DUNLAP, Tenn. – Joyce Berry works the phone behind a well-worn wooden desk at the post office in Dunlap, Tenn., the cramped room further crowded by two computers, several file cabinets and a large magnifying glass casting light over an array of official correspondence.
Her humble temporary quarters away from her normal office in South Pittsburg, Tenn., don’t give it away, but the plaque on the wall tells visitors that they are in the presence of the National Postmaster of the Year as recognized by the National League of Postmasters.
“I had no clue that I would be chosen,” Berry said of the award, which pitted her against postmasters from every state as well as Puerto Rico and Guam. Berry was temporarily assigned earlier this year to Dunlap instead of her normal post in South Pittsburg when the former head of the Dunlap office quit.
The achievement isn’t much of a surprise to her colleagues, however, who say they’re proud she was honored for her 29 years of exceptional service to the U.S. Postal Service.