A whiff of coffee brewing in the morning was once the signal to Monroe post office employees that the boss was in.
No longer.
After putting in 10 years as postmaster of Monroe and another 25 at other area post offices, the boss, Larry Pollard, recently retired his mailroom (and coffee-making) duties.
“We’ll miss his crazy morning antics,” said fellow employee Patricia Herasme. “Larry’s something else when he hasn’t had his coffee.”
Since Pollard’s retirement, post office employees like Herasme have grown accustomed to something else, however — a host of slightly disoriented faces, looking about and spouting, “Where went that man behind the counter?”
March 23 marked Pollard’s last day as postmaster of the Monroe post office, located off U.S. 29 Business in Amherst County.
Six-year-old Micayla Johnson was among Pollard’s regular mail customers who dropped by that day to see him in action one more time.
“What day is it for Larry?” mused Joan Seagle as she peered down at her mum and fidgeting granddaughter.
“Anniversary?” Micayla blurted shyly, before bounding over to Pollard with open arms.
“Larry and Micayla have always had a special relationship,” Seagle said.
“When she was a toddler, she used to sneak up to Larry and play tricks on him. She grew up with him, really.”
Steve Faulconer, longtime rural mail carrier for Monroe, also stopped by for Pollard’s sendoff.
“I’ve worked under six postmasters and Larry’s the best one,” he said.
Faulconer added that Pollard’s personal style made him popular with fellow employees and customers alike.
“He comes from the old school,” he said. “Everybody loves him.”
Faulconer recalled his own childhood memories at the old Monroe post office, located in the once- bustling railroad community.
Back then, when the office was in a different location, he said picking up a letter was as easy as saying “I want my momma’s mail,” while peeking over the counter on tiptoes.
Pollard’s retirement is, in a way, an end of an era in local post office history, he said.
“A lot of things have changed. The mail was done entirely different from the way it is now.”
Pollard agreed that technological change had shaped the mail system over the years, but he has continued to emphasize customer service throughout.
“I think we’ve become more efficient over the years,” he said. “And I think it’s gotten better with the customer, too. Monroe’s a wonderful community to be in.”
Pollard, 55, said he chose to retire to take care of his aging parents, coach Little League baseball and work on restoring a 100-year-old farmhouse he owns near Sweet Briar College.
“It’s a good thing to be retired and be prepared for it,” he said. “It’s time.”
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