Tribute Touches Employees Across America, Focus, October 1994. United States Postal Service. Washington, DC.

Original Printed Version of This Article

When postal customer Kevin Donahoe of Metairie, LA, wanted to design a tribute to his recently deceased father who was an avid gardener and cultivator of a flower called "Four-o’clocks," the institution he turned to was the Postal Service.

Donahoe wanted to see his father’s beloved four-o’clock planted in every state in the nation and then mark their location on a map that he would give to his mother on his dad’s birthday.

"I started sending letters on May 16," Donahoe explains, "and by my dad’s birthday on July 17, I had heard from all 50 states and the District of Columbia."

"I was unprepared for the responses," Donahoe adds. "In their letters to me, postmasters and other employees began to see the seeds and flowers as a symbol of hope for a cure for cancer. Others requested additional seeds to share with family and friends and still others sent small token gifts- state pins from Anchorage, AK, Trenton, NJ, and Colorado Springs; a golden angel from Los Angeles; and first-day covers from Denver and Spokane."

Employees who received the letters were equally touched. Says Kay Hill, postmaster’s secretary in Salt Lake City, UT, "I thought it was wonderful that Kevin would want to create a tribute to his father’s memory. I was glad to help by planting the flowers in my garden."

Likewise, Peggy Morgan, secretary, and her boss, Postmaster Robert Hoffman, and other employees at the Tuscaloosa Post Office were happy to help Donahoe reach his goal "We were touched by what he was trying to do. I cried when we got his letter and the seeds," Morgan says, adding that she, Hoffman, and others in the office divided the seeds up, took them home and planted them.

Adds Metairie, LA, Postmaster Jimmie D. Gordon, "I was pleased to learn of the employee response across the country to Kevin’s efforts. Of course, we have planted four-o’clocks at our post office, too." Employees who want to carry on Donahoe’s tribute and plant a symbol of hope for a cancer cure can enclose a self-addressed envelope along with their request.