Kenny May retired as a rural mail carrier last Friday, Oct. 27.
A Hagerstown native, May started working at the Hagerstown post office in 1989.
He worked as a substitute carrier for the first 15 years. In that position, he also subbed in other offices, including Losantville, Modoc, Economy and Greens Fork. He also did building maintenance and lawn care at Hagerstown.
He then became the full-time rural mail carrier on Rural Route 1, Hagerstown, and has served it since.
During his tenure, he has worked with five different local postmasters.
He likes Ford automobiles, wearing out four Tauruses. He switched to a Ford Explorer SUV to accommodate heavier, bulkier loads when the Postal Service started delivering packages for Amazon.
He recalled a day early in his career when freezing rain coated roads with an inch of ice.
“Back then, we had to at least try to deliver,” he said.
After sliding past several mailboxes unable to stop, he turned around — slowly and carefully — at State Road 1 and Indiana 38 and drove back to the post office.
May has no big plans for retirement. He might keep working at a part-time job just to stay busy and he wants to continue living in Hagerstown.
A version of this article appeared in the November 1 2023 print edition of the Western Wayne News.