Bio: Kaczor, Louis V. (Retires - 1958)

Contact:stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Kaczor, Wagner, Tolford, Verkuilen, Albert, Herman, Przybylski, Lesniewski, Stroinski, Baldeschwiler, Barth, Papierniak, Schmidt

----Source: Thorp Courier (Thorp, Clark Co., Wis.)  12/04/1958

Kaczor, Louis V. (Retires - 30 NOV 1958)

Louis V. Kaczor, 61, retired as letter carrier on rural route No. 3 at the Thorp Post Office effective Nov. 30, 1958.  His service in government employ had reached a total of 41 years and 8 months, of which two years and 2 months were spent in the U.S. Army in World War I, and the rest of that time as rural mail carrier.

His last day on the route was Nov. 18^th and since Nov. 19^th he had been taking annual leave due him.  Walter Verkuilen, veteran substitute on Route 3 since 1923, has been serving the route and will continue until a new carrier is appointed.

Louis Kaczor started in the postal service as an auxiliary carrier on Route No. 2 from this office in place of Chester Albert who resigned June 17, 1917.  He served under postmasters Wm. Wagner Sr., R.H. Tolford, John Verkuilen, Wm. S. Wagner and the present acting postmaster, Robert Herman.  Mr. Kaczor was appointed carrier on Route No. 1 on Oct. 20, 1920 and remained on that route until January 1, 1955, when he transferred to Route No. 3.  Route one was 44 miles in length for a number of years and although it was the shortest route, (taking in the towns of Withee and Reseburg, the incoming and outgoing mail has always been the heaviest of the three routes as indicated by the yearly count.

Since about 1955 the distance traveled each day was 57.6 miles and about three weeks ago an extension of seven miles brought the mileage up to its present total of 64.2 miles.  Mr. Kaczor had never been a fast driver on his route, but a careful one and has a twenty-eight year safety medal from the department to back up that fact.

During his first years as a carrier Louie used horses exclusively, and also every winter until 1925.  His substitute assistants during many years on route one were Anton S. Przybylski, Jack Kaczor, Frank Lesniewski, Ted Stroinski, and Ray Baldeschwiler, and Walter Verkuilen on route three.  Fellow carriers in the office most of that period were Louis Papierniak (still there) and Fritz Schmidt, who retired from route three in 1955.

During his nearly 40 years as a mail carrier Mr. Kaczor has had many and varied experiences such as carrying groceries for his patrons to feeding the dog.  On one occasion about thirty years ago, he remembers passing the house of Mrs. Caesar Barth just in time to save the structure from being destroyed by fire, which he noticed on the roof.

Mr. Kaczor, who has been a friend and fellow post office worker of this writer for most of his career, has earned a deserving rest and has but to rearrange his daily schedule of a long period to fill his future days.  He has no immediate plans for the future but probably will resort to his old hobby of horses and also spend some time traveling.  We wish him the best of health and happiness in his retirement.