In 1962, William Costello, the Superintendent of Mails for Willimantic, Connecticut, wrote the poem, “The Veteran Letter Carrier’s Farewell,” which marked the end of his 40 years of service with the Unities States Postal Service.
To honor Costello’s legacy, and the work of postal workers everywhere, John Costello, William’s son, appealed to local postmasters for the poem to be displayed in both his hometown of Willimantic and in the town he now calls home, Dana Point.
William, a World War II veteran, wrote the poem to recite at his retirement dinner, celebrating his years of service with the postal service.
“As far as I know, this is the only poem he ever wrote,” John said.
The poem highlights all the Valentine’s Day and birthday cards, letters to loved ones and other holiday cards and presents that mail carriers deliver throughout the year.
John noted that the poem feels especially relevant around the holidays, when mail carriers and postal workers are working extra hard to make sure cards and packages reach their destination in time.
Highlighting a stanza of the poem that he felt reflected postal workers’ efforts this holiday season, John recited: “Old Santa Claus at Christmas time, Has nothing on the Post, But still he does his very best To give us all a roast.”
John also worked one holiday season at a post office one year during college.
“I remember how nuts it was in the post office in the old days before they had all these machines to sort mail,” John said. “I worked there sorting mail thrown into these little pigeonholes.”
Years after his father retired from the postal service, John sent the poem to the postmaster in his hometown of Willimantic.
“So many years later, I got the idea of putting the poem on a plaque and asking the postmaster back in Willimantic if he’d be interested in putting it in the lobby,” John said. “So, it ended up in the lobby of the old post office, which is now called the Main Street Cafe and Willimantic Brewing Company.”
After moving to Dana Point in 2016, 34 years after his father died, John asked the Del Prado Avenue post office’s postmaster if the poem could be displayed in the local post office as well. The plaque was installed there in 2021, John said.
“(The postmaster) was very nice about it,” John said. “He said he was going to think about giving the poem on a plaque to his employees when they retire.”
Having the poem displayed in the local post office meant a lot to John, he said, adding that “it’s something people will enjoy reading even though they have no idea who he is.”
“But I think the message is something people can relate to, especially letter carriers,” John continued.
Those interested in reading the poem in full can visit the Dana Point Post Office on Del Prado, where the plaque is mounted next to the passport office.
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