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38 years and counting

New postmaster started his career as a postal assistant in 1970

Ron Booth

DUNCAN — Rodney Brooks started his career in the United States Postal Service 38 years ago in the Duncan post office. Now, he is the new postmaster in Duncan, replacing Donnie Bain, who retired after 37 years of service in May.

Brooks, who started his career as a postal assistant in 1970, two years before graduating from Empire High School, has had numerous assignments during his time in the postal service.

He and his wife, Beverly, have three children, Ryan, 32, Amanda, 29, and Hedi 24.

This will be Brooks’ third time being in charge of the Duncan office.

“Actually, this is my first stint as postmaster,” Brooks said. “I have filled in as a Detail Officer in Charge twice. Officer in Charge (OIC) is just an assignment until they fill the vacancy. They (the assignments) can last from three months to a year.”

From there he worked his way up, and served as postmaster in Comanche and Marlow.

“What is unique for me, is that I was postmaster in Comanche in 2001, and postmaster Marlow in 2002, and I was afforded the chance to be postmaster in Duncan in 2008,” Books said. “It is kind of like a circle. I started my career here, and I’ve got 30 years in, and I end up back here where I started.”

Getting help from those around him is something that Brooks said helped him in his career path.

“I was blessed with the opportunities given to me by people like Earl Byford,” he said. “M.E. Friels used to be the superintendent at Empire, and he asked me if I wanted to work at the post office. Gibb Smith, was the postmaster then, and that was back in 1970.

“They called it postal assistant, and I worked two years on that. I’ve had a lot of people help me. Donnie Bain was a great coach and mentor. Roy Burch and Earl Byford both afforded me fantastic opportunities.”

Not only have the people around him give him opportunities, but his job has as well.

“The postal service has afforded me an opportunity to meet and greet people from a diverse workforce, that maybe doesn’t have the educational background that some businesses require” Brooks said. “I wasn’t afforded the availability of college, and in the postal service I saw an opportunity, and I seized it through determination, work, honesty and integrity.”

What Brooks got from his mentors, he has passed on to other employees.

“What is interesting is that through my career I’ve had 15 people that have worked under me that have gone on to be postmasters,” Brooks said. “When I left Marlow, the guy the brought in, Johnny Watson, was a carrier for me.”

Diversity is what keeps Brooks in the postal service, he said. He has had several positions in several different areas.

“I’ve done 12 detail assignments over the last 15 years, which means I’ve been to numerous offices,” Brooks said. “I’ve worked for the district for approximately two years on what we call the ‘Breakthrough-in-Productivity Initiative.’ That is where I went to other offices and analyzed and recommended changes to implement better productivity.

“Working for the district and doing that helped me get a little change of pace. I’ve also been the OIC in Sulphur, Elk City, Westside Station in Oklahoma City, Chickasha, Bethany, Ada, Sand Spring and Duncan twice. Those would be assignments that I’d have specific assignments that I would go in and look at one specific area.”

Duncan isn’t only home to Brooks, but he likes it more than the other communities that he has been in.

“Out of all of the towns that I’ve been in as a Detail Supervisor, Duncan is one of the cleanest towns I’ve been in as a whole,” he said. “It has some of the cleanest and neat people that handle themselves professionally. We have some good people here that are down to earth.”

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