She Puts Cancel Stamp on Long Career

The conversation at the Trabuco Canyon Post Office last week never turned to the usual topics of flower gardening or new recipes. It focused on Postmaster Clara Sears--the customers’ confidante, personal adviser and friend.

Thursday was Sears’ last day on the job, ending a 24-year career that took her from distribution clerk in Costa Mesa to manager of the modern, 4,000-square-foot facility in Trabuco Canyon that is as much a community center as a post office.

For eight years here, Sears had made a special effort to learn the names of her customers and to create a homey atmosphere where people felt welcome whether they had packages to mail or not.

Flowers From Garden

The stamp counter often was lined with vases of freshly cut flowers from her garden. The walls were decorated with artwork by students from Trabuco Elementary School and framed photographs of longtime residents. Snapshots dating back to the 1920s of Trabuco landmarks such as the old one-room schoolhouse hung among faded newspaper clippings noting historical events that shaped the community.

Though she spent much of Thursday fighting back tears, Sears, 65, said she was happy about her decision to retire. This year, she plans to take a 10-week trip around the country with her husband, enroll in a flower arranging class at a community college and do volunteer work with abused children.

“My life has always been directed by God, and it’s time to move on,” she said. “I have accomplished all the goals in the Postal Service I set for myself. I have my carriers who are very professional, and I know they will do a good job.”

Sears said she made the decision to retire almost two weeks ago as she drove to work. She often used the quiet 45-minute drive from her home in Costa Mesa to think things through.

She kept her decision a secret until the last minute, but the news spread quickly among the residents of the close-knit communities in the area Thursday, and they came bearing flowers, cards and gifts. There was no time to plan a going-away party as some residents would have liked.

“When I found out today, I was devastated. She is the only one who brought this doggone community together,” said canyon resident Ivy Beardslee, 79. “I still call her postmistress. Of all of them, she has been the best.”

Last spring, residents of the surrounding communities organized a petition drive when they feared postal officials in Santa Ana were trying to force Sears into early retirement or fire her. In March, while Sears was on vacation, postal officials transferred the four mail carriers out of the Trabuco post office and assigned them to sort and deliver backcountry mail from a larger post office in San Juan Capistrano, about 20 miles away.

Officials said the move was designed to improve service. But many of the people in the five rural communities that Sears’ post office served--Trabuco, Rancho Santa Margarita, Robinson Ranch, Portola Hills and Coto de Caza--were outraged and complained that the quality of their mail service deteriorated.

Postal officials denied that there were any serious problems with delivery or that they were trying to force Sears out of her job. Two carriers later were returned, and a third has since been hired.

Despite Sears’ insistence that she made the decision on her own, some residents again talked about circulating a petition or staging a protest in the parking lot to get Sears back.

“When I heard, I called Clara and told her she couldn’t retire because we will miss her too badly. She has become a very important part of that community, and we are very sorry to see her retire,” said Joseph Breckenridge, a spokesman for the Postal Service.

Darla O’Dea, a 26-year-old delivery supervisor in the Irvine Post Office, has been named temporary postmaster in Trabuco Canyon. “It’s one of the cutest offices I’ve ever seen,” she said. “You can see the community--it shows in this post office. I will try to get more efficient customer service, but that’s about the only thing that will change.”