THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 26, 1994 TAG: 9408250207
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 35 lines
For 21 years, the little post office in Bowers Hill was more than just a place to pick up the mail.
Martha B. Kellam, the postmistress there, made sure her patrons received personal attention, a friendly word and a chance to catch up on neighborhood news.
She knew her regulars by name and never failed to take a interest in their work, their families and their individual concerns. She'd want to see pictures of their grandchildren and ask how their vegetable gardens were growing.
A first-class stamp cost just 6 cents when Mrs. Kellam first went to work in 1969 in a tiny, brick post office on Homestead Road. Over the years, sitting behind her beat-up wooden desk in the tiny green room crammed with papers, she became a part of local lore.
If Mrs. Kellam knew a customer was expecting a Social Security check or anxiously waiting to hear from a far-away relative, she would call to say that the letter had arrived.
The caring way in which she performed her work is rare these days, even in a close-knit, friendly community like Bowers Hill. Her death last week at the age of 82 is a great loss.
KEYWORDS: DEATH
by CNB