Elaine Osborne retired in October 2005 after working at the Glade Valley Post Office for about 38 years. Osborne said she opted to retire because of health problems, but plans to be more active in the community as her health improves.

Osborne retires after 38 years with USPS

After almost 40 years in the post office, former Glade Valley Postmaster Elaine Osborne is spending her retirement days trying to catch up on her relaxation time. Osborne resigned her position at the post office in late October 2005, after 38 years of service.

Born in New Jersey, Osborne’s parents moved to the county when she was a baby and the future postmaster has remained in the county ever since. After graduation from Sparta High School, Osborne attended Roanoke Business College in Virginia. Osborne later took a position as the secretary to the vice president of Glade Valley School. At the time of her employment in the early ‘60s, Osborne remembers the school as a “vibrant, co-educational boarding school run by the Presbyterian Church.”

In her secretarial position, Osborne spent time at the local post office and in conversation with postmaster Rush Thompson and his wife Attaree, who served as the postal clerk.

“We had about 140 students and facility and staff, all of which lived on campus,” Osborne explained. “I had a car full of mail every morning for them and I was at the post office mailing every day.”

One day, during a conversation between Osborne and Thompson, Thompson suggested that Osborne take an upcoming postmaster exam. She noted in those days, you had to reside in the community in which you would deliver mail. Learning the position was postmaster in the Roaring Gap community, Osborne declined the offer.

“At that time (in the late ‘60s), Roaring Gap practically shut down in the winter,” Osborne remembers. “In the winter, they would have probably less than a dozen full-time customers.”

However, Thompson pushed the issue and Osborne took the test anyway. “I never even got my grades because I was not eligible for the position,” Osborne said. “What Rush was leading up to is he wanted me to apply for the Glade Valley post office when it opened up. He’d been a long-time postmaster there and long-time rural carrier. The postmaster retired first. When the test was given, I went to take it...” and the rest, as they say, is history. Osborne became the postmaster of the Glade Valley post office Oct. 7, 1967.

The first lesson learned was to never say anything about what is seen in other people’s mail.

“You never reveal anything you see,” she said. It’s an oath you take regarding the sanctity of mail. You can never divulge anything you learn about people’s mail and where it’s coming from.” Osborne then spoke of how the rural route has grown through the years.

“Of course, the rural route was not as densely populated as it is today,” Osborne said. “I think in the beginning, we probably served around 150 boxes and probably traveled about 60 miles a day, give or take a few. Today, the rural route is traveling about 80 miles a day and over 500 customers, so it has really grown.”

During that time period, the cost for a first-class stamp was a mere five cents.

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