LAKEPORT — Dana Tibbetts has seen a slew of changes in the United States Postal Service (USPS) in his nearly 26 years as the Postmaster in Lakeport.
Tibbetts spent about 40 years as a USPS employee.
“Automation made a huge difference. More people communicate and pay bills online,” Tibbetts said.
Tibbetts retired on July 1 and he said he felt fortunate to be able to retire from USPS, seeing as approximately 200,000 USPS positions have been eliminated nationwide.
Tibbetts began his adult life as an aspiring journalist at San Diego State University. He completed two years at the time that he was drafted during the Vietnam-era.
When he returned to civilian life, he loaded up his Ford van and “just hit the road to Santa Cruz,” where he intended to complete his schooling.
He got a job at the post office and planned to stay a year, but it became his career.
“The post office was one of the places that I could take the test, because I was a veteran. I made $3.60 per hour,” Tibbetts said.
That was in 1971.
He said he was thrilled get the job as the Postmaster in Lakeport in 1985. His family loved the lake and the small town-feel.
Tibbetts and his wife Sheri, his high school sweetheart, moved to Lake County with their son Dana Jr., now 36.
Tibbetts” most memorable moment during his years in the postal business came with a phone call from a mortuary in 1983. It seems the mortuary mistakenly sent the cremains of a customer parcel post. It was the Christmas season — the busiest time of the year. Tibbetts went through every mailbag by hand and located the package a half hour prior to the funeral service. He delivered it himself, and on time. The daughter of the deceased said Tibbetts saved the day and brought him a beautiful floral arrangement.
During Tibbetts” tenure in Lakeport, only one carrier has been bitten by a dog. He said he”s proud of the people he hired. He said they are dedicated, hard-working people who do their best to meet customer needs. He will miss working alongside them.
For now, Tibbetts is enjoying life at a more relaxed pace, taking day trips, hiking, cooking and “sipping some of the great Lake County wines.”
