Congratulations to Maggie Miller
Senator Byron L. Dorgan
Mr. President, I would like to let my colleagues know about a woman who, this morning, is working at the post office in Knox, ND. Knox, ND, is a little town of forty-two people, but it is big enough to have a post office.
Just recently, the postmaster of the Knox, ND, post office, a woman named Vivian Seter, retired. Upon Vivian's retirement at age seventy-three, Maggie Miller took over the job.
Now maybe my colleagues are thinking there is nothing unusual in that. But Maggie is eighty-three years old, and she just took over the running of the post office in Knox from her 73-year-old friend Vivian.
The post office has cut its hours a bit since Maggie took over, so it is open now from 8:30 until 10:30 A.M. In fact, in about ten minutes from now, central time in Knox, ND, Maggie will be hanging it up for the day. But for now, at age eighty-three, after working sixty-two years in the postal system, Maggie has assumed the reins of the Knox Post Office.
The reason I mention this today is that I have talked a lot over the years about rural values. There is something quite remarkable and unique about life in the small towns of rural America. I represent a wonderful State, North Dakota, with a lot of small communities. Knox, ND, is one of them.
There are also a lot of hard-working, remarkable people in these small towns, and Maggie Miller is one of them. Again, she has been working for the postal system for sixty-two years, and I read in the newspaper that the postmaster from Rolla, ND, had to come train her for her new position. Vivian, the retiring postmaster, joked: She has only been doing this sixty-two years, so she needs a little training.
The article I read about her said that last year Maggie, who was age eighty-two at the time, bowled a 204. Then she broke her wrist and has had to take the summer off. But Maggie being Maggie, she vows to make a comeback to her bowling league.
When I saw this story in the paper, I just had to call Maggie. When she answered the phone, I said: Maggie, this is Byron Dorgan calling from Washington, DC. I wanted to tell you that it is wonderful that you are stepping in as postmaster at age eighty-three. Maggie said: Tell me another one. I said: No, Maggie, it really is Byron Dorgan. And she said: I bet it is.
So Maggie, if you happen to be watching this debate in Congress, I really did call you. I say congratulations. You have a lot of spunk. I am proud of all the things you have done and of the values that you represent of folks in small towns helping each other and working together. I know the post office in many small towns is the hub of the community, and I am confident you will serve Knox well.
Congratulations to Maggie and to the town of Knox.
[Taken from the Congressional Record, 9 June 2000, page S4930.]