Patterson logs 25 years with USPS

The United States Postal Service recently awarded Albany postal clerk Suzie Patterson with a 25-year Service Award Pin and letter of appreciation in recognition of her 25 years of government service.

Patterson was already an experienced postal worker when she transferred to the Albany Post Office 14 years ago.

She started working for the Postal Service in 1993 as a rural carrier associate in Breckenridge. Patterson transferred to a clerk position in the same office about a year later, and eventually served as the assistant to the supervisor of the Breckenridge Post Office. 

She accepted the temporary position of officer in charge of the Caddo Post Office, where she ran the office until a permanent postmaster was installed, at which time she returned to clerk at Breckenridge, and also helped out the city carriers when needed. 

Patterson transferred to Albany in 2004, and has served as a local clerk since then.

“I’ve always enjoyed working at the Post Office,” Patterson said. “I take pride in my job, and I enjoy serving people.”

At one time or another Patterson has done most everything that needs to be done at a post office, including delivering the mail both in Albany and on the rural route when weather, illness, or vehicle problems prevented the regular carrier from finishing on time, greeting customers with a smile at the front window, and sorting letters, magazines, and packages into the proper mail boxes with a deftness that makes it look easy.

The clerk has seen a couple of noteworthy changes in the mail over the years.

“More of the mail comes presorted, in order, so we don’t have to sort as much of it by hand as we used to,” she said. “Another change is that the amount of packages that we handle has about doubled from what it used to be, since we are a drop off point for Amazon.” 

Patterson plans to keep working at the Albany office, although she is currently on light duty after a non-workplace injury.