More Than Mail: Rural Carriers on the Frontlines
A Morning of Stories from Those Who Deliver for America
USPS rural carriers are more than mail carriers—they are lifelines in their communities, often acting as first responders, wellness checkers, and trusted neighbors. Join us for a powerful morning of stories, analysis, and discussion as rural carriers, historians, and advocates lift up the vital role of these unsung heroes—especially amid threats of privatization.
Location:
Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education
213 N King St, Shepherdstown, WV 25443
Date & Time:
Friday, July 25, 2025
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
(Event 9:30 to 11 AM)
Optional afternoon activities (in development, details forthcoming):
Tour of Jefferson County Museum
Visit to Jefferson County Courthouse (site of John Brown and coal miners’ trials)
Co-Hosts:
National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association (NRLCA)
Shepherd University’s Center for Appalachian Studies and Communities
Featured Panelists:
Sarah Anderson, Presenter – Director, Global Economy Project, Institute for Policy Studies
Sarah directs the Global Economy Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, an independent, nonpartisan research organization founded in 1963. Over the past seven years, Anderson has published eight reports and numerous commentaries on the high stakes in the postal debate for rural communities, workers, and other key stakeholders. She is the granddaughter and great-granddaughter of rural postal employees.
Don Maston, Host & Panelist – President, National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association
Don has served as President of the NRLCA since August 2023, and was on the National Board for 15 years before that. He started working for the Postal Service in 1990 and is assigned to RR08 in Sonora, CA.
Emily Hilliard, Moderator – Folklorist, Berea College
Emily is the Berea College Folklorist and the former West Virginia State Folklorist and Founding Director of the West Virginia Folklife Program. From 2020-2021, she conducted the oral history project "Rural Free Delivery: Mail Carriers in Central Appalachia" for the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, documenting the occupational folklife of rural letter carriers. A folklorist with expertise in cultural history and collaboration with rural communities, Emily brings a humanistic lens to understanding the deep cultural ties between postal work and rural life.
Susan Rowan, Panelist – Rural Carrier, Buckhannon, West Virginia
Susan serves the community of Buckhannon, delivering Route 1 and has been a rural letter carrier for 30 years. She began her career at 21 and found it was a perfect fit for her and her young family. It is her second family and she takes pride in her work and could never see herself as anything but a rural carrier. She will share firsthand experiences and the essential role of rural carriers in their communities.
Tim Thomason, Panelist – Retired Rural Carrier, Princeton, West Virginia
Tim served the community of Princeton as a rural letter carrier on Route 3 for 31 years. He started working full-time at the post office when he was 30 when he had limited options for employment—working in the coal mines, law enforcement, or a production job. The Postal Service gave him something that has lasted a lifetime: stability, dignity, and the chance to provide for his family.
Special thanks to Don Maston, NRLCA President and Dr. Ben Bankhurst, Director of Shepherd University's Center for Appalachian Studies and Communities, for their leadership in sponsoring this event.
Registration Required – Limited to 100 attendees in-person, the event will be live-streamed as well.