulance.
I substituted for him once and when I got to one sweet old black lady`s house she asked me if there was a letter from her son in Vietnam. She informed me that she was blind and Mr. Allison always read the letters from her son. From then on if I was subbing his route and if she had a letter from the son and she was not on the porch I would knock. If she was home I read them to her. She had a neighbor who read her mail for her but I think hearing it in a man’s voice made it mean more to her.
There never will be a more dedicated employee than Truman Allison.
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