By By ANDY HAMILTON / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Fred Fowler's first day at the Niles post office was an eye-opener.
Not only was he getting a barrel full of new information from the postmaster, but his first route as a mail carrier required him to brave a harsh January blizzard.
Fowler passed on the delivery position but still stayed with the U.S. Postal Service for nearly 40 years. On Friday at the Niles post office he was honored by his co-workers for his service.
The biggest change during Fowler's years was the introduction of automated counters, he said. The machines helped to keep the number of routes condensed and also made for a more efficient work day.
Fowler said there were 20 city and six rural routes when he started. Currently, there are 21 routes in town and nine out of the city limits.
Very few of the routes were “mounted” at that time Fowler said, where letter carriers had trucks to help with the load. Now, most of the deliverers use the “park and loop” method.
Aside from a three-year stint in the Navy and and four years at the Kalamazoo post office, Fowler said he worked his entire career at the facility in Niles.
Fowler said his positions as a clerk sorting mail and at the window counter were no match for his favorite job as the “postmaster's gopher.”
The morning also turned into a bit of a reunion as many of Fowler's fellow employees who are now retired stopped in to congratulate the 66-year-old.
Fowler's wife, Helen, and their daughter Cheri Atkins from the Washington D.C. area were also at the celebration.
Atkins said she remembered Dorothy Bailey, a 27-year Niles letter carrier, delivering mail to her home every day.
Bailey said the Niles post office has a history of holding on to its employees, which gives the work environment a feeling of family.
For Fred Fowler, forever was about 40 years.