Bidding a Fond Farewell to a Local Legend
Bidding a Fond Farewell to a Local Legend
Ellicottville’s Postman Tim Woodin Set to Retire, Making His Final Delivery on Leap Day
Photo / Tim Woodin
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”
But, then we have this from aboutusps.com: The words above, thought to be the USPS motto, are chiseled in gray granite over the entrance to the New York City Post Office on 8th Avenue and come from Book 8, Paragraph 98, of The Persian Wars by Herodotus. During the wars between the Greeks and Persians (500-449 B.C.), the Persians operated a system of mounted postal couriers who served with great fidelity.
Another less well-known inscription can be found on the building that formerly was the Washington, D.C. Post Office and now is the home of the Smithsonian Institution's National Postal Museum. This, given to us by the historian of the United States Postal Service, October 1999: Messenger of Sympathy and Love, Servant of Parted Friends, Consoler of the Lonely, Bond of the Scattered Family, Enlarger of the Common Life, Carrier of News and Knowledge, Instrument of Trade and Industry, Promoter of Mutual Acquaintance, Of Peace and of Goodwill Among Men and Nations.
The original of this inscription was called "The Letter" and was written by Dr. Charles W. Eliot, former president of Harvard University. President Woodrow Wilson changed the text slightly before the inscription was carved in the white granite of the Post Office. If you re-read those words, you will realize how true they are.
I asked Tim about the rain, sleet and hail stuff. He said there were times when the storms in Buffalo or elsewhere delayed mail for days even though there was no snow in Ellicottville. In fact, in the last five years, he recalls two different times when mail did not arrive for Ellicottville distribution. He said, back in the old days, that rarely happened.
Old timers may very well remember young Tim, the local high school kid who mowed everyone’s lawns. After graduation, he launched a fifteen-year career as the produce department manager at the old Quality Market. As fate would have it, he had a conversation with then Ellicottville postmaster, Ann Vogtli (who doesn’t remember Ann with fondness?), who suggested he apply for a position at the postal service. An ambitious and industrious young man, he was hired with a promise of only ten hours. Vogtli encouraged this young lad to accept, knowing he would eventually be given more. And so, his new career with the USPS began twenty-nine years ago, first in Delevan and then, one year later, in Ellicottville. Home at last.
We talked about unusual items that have been shipped. It was interesting to hear that a rifle could be sent via USPS but not a handgun. (Federal, not state-ruling.) Baby chicks can be mailed but not kittens or puppies. Shelly’s hot dogs, scorpions, geckos, lizards, bees, and adult birds are also on the USPS “go” list. However, if you have a frog or dead animal to mail, you will have to go through UPS, which has fewer restrictions on live (or dead) creatures.
One of the more amusing stories Tim could tell ellicottvilleNOW was during the time they left the Post Office opened all night long during Fall Festival. The staff came into the Post Office in the morning and found people still asleep on the floor… sleeping it off. Only once can he remember when they had to call the police to eject one overnighter. One of his worse memories was when they worked out of a trailer while the Post Office was being remodeled. Mail got wet, they got wet, and everyone was justifiably testy. Some of the most challenging times may have been during COVID but he said, “We always found a way to carry on.” Interesting to note that they held mail for our Canadian friends for a year or more when they couldn’t cross over to come to Ellicottville. We are nice that way.
Of course, Tim’s fondest memories all center around people. The people he worked with over the years, and the fine people who use the services of the Ellicottville postal service, whom he says are some of the most generous, especially around Christmastime and other holidays. A good reminder for all of us to show our appreciation for the fine service they provide. Reminder: they are allowed to accept no more than $20 as a gift at any one time.
Tim Woodin, we will all miss you and your kind gestures that did not go unnoticed over the years. May your retirement be filled with happy days with that soon-to-be new grandbaby and its sibling, and adventuresome and memory-making trips with your children and loved ones. Now, put your feet up, take a long coffee break, pull out those travel catalogs and start planning for the best years of your life.