Posts tagged ‘Mike the Mailman’
The Mayor of 16802
For generations of Penn Staters, Mike “The Mailman” Herr turned a mundane trip to the post office into a treat. In April, the authority-tweaking, cookie-collecting campus fixture retired as he did everything else–with a smile on his face.
Story by Robyn Passante ’95 / photography by Bill Cardoni
This story appears in the May/June issue of The Penn Stater, the official publication of the Penn State Alumni Association. Not a member? Click here to join.
Behind the Scenes of Our Mike the Mailman Photo Shoot
Just days before his retirement on April 1, The Penn Stater art staff and photographer Bill Cardoni spent the afternoon with Mike “the Mailman” Herr for our May/June issue. We followed him from the University Park post office, where he worked for nearly 50 years, to his home in Boalsburg; as you can imagine, there were some laughs along the way. Here are a few outtakes from the photo shoot.
Amy Downey, senior editor
Inside Our May/June 2016 Issue
The May/June 2016 issue of The Penn Stater is hitting mailboxes soon. In the cover story, “The Mayor of 16802,” we celebrate the career of Mike Herr, who has been the friendly face of the campus post office for nearly 50 years. He retired in April, but before his last day on the job we were able to photograph him at work and, of course, at play. You’ll find his story and some wonderful shots captured by photographer Bill Cardoni starting on p. 36. After the photoshoot, Herr and his wife Mary ’84 (pictured below), insisted on serving coconut cream pie to our staff in their Boalsburg home.
In another feature, titled “What’s the Big Idea?” you’ll learn about three alums who have successfully built one of the hottest tech companies in Silicon Valley. Their company, Weebly, makes it easy to build a website—and, ultimately, is giving other entrepreneurs a web platform to grow their own businesses.
“World Travelers” shares the stories of alumni who studied abroad. Here, you’ll read about the places they went, the people they met, and the languages—and lessons—they learned.
Also in the magazine: A look at this year’s Alumni Teaching Fellows; a recap of the unstoppable Nittany Lion wrestlers who notched another NCAA team title this spring; and a nod to Rod Kirsch, longtime senior vice president for development and alumni relations, who will be leaving his position in August.
Let us know what you think about the new issue. Comment below or email heypennstater@psu.edu.
Photo by CARDONI
Amy Downey, senior editor
Celebrating Mike the Mailman
Today is Mike Herr’s final day at Penn State. It’s the 48th anniversary of his first day at work as an employee of the United States Postal Service, plus there’s something poetic about someone as fun as Mike retiring on April Fool’s Day.
We thought it would be fun to highlight a few videos that tell the story of everyone’s favorite mailman. At the top of this post is a video from WPSU, which examined Mike’s legendary wit and lightheartedness. It also tells the story of how people on campus rallied behind Mike in 2000 when he was forced to remove the various signs and pictures that he hung on the walls of the post office.
Next up is a video that Onward State produced. This video features Mike talking about things like his first day at the on-campus post office, his amazement over the response to his retirement, and how Penn Staters recognize him everywhere.
Finally, Penn State released a video in which, among other things, Mike gave some background on his cookie of the month contest. He explains the rules, reveals a secret about the contest, and says that it’s caused him to gain four whole pounds in 40 years.
Do take a few minutes to watch all of these, and make sure you look for a story on Mike in our May/June issue.
Bill DiFilippo, online editor
Mike the Mailman Receives a Special Letter
Mike Herr has fans all over the country, and that doesn’t just include Penn Staters with stories about the university’s affable mailman. In fact, the President of the United States decided to send a note to Mike to express his admiration for Mike’s 48 years of service.
Barack Obama wrote a letter thanking Mike for “helping the Federal Government deliver on our nation’s promise and meet our responsibilities to the American people.” You can read the entire letter right here:
via Mike the Mailman
Mike posted a few additional photos onto his Facebook account on Sunday. If you’d like to join the President and congratulate Mike on his retirement, just remember that his final day is on April 1. And make sure you keep an eye out for much more on Mike’s life and career in our May/June issue.
Bill DiFilippo, online editor
A Live Chat With Mike the Mailman
Mike Herr’s final day at Penn State is on April 1. If you’re upset that you won’t get the chance to say goodbye to everyone’s favorite mailman in person, don’t worry: You’ll get the chance to do so virtually today.
Mike will appear on a Periscope live stream direct from the campus post office at 10:30 a.m. It will broadcast on the official Penn State Twitter account. Per a press release, Mike will use this as an opportunity to address his fans and answer questions. If you miss out on the live stream, you can watch Periscope streams for 24 hours after they go off the air.
We’ll post the stream on our Facebook and Twitter accounts when it goes live.
Bill DiFilippo, online editor
