New postmaster follows family Woman’s two sisters hold same job

ROBBINSTON – In the tradition of Benjamin Franklin, three sisters deliver when it comes to the U.S. Postal Service.

They are all postmasters, including Carol Hollingdale, who last week was appointed postmaster of this Down East community. Her sisters, Gale Tourville of Ellenburg Center, N.Y., and Sherryl McCreless of Ellenburg Depot, N.Y., also are postmasters.

“It’s a very rare occurrence to have a sibling trio as postmasters,” said Leanne Payeur, communications specialist for the U.S. Postal Service.

Conscious of history, the three say they take their jobs seriously. Franklin is considered the nation’s first postmaster general, serving from the period before the American Revolution. “It makes us proud to be a part of the Postal Service,” Tourville said.

During her installation, Hollingdale’s 78-year-old father, George Hart, stood near her, holding a Bible as she was sworn in. More than 50 family members and friends, including Hollingdale’s husband, Dan, attended the ceremony.

Steven Pelletier, manager of post office operations in Portland, presided over the installation ceremony Thursday. He also acknowledged the distinctiveness of the appointment. “I haven’t seen this in my career in 30 years of installing new postmasters, when you have two other family members who are postmasters,” he said.

Pelletier acknowledged the history of the institution. “Our nation’s postmasters are the lifeblood of our organization. The postmaster has been a respected member of the community. The postmaster is the most important link in the communication chain that moves this country’s commerce and binds families together over the miles,” he said.

A small seaside community, Robbinston was incorporated in 1811. During the early 1880s, Cassius Reynolds of Perry delivered mail by stagecoach to post offices between Calais and Perry.

In 1986, a new post office was built on Route 1. The small office serves as the local mail delivery slot for 550 people.

Hollingdale began her postal career 13 years ago as a city letter carrier in Eastport. Her sisters influenced her decision to join the Postal Service.

In 1973, her sister Tourville went to work for the Postal Service. She said the post office was located downstairs from where she lived. “I walked down the stairs to go to work,” she said.

In 1978, Tourville was appointed postmaster in Ellenburg Center, and 1991, she was appointed postmaster at the nearby Ellenburg Depot. The communities are near the Canadian border, about 30 miles from Plattsburg, N.Y. She has six employees and serves 1,800 people. She said her son serves as a city carrier in nearby Malone.

McCreless began her career with the Postal Service in 1979, after sister Gale suggested that she apply for the job. She now is the postmaster in nearby Churbusco, N.Y. She supervises four employees and her post office serves 900 customers.

Hollingdale admitted that it was her sisters who influenced her decision to work for the Postal Service. She began her career in 1988 as a part-time city carrier in Eastport. “Actually, the reason I got into it was that I knew they were making better money than I was,” she said with a chuckle.

In addition to duties as a carrier, she also worked as a custodian at the Eastport post office. “I washed floors, windows, bathrooms, mowed lawns and shoveled snow. Pretty much, if you want to get the hours, especially in these small offices, you’ve got to be willing to do that if you want extra hours,” she said.

Hollingdale later transferred to Calais, where she worked as a window clerk. She later applied for the position of postmaster in Robbinston, where she lives.

In addition to delivering the mail, postal clerks are charged with the responsibility of being good stewards of their community.

The three postmaster sisters agreed that it was not unusual for someone to appear at their homes asking to buy a stamp. The women said they had learned to carry stamps with them. “On Christmas Day, if parcels haven’t been picked up, you deliver them. It’s Christmas and you just do it,” Hollingdale said.

Recalling the tradition of Franklin, Hollingdale said, “We can’t let him down.”