For Postal Carriers—

‘No Shave’ Pact Boosts Winter Morale

By Nancy K. Crevier

Neither rain nor sleet nor gloom of night may stay these postal carriers from their paths, but this winter’s snow was such a morale buster that four Newtown Commerce Road postmen made a pact in January not to shave till the last of Newtown’s snow has melted away.

Dave Sabia and Chris Myers grow beards every winter to ward off the cold days, but were joined by John Ogrinc and Gary Wamser this winter. “We decided in late January, when it seemed like we were getting a storm every three days, that we wouldn’t shave until there was way more grass than snow showing on the ground,” said Mr Wamser.

“I’ve been here ten years and I’ve never seen anything like it. This was a tough winter,” said Mr Ogrinc. There is normally a lull in mail delivery following the holiday deluge in December, but storm after storm that began immediately afterward this winter made mail delivery a difficult feat for postal carriers all over town, said the men.

“We had only a few days between the storms. Mailboxes were knocked down or buried, or they weren’t shoveled out,” Mr Ogrinc said.

“Some roads, like Scudder Road, get places with so much ice, on the curve, that I haven’t even been able to stop to make the delivery until this past week,” said Mr Myers.

This week, the carriers faces were slightly less furry than earlier this winter, as they anticipated the snowmelt.

“I shaved off half of my beard the end of February, as a sign of good faith,” Mr Wamser said. “Half the snow is melted, so I’ve shaved half. I’m afraid to take it off all the way, though. We could still get a good snow this month.”

Mr Myers was surprised to see no storm on Wednesday, March 9, which is his wife’s birthday. “Usually, there is another storm right on her birthday,” he said.

The men are looking forward to spring and a clean shave, though. “It is actually more work, I think, trimming a beard than just shaving,” said Mr Ogrinc.

Interestingly, there have been no huge snowstorms since they made the pact, Mr Wamser noted. “I think next year, we’ll start doing this at Christmas.”