ARCATA, CA — On Tuesday August 13, 2019 Amy Letter will follow a proud tradition dating back to 1860 when Arcata’s first Postmaster Albert Murdock took office.

Letter will raise her right hand to take the official Oath of Office as the new Postmaster of Arcata at a 1:00 p.m. ceremony at McKinleyville Federal Courthouse, 3140 Boeing Ave., McKinleyville, CA 95519. Letter’s mother and retired Postmaster Rita Johnson will administer the official oath of office.

The McKinleyville Federal Courthouse is currently the home to several pieces of Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP) murals from the1930s that were originally housed at the Eureka courthouse and Post Office. The paintings which were created by artist Thomas Laman, depict scenes from Northern California history, including farming, mining and native fauna.

Tradition is rich part of Letter’s postal career as well, in fact it is a family tradition for Letter who is a third generation postal employee. There are 70 years of combined postal service within her family, starting with her grandfather, then her mother before she too got bit by the Postal bug. “I took things one step further and changed my last name to Letter,” she quipped.

Letter began her U.S. Postal Service career 21-years-ago as a clerk. In 2017, she tried her hand as a supervisor in Eureka before becoming appointed as Postmaster of Arcata.

“I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the community of Arcata, I want to ensure the Post Office is here for many more years by providing great service to our customers,” said Letter.

Letter resides in Fortuna with her husband Ven, and their three children Madisyn 19, Kobe 17, and Matthew, 14. She enjoys spending time with her family, baking and cooking and cheering on her children at their sporting events.

As Postmaster of Arcata, which has a population of over 18,000 residents, Letter manages 55 employees and oversees the daily delivery of over 66,000 pieces of mail and packages to 14,558 street addresses and 2,200 Post Office boxes.

Letter succeeds previous Arcata Postmaster Hortencia Beltran.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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