MURFREESBORO – Lewis Pearce knows exactly what the saying, &uot;Rain, sleet, shine or snow, the U.S. mail must always go,&uot; means because he has been delivering mail to residents of Murfreesboro for the past 33 years.

Pearce began his career with the United States Postal Service as a senior in high school after the school’s DECA program coordinator received a phone call from the then postmaster William Whitley, offering students the opportunity to work there in fulfillment of the program which required students to maintain part-time employment.

&uot;This past December marked my 33-year anniversary,&uot; said Pearce with a smile as he recalled how it all began. &uot;It all began with a simple phone call, I went for an interview and I was later hired by Mr. Whitley. That was December 12, 1970 and I have been working here ever since.&uot;

Following his high school graduation, Pearce briefly attended Chowan College where he studied graphics communication and continued to maintain his part-time position with the Murfreesboro post office for the next 14 years before he became a full-time employee in 1984.

&uot;I love my job,&uot; said the Murfreesboro native who confessed a passion for being outdoors. &uot;I walk 13 miles each day in a route which covers over 800 possible deliveries and know just about everybody in this town and they know me,&uot; he said with a laugh.

In response to a question regarding the delay of postal deliveries due to inclement weather he stated, &uot;In my 33-year career as a civil servant there have only been two times where the post office was inoperable, the recent ice storm we had a few months ago and during a storm in 1980 when the area was hit with nearly two feet of snow.&uot;

He explained that although he had braved the elements on both occasions, in keeping with postal tradition to get the mail out despite the challenges of Mother Nature, he arrived only to find that the trucks were not able to accomplish the task due to the extreme poor conditions of area roads.

&uot;I showed up both times, but it just wasn’t going to happen,&uot; he said.

Pearce is looking at retiring from his position in December of 2007 and is looking forward to having some free time on his hands to catch up on some overdue yard work and much desired hunting and fishing.

&uot;The postal service has been mighty good to me. It’s been a good job and I have an opportunity to work with good employees here,&uot; he said.

&uot;Everybody who knows me tells me that I’ll be so bored when I retire, but I just want an opportunity for once in my life to know what that’s like,&uot; he said with a chuckle. &uot;I think a good six months of being bored will be really nice.&uot;

Pearce recounted a past hunting trip he had taken to South America. &uot;Our group would hunt quail and such and whatever we would kill, we would donate to the local schools to be used as food,&uot; he said. &uot;It was a really great feeling.&uot;

Murfreesboro Post Office’s Officer in Charge Ann Bennett applauded Pearce’s efficiency and counted him an asset to the community saying, &uot;Lewis is a very dependable carrier,&uot; He has been doing this a long time and he knows the people in his route. The town is very lucky to have him.&uot;

Pearce is also an active member of the American George Mason Lodge # 17 where he served as Past master for three years and the Roanoke-Chowan Shrine Club where he was past President in 1991.