Bloomington postmaster ends long tenure

A stamp cost just 6 cents. Mail was still sorted by hand when Larry Jacobs was first hired on as a clerk by the United States Postal Service in 1969.\nNow, in a changed communications landscape, Jacobs ends his 17-year tenure as Bloomington Postmaster with his retirement today. He held the position for the second-longest stretch since the post office was established here in 1824.\nIt may be up to a year until a successor is named.\nBloomington mayor Mark Kruzan proclaimed June 29 Larry Jacobs Day, in honor of the native who rose up through the ranks to the top spot.\nEarly on in his 37-year postal career, Jacobs followed the typical postal service management path to distant posts across the state. He bounced from the district office in Indianapolis to stints in Terre Haute to Gary. He maintained his residence in Bloomington all the while, commuting an hour each way for years.\nApplying on a lark when he heard of the posted opening, he was thrilled to receive word of his appointment as postmaster. He'd be returning home.\n"I thought it only a possibility that it would happen," he said. "I assumed I'd end up in human resources."\nWhen Jacobs took the reigns in 1989, mail processing was still mechanized, requiring an operator to manually punch in the codes. The process averaged 60 letters an hour. During the early 1990s, he presided over full automation, which speeds through 3,500 pieces of mail an hour.\nHe oversaw local expansion to the mail-processing center at Vernal Pike. Built in 1999 to handle volume, the regional facility processes 25,000 to 35,000 letters and packages per day.\nHe hosted the USPS's premillenial "Celebrate the Century" whistle-stop rail tour, complete with a vintage mail car. He kept order during the clockwork holiday and tax day rushes. He's had to shift routes and expand branch hours.\nA stamp running only 25 cents when he first took the helm, he's seen the post office lose business to the encroaching popularity of e-mail and online bill-paying. He's witnessed stepped-up competition from FedEx and United Parcel Service. He's faced threats of corner-cutting schemes, including repeated propositions to consolidate mail sorting in Indianapolis and a recently tabled plan to eliminate the Bloomington postmark.\nHe's stood by carriers hospitalized because of dog attacks and pressed the state legislature for tougher restrictions on dog owners. He's assisted authorities with rashes of mailbox vandalism and stolen Social Security checks. He's even toed off with the specter of terrorism, when an anthrax scare swept the nation shortly after 9/11.\n"Everyone was so paranoid," he said. "If someone so much brought a powdered doughnut or spilled some creamer in the conference room ... It was a trying time."\nJacobs had to alert postal inspectors to suspicious-looking mail and send it in for testing. The Vernal Pike facility has since been outfitted with anthrax-detection equipment.\nDozens of well-wishers thronged the Monroe County Courthouse rotunda Thursday for Jacobs' retirement gala. Applause often roared through the small enclosed space, as a series of colleagues and friends stepped to the podium to bid him farewell.\n"Larry always went the extra mile, beyond the call of duty," said Rochelle Israel, Manager of Human Resources for the Indiana branch of the United States Postal Service. "He leaves some big shoes to fill."\nJacobs was showered with laurels and gifts, including a commemorative plaque and a bronze sculpture of an eagle, the postal service's mascot. The Monroe County Board of Commissioners read an encomium recognizing his contribution to the community. And representatives of Rep. Mike Sodrel, R-9th District presented him with a flag flown in the nation's capitol in his honor.\nA member of the Bloomington Chamber of Commerce and several other local committees, Jacobs gave no big speech and thanked everyone in turn, recognizing several friendships formed over the years. He shook hands and chatted for over an hour, a crowd orbiting around him all the while.\nThe spry 56-year-old said he looks forward to the leisure, to be spent on the slopes and golf links. He's planned a six- to eight-week golf trip to Arizona with fellow postal retiree Walter Morrison and their wives.\n"We even invited the ladies to meet us there," quipped Morrison. "You know, considering his years of hard work, I urged to take his retirement soon, mostly because I needed a golf partner."\nIsrael, top management from Indianapolis, said Jacobs has more than earned the rest and relaxation. He distinguished himself among postmasters, she said.\n"We received no complaints from Bloomington employees over the years," she said. "That's very unique. Managers are usually targets for complaint in the postal service."\nIsrael said it's uncommon for a postmaster to hail from his own community, as the postal service long ago took steps to shake perceptions of political patronage. The position is merit-based, with applications flooding in from far and wide.\nThe postal service is now fielding applicants, with Jim Mennel transferred from Indianapolis to serve as the interim officer-in-charge. Israel expects a new postmaster may be appointed as early as by the end of July. The process often takes between four to 12 months.