Bob Brandt, at left, accepts the million mile safe driving award from postmaster Steve Starkebaum on Friday afternoon, Oct. 15. The award is for attaining 1 million miles of safe driving without a preventable incident. In over 30 years with the post office, Brandt has had no incidents, preventable or otherwise. — The Holyoke Enterprise | Johnson Publications
A million miles and a million smiles
Last Wednesday marked the end of an era when Bob Brandt made his final deliveries as rural letter carrier for Rural Route One.
He has retired after 30 years and 10 months in a role that has given him the unique opportunity to see many changes in the Holyoke area over the years.
Brandt, who was the only federal employee doing rural delivery in Holyoke since the other four are contract routes, has driven over a million miles in his deliveries without an accident.
On Friday, Oct. 15, he was honored with the million mile safe driving award in recognition of his immaculate driving record. This is an incredibly remarkable accomplishment considering that 135 of the 145 miles on his route are gravel roads, which can be dangerous.
Brandt said it is especially important to be cautious at the blind corners in the country when the corn is tall.
He noted that it’s important not to count on seeing another vehicle’s dust cloud as a sign that someone else is coming. In his time on the job, he has encountered joggers, walkers, horseback riders, livestock and more that do not leave a dust cloud in their wake as they approach rural intersections.
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