Alonzo Young is a U.S. Navy veteran and postmaster at the Wilmette post office, 1241 Central Ave. He spoke March 4 about his career, what the Postal Service offers customers, and his idea of a perfect vacation.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
A: I’m 51. I live in Streamwood. I was born in Canton, Miss., but I was actually raised in Chicago.
Q: How did you become interested in the postal service?
A: I’ve been with the Postal Service 29 years. After I left the Navy, I started as a custodian, then I became a carrier, then a supervisor, before becoming a postmaster. I was postmaster in Gurnee in 2004 and I’ve been postmaster in Wilmette since March of 2014. I also worked here as a supervisor in 1999. I remember thinking the mural here was impressive. (The Wilmette post office boasts a 1938 mural, “On the Soil is Our Worth,” painted by Raymond Breinin, on an interior wall.)
Q: What are your duties as postmaster?
A: I oversee the running of the facility, pretty much everything from the windows where we serve our customers, to collecting, distributing and delivering mail and bringing mail back here for more distribution. It’s a 24-hour cycle and we have roughly 70 employees in Wilmette to cover the cycle.
Q: What would you like people to know about the U.S. Postal Service?
A: Lots of things. We have lots of new products that people can use, for one thing. Another thing people might not realize is that services like FedEx and UPS make use of the Postal Service because it’s easier and cheaper for them to give things to us to deliver. So sometimes when you order something for delivery by FedEx or UPS, you’ll actually get it delivered by us.
Q: Do you have a cause or charity that you care about?
A: Because I’ve had kids going to college, I’ve always given to the United Negro College Fund.
Q: Finally, tell us your idea of a dream vacation.
A: I think I’d like to take a cruise to the islands of the Caribbean. It would be seven to 10 days where you have everybody catering to you, you can do whatever you want, you can visit the islands, and you don’t have to do the driving.
Shout Out is a weekly feature in which we get to know and introduce our readers to their fellow community members and local visitors throughout suburban Chicago. Check out more online at ChicagoTribune.com/ShoutOut.
–Kathy Routliffe, Pioneer Press
Twitter: @pioneer_kathy
