Post Office Losing Most Senior Worker

For 30 years, Paul Licker has assisted customers from his space behind the counter at the Simi Valley post office.

When he retires at the end of July, the city will lose the most veteran of its 116 postal employees.

“He’s always been great,” said customer Ali Sehhat, who visited the Galena Avenue post office Thursday. “Whenever I come in, he’s always been helpful. I just can’t believe he’s leaving.”

Licker, who turns 70 next month, has been eligible for retirement since 1989, but his family encouraged him to stay on the job.

“They talked me out of [retirement] because they said I’d go crazy,” he said.

In the end, Licker’s desire to help his family won out. The day after he retires, he will begin serving as “assistant nanny” to his wife, Edie, as they care for their 16-month-old granddaughter when their daughter goes back to work.

“I gave myself a good excuse to pull the plug,” Licker said. “Nobody I know has worked forever, and nobody I know has lived forever.”

Licker is an important person both to his customers and fellow workers, said Russ Adams, Simi Valley’s postmaster.

“Paul’s an icon,” Adams said. “He brings stability. He’s an employee you know is going to be there every day.”

Licker grew up in the Bronx and worked as a shoe salesman until he and his wife moved to Southern California in 1962. The following year, he joined what was then the U.S. Post Office.

He moved to Simi Valley in 1969, back in the days of butcher-type weight scales and wooden cash drawers.

“When I started we had no computers,” Licker said. “We had hand-cranked calculators.”

Licker’s cheeriness carries through his entire day, Adams said.

“I’ve never seen Paul walk through that back door without a smile,” he said.

Sometimes work can be mentally and physically tiring, but the end of the day brings renewed vigor, Licker said.

“When I see 5:30 on the clock, man, I’m waking up,” he said.

After Licker has canceled his last stamp and weighed his last package, he will remember his years with the Postal Service fondly.

“I guess I’ve been lucky to have the kind of career that I’ve had,” he said.

“I’ve been very lucky to have been able to put in all these years in a pleasant atmosphere. These people have made me feel very good, very young.”