SAN JOSE, CA — A lot has changed since Sam Vasquez started his U.S. Postal Service career in 1978, most notably the color of his hair. In 1978, the Postal Service was less than a decade old and almost off the government dole, the price of a First-Class stamp was 15 cents and Mr. ZIP was a teenager.

In 1978, Vasquez started carrying mail out of Station D at Alum Rock and Jackson in San Jose. About that time, the San Jose Post Office started an experimental delivery method by having select carriers take city transit buses to their routes. Vasquez learned that following the mail, basically letting the mail take you to the next delivery stop, was not the same as following a bus schedule. On his first day hopping a bus, he ended up in Milpitas with a satchel full of mail and no place to deliver it. He figured he could get back to his delivery route in San Jose without anyone finding out about it, except an intrepid San Jose Mercury News reporter thought the bus route delivery method would make a nice story. It did. A photo and caption in the paper showed Vasquez headed to Milpitas.

As a city letter carrier, he was warned about viscous dogs, but not an angry goose. On a particular San Jose city route, Vasquez was attacked by a very mean goose that chased and bit him. He was armed with dog repellent spray, but wondered later, “How do you spray a goose? “

Soon after, the local union president advised him that he may not be cut out to be a letter carrier and suggested he try management. It was good advice because in 1983 Vasquez started his management career as a supervisor at Hillview Station in San Jose. He advanced quickly through the management ranks, including as Postmaster of Saratoga, Cupertino and Salinas. In 2003, Vasquez would become the Manager of Post Office Operations, overseeing 48 Postmasters. On April 6, 2005, Vasquez took the oath of office as the San Jose Postmaster.

Vasquez plans to get in shape, travel, catch up on home projects, catch up on his reading, including bus schedules, and watch his grandkids play sports. He feels that the only legacy he wants to leave behind is at the end of the day, or career, “it's all about people and how you treat them.”

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