A recently retired Iowa mail carrier was honored in Sibley last night for over five decades of service. Seventy-two-year-old Paul Plehall began as a temporary mail carrier in Sibley in 1946. He moved to a rural route in 1974, and continued making the 224 stops along that 89-mile route until April 1st of this year. Plehall says a lot of things changed in those 54 years, most noticeably the price of a stamp — it was four cents when he started. Plehall’s never figured out exactly how many miles he’s driven through the years, but never had a single accident in all that time. Driving the route was his favorite part of the job. Plehall will also miss seeing the people along the route. Plehall plans to hunt, fish and visit his five grandkids in retirement. As for the Postal Service, he says the organization can’t keep raising rates without losing customers. He says the Postal Service will continue to lose customers to e-mail and other services if they don’t find a way to generate revenue other than raising rates. Plehall was honored with a plaque last night at a dinner in Sibley.
