Wlie are to* people to poor 11$^ertiootf
Mailman Larry Abels sorts university mail before starling bis route. I
Editor’s Note: This * week's
theme is “Who are the people in
your neighborhood.” Report
ers and photographers teamed
up with madmen, pottceroen,
garbage men, flreaaen and
newspaper carriers lor an hour
or two to a day. The stories arc
the reporter's experiences.
Senior Depoitet s
Letter carrier Larry Abels has
battled sleet, snow, dogs and other
postal myths to get the mail
through for about 12 years now,
and for the last 1 1/2 years he less
brought mail to the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln campus.
Abels said the campus route is
quite different from most others
because the volume is much higher
and much of the mail is delivered
in large sacks.
“Most carriers know pretty
, I: ..
much everyone on their route,"
Abeis said. “But it’s a little tough for
me because there are so many
students on campus."
Abels said that there are gener
ally two types of routes -- “walk
ing” and “mounted." But, like any
good rule, this one has an excep
tion, and /the campus route is it.
Abels spends most of his time driv
ing the mail truck, he said, but gels
out to walk while delivering to the
fraternities and sororities.
Abels’ day begins at 6 a m.,
when he docks in and begins
“casing" the mail. The mail comes
to each route, then is sorted by the
separate carriers, based on the
order in which they will deliver it.
Also sorted out are “flats" - maga
zines, large manila envelopes, etc.
- and accountable* - postage due,
registered and foreign mail. “Cas
ing” usually takes as much as 3 1/
2 hours before the mail can be
delivered, Abels said.
He heads for his campus route
first, and this usually takes him
about two hours to complete, he
said. Abels said his campus duties
have given him a close-up view of
UNL’s parking problem.
"The parking is ridiculous,” he
said. "I really feel for the kids
sometimes.’’
Somewhat surprisingly, football
Saturdays are usually a little bit
easier for Abels than normal days.
“I try to start a little early,” he
said "But since they don’t allow
parking on 16th Street, it’s a little
easier for me to get around.”
Abels’ last campus stop is
Selleck Quadrangle, and after that
he heads to his other route - the
Gaslight trailer court - which takes
him another 11/2 hours, he said.
Then it's back to the main office to
turn in the “accountables” paper
work and take care of mail ad
dressed to non-existent places.
According to Abels, the dog
besieged mail carrier is one myth
that is very closely tied to reality.
"Most of the carriers have been
bitten by dogs,” he said.
Himself included.
"Once, really, but real close a
second time," he said. “We have a
spray that we carry, and that usu
ally seems to deter them," Abels
said. "But a few of them seem to
like that stuff."
Besides, Abels said, most of the
bites come from dogs that come
up from behind.
“I’ve read that dog bites are
down in the postal service,” Abels
said. “A lot of people joke about it,
but there can be some pretty seri- i
ous injuries out there.
“Some routes are notorious for
dogs, and people try to get off of
those as soon as possible," Abels
added. '
Abels is changing routes himself
this week - tomorrow will be his
last day on the campus trek.
“It’s the big sacks, mostly," he
said. "They get pretty heavy, and I
have a bit of a back problem."
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