When Donald Pope started working for the U.S. Postal Service 14 years ago, he thought it would be an easy, relaxing job.
“I thought, ”Selling stamps and money orders — I can do that all day, no problem,”” said Pope, who is known simply as DP. “They didn”t tell me I had to work my way up and go to (training) school.”
Sitting in a conference room at the Columbus Post Office on Bluecutt Road, Pope, 47, remembered working odd and long hours.
But Pope is used to work.
He started working in is paternal grandfather”s restaurant in Starkville when he was only in the second grade. He and his cousins cleared tables, took out the trash, shelled peas, picked greens and any other duties their grandfather assigned them.
Pope kept the job until he finished high school and eventually moved in with his grandparents and graduated from Starkville High School. He spent his freshman and sophomore years at Lee High in Columbus.
A good student and expected to go to college, Pope was rebellious. He joined the military, a decision he also made because he knew his family couldn”t afford to support him through school.
After retiring from the military, Pope wanted a job at the post office.
“I don”t know why I wanted to work at the post office. I just thought that would be cool,” he said.
Pope applied for employment and took a series of tests for the USPS before getting a job at the detention center. Eventually, he got a call from the post office; they had an opening.
“I was happy (at the detention center) at the time,” said Pope, who admits he was apprehensive about quitting to take the job at the post office. “But it was cool, because I like what I do.”
And it shows.
Pope greets customers with a smile and chats about their day, their families, their jobs.
“He”s funny,” a customer said of Pope, as she was sending off mail on a Saturday. “Sometimes I come in here just to laugh.”
“It”s different when you”re an officer. You”ve got to wear that officer”s uniform everywhere you go,” Pope told one customer, who is stationed at Columbus Air Force Base.
“That”s true,” she said, lingering for a while after she was done conducting business.
“I”m just a people person,” Pope said.
You mentioned you had to take a test to work at the post office. What is the test like?
They have a battery of different tests for different things. They have an aptitude test and memory recall and attention to detail. They show you different addresses, and they”re very similar. You might have a 112 Briar Circle and 112 Briar Drive or 122 Briar Circle, and you have to determine which is the initial address. And it”s timed.
What is it that you like about your job?
People. Once I got out front and started working the window, (I loved it). I”m just such a people person.
Where did you have to start?
I started in the back — a grunge job, as I call it — unloading trucks and sorting mail, the part no one sees. They think it”s quiet in here, and they say, ”I think I”ll buy a stamp today,” but the public never sees that. That was when we sorted all the 397 mail here. There were people here 24 hours a day then. That”s done in Jackson and Grenada now.
What do you do in your free time?
I read. I read a lot — magazines and novels. One of my favorite reads is Reader”s Digest. But don”t tell anyone. They always have interesting things in there. And I fish.
Where do you fish?
Lock and Dam, Luxapalila Creek and some private ponds, with my big brother. It”s just the relaxation and peace of being out there. I don”t care if I catch any fish. It”s just the tranquility of being there.
You said you served in the military. What branch?
What other branch is there? The Navy.
I spent four years active duty and 21 years in Reserves. I retired as a chief petty officer in ”05.
Where all have you traveled, through the Navy?
Hawaii, the Philippines, Korea, Japan, Australia, Canada, Victoria, British Columbia. That was the best port we went to. It was quiet, and it was just so pristine. I told a guy when I was there, there”s just something about this place, but I can”t put my finger on it. It was just so clean. That”s what it was. You know, you go to these cities like Detroit or Chicago, you see trash or bums, and you kind of expect that. But it was just so clean. It was almost too clean. It was nice.
Is there a place you haven”t gone and would like to go?
Rio. I”m going one day. I”d like to go during Carnival, too. One of these days I”m going to make it to Rio.
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