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Photograph by Jeff Kearns
Box Trot: Priscilla Massie says when she started working at the Heritage Village Station, the small post office was so quiet during the day that she had to bring a book to work. It's not the same today.
Public Citizen
Postal Persona
Postal clerk Priscilla Massie just might know every face in town
By Moryt Milo
Priscilla Massie, the Heritage Village postal clerk, says the word is out. Times have changed since she began working there seven years ago. Back then she needed a good book to pass the time. No one knew the place existed. "But those days are long gone," says Massie.
Priscilla Massie, 40, has worked for the postal service since 1984. She started out as a letter carrier in Cupertino, but transferred after three months to Campbell when a clerk position opened. In 1985, she moved to Campbell and has been part of the community for over 15 years.
"I am so fortunate," says Massie. "I love what I do for a living. And I live in Campbell so I'm going to see my customers. That's nice because it feels small town."
Because Massie lives within walking distance from her job, she is able to go home for lunch and walk her Chihuahua, Bandit. It was during one of these times that she had her favorite experience as a postal worker.
"I was walking around the neighborhood and saw this gentleman pulled over to the side of the road," says Massie. "He was in his car studying a map. And I'm thinking, 'Priscilla, you live in Campbell. You work in Campbell. You should be able to help this guy find whatever he is looking for.'
So I stop and knock on the window of his car. Of course, I'm in uniform because I'm still working. And he looks up at me and rolls down his window. I ask, 'Can I help you find something?' And he says, 'I'm looking for the post office?"
Massie and Myra Wilson, also a Campbell resident, are the two employees who work in the small Heritage office. Massie says that she really enjoys how they complement each other. Wilson is the finance/box clerk. Her primary job is the rental boxes, while Massie's main focus is the window. Massie says they see their customers as family and try to remember their names--"it makes them feel welcome when coming in."
With over 1,300 boxes and a good percentage rented, the regulars are "always amazed" when Massie knows their names and boxes. "But that's my job, that's what I do," she says. " I sort their mail every day and key in a name with a face."
Massie's had her share of scary moments and says she sometimes feels vulnerable. "One of our box holders made the news because he'd murdered his girlfriend," recalls Massie. "I remember him coming to the window and I knew he'd moved. He was giving me a hard time about updating his address."(It is a postal requirement to keep box customers' street addresses current). Later, she found out he'd shot his girlfriend and Massie's response was, "I don't care where he lives!"
But, with the majority of her customers, she feels a special relationship and she likens her job to that of a bartender "because everyone comes in and tells me their story, and I'm a good listener."
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Campbell, California
