Mills retires after half a century as Hamilton mail carrier

Friday night, Nov. 30, was a gala evening for the postal employees of the Hamilton Post Office and their guests. On that night, a surprise banquet was given for Mr. Cliff Mills, a retiring rural mail carrier. Mr. Mills was seated at the head table with special guests, his daughter and her family, and was honored by a program featuring all his fellow rural carriers and Mr. Buren Hughes.
During the program, Cliff, as they called him, was ribbed by the M.C., Mr. R.E. Dyar, who good-naturedly pulled many jokes out of a large mail bag and read them all pertaining to the rural carrier’s problems. After the levity was over, and the token “joker” gifts presented, Mr. Rex Cooper, local head clerk, presented Mr. Mills with a wrist watch purchased through special arrangements with Riggan’s Jewelry by all the local employees, and Postmaster B.M. Cooper presented Mr. Mills with an award certificate from the Postmaster General.
The celebration was concluded by Mr. Buren Hughes leading the group with a hymn singing with Mr. Carmack Clark at the piano. After the meeting, Mr. Mills spoke briefly on his career. He mentioned only two things that patrons ever requested that he refused: one was a request to shoot a hawk and the other was to buy a dress for a lady on his route (number one). He said he had tried to serve all his folks as they requested including such things as buying them shoes in town, killing snakes for them and passing the time of day on the route. He ended his speech by saying that he had just put in his hardest day — his last day of service.
Enjoying the evening with Mr. Mills were his wife and daughter and children from Gadsden, Mr. and Mrs. Woody W. Harbor and two daughters and all the postal employees and wives or husbands from Hamilton Post Office.
An elder in the Hamilton Church of Christ, Mr. Mills stated that he had no definite plans for his future. He said he started as a carrier in February 1907 and served as regular carrier since 1910 except for service in World War I.
Until a regular carrier is appointed, Mr. I.R. Britnell will carry Route 1 mail here.
Editor’s note: His full name was Monroe Clifton Mills. The April 7, 1910, edition of the Marion County News reported, “Cliff Mills has been appointed to fill the vacancy in the rural mail service at Hamilton, caused by the resignation of A.G. Arnold.”