The history of the mailman can be traced back to ancient civilizations, such as Egypt and Persia, where dedicated messengers were employed to carry messages and documents.
In the United States, the role of the mailman began to take shape in the late 18th century with the establishment of the U.S. Postal Service. The first official mail carriers were appointed in major cities, responsible for delivering letters and parcels on foot or horseback.
With the advent of railways and the growth of the postal system, mail carriers evolved to serve rural and urban areas.
Today, mail carriers, often called postal workers, use vehicles to deliver mail and packages to homes and businesses, playing a crucial role in communication and commerce.
We had a chance to speak with one of our local Port Washington letter carriers.
Meet native New Yorker Richard Morales. He has worked as a letter carrier, serving Port Washington for 23 years.
“I born and raised in the Bronx where I lived for the first eight years of my life,” Morales said. “From there, we moved to the Upper West Side Manhattan and the to Long Island as a homeowner for the last 28 years in Huntington.”
Prior to joining the Post Office, Morales worked as an entertainment director for Steven Scott Orchestras in Manhasset. The entertainment industry took a hit following 9/11 and Morales was laid off.
“I was left with no job. I was a homeowner with a wife and two kids. I needed a job,” Morales said. “I remember looking at Chief newspaper and saw an ad that the post office was hiring in Brooklyn.”
The rest is history.
“I love the idea of being your friendly neighborhood mailman,” Morales said.
He is an Army veteran also.
“I hold my job in the highest regard,” Morales said. “I take the professionalism I had as a soldier, that same oath I took as a soldier, I took the same oath to protect the sanctity of the United States mail. And I carry myself in the highest professional sense.”
The values and work ethic of the post office and serving in the military are often parallel.
“I believe that I dress in the best pressed uniform and people make comments that I look very proper, and our customers appreciate that,” Morales added. “You have to have a soldier mentality for this job; you are serving the public and you have a mission to accomplish.”
Morales served in the Army for four years.
“One of the biggest joys I have during Veterans Day is that I come over here to Port Washington and I march in the Port Washington Veterans parade. I march the other veterans to cadence,” Morales said. “That is how much I love Port Washington. All my customers are here. I also do all my business here.”
Morales delivers, not only mail, but great advice too.
“I like to say that in this life: all you need is a good hairstylist, a good mechanic and good postal person,” Morales joked.
He said customers are amazed that he knows all of their names, the names of everyone in their family and even their pets’ names.
“What drives me though is when people see me after hurricanes, certain acts of God, severe weather—they associate me with a sense of normalcy,” Morales said. “After the storm, the trees might be down and the power is out and when they see Richie out there delivering the mail, they know things are getting back to normal.”
He is fit too, maintaining sameness to military fitness.
“I have a route that is a both business and residential route, close to 600 points of delivery,” Morales said. “I walk upwards of six to eight miles each day.”
Morales has two sons, 23 and 26, who also work for the post office. One son delivers mail in Deer Park and the other delivers mail in Huntington Station.
“My sons saw their dad working a stable job with benefits and they wanted to follow in my footsteps,” Morales said. “The Morales family delivers for YOU—we are a postal family.”
