Soft-spoken and easygoing, Baldwinsville Post Office letter carrier Mike Krupka has rolled his way into the National Safety Council’s Two Million Miles Club, an honor few letter carriers achieve.
“I understand it’s very rare,” said Krupka, who will celebrate 48 years at his post in September.
If a carrier marks 30 years without a preventable incident while driving, he or she is inducted into the One Million Mile Club. Krupka is a few years past the Two Million Miles Club’s benchmark of 45 years, and he’s delivered mail on the same route in Baldwinsville for 30 years.
At age 19, Krupka interviewed with then-postmaster Jim Walker. Krupka remembered that all the other employees were older and from B’ville; he was the lone Syracusan.
“I’m glad he took a chance on me,” he said of Walker’s decision to hire him. “I thought I’d try it for a year and see if I liked it, and here I am.”
Eventually, Krupka moved to Baldwinsville himself. “I wish I had moved sooner,” he said, praising the friendly attitudes of his customers and neighbors.
He’s seen a lot of changes in B’ville and in the postal service over the years. Gone are the days when carriers toted the mail — and their lunches — on foot, pausing by the relay boxes to eat.
“Sometimes you’re out in the elements all day long,” Krupka said of the days before postal vehicles. “We’ve got a little protection now.”
Krupka used to have to bundle his mail with a spool of string; now, the pre-sorted stacks of mail are bound with rubber bands.
The village Krupka took a chance on 48 years ago is changing, too, for better or for worse.
“It’s a growing community. Sometimes that’s good and bad. It’s losing its small-community [feel],” Krupka said. “I remember first driving out here and seeing a lot of farms. Now it’s all housing developments.”
While B’ville is “a little more trafficky,” Krupka said the quality of the schools and the tight-knit community draw new residents.
One thing that hasn’t changed is Krupka’s love for his job and the customers on his route, with whom he’s built a good rapport. He said people love getting their mail, whether it’s a birthday card or bills, and he’s glad to serve them.
“I’ve seen the kids growing up [and] getting married. All of a sudden, I run into them and they’re having children of their own,” he said.
As for retirement, Krupka has thought about it, but he said delivering the mail keeps him “physically and mentally fit.”
“I still feel good. … I still enjoy what I do even after all this time. I’m very fortunate,” he said. “My health has held up. You have to be in good physical shape to be a mailman.”
For now, Krupka will stick to his route.
“I just keep rolling with it,” Krupka said.
