Sunday, May 1, 2016

Career Certificates for Jerry Eneau Modrell

You hear over and over how you should start your genealogy research by looking through documents and photos in your own home.  I didn’t believe I had any documents, however, while looking through some plastic totes that were packed many years ago, I came across documents I didn’t know I had.  Imagine that, all those “seasoned genealogists” knew what they were talking about.  Who knew?

Jerry Eneau Modrell worked for the United States Post Office from the mid 1950’s until he retired in 1986.  In 1973, he transferred from downtown Kansas City to Topeka, Kansas.  We didn’t like living in Topeka, however, dad finished his career and retired from Topeka.

Dad spoke very highly of his secretary and always said he could not do his job without her.  Her name was Linda (if I remember correctly).  Linda is the reason I wanted to become a secretary.  I always wanted to be as important to my boss as she was to hers.

Dad worked at the postal facility located across from Forbes Field in Topeka at the Postal Supply Warehouse.  He bought and sold mail truck parts across the country.  He would come home from work in the winter and say, “I spoke to so and so in Florida today and it was sunny and 75 degrees”, while we were knee deep in snow and below freezing temperatures.  In the middle of summer he would come home and say, “I spoke to so and so in Florida today and it was sunny and 80 degrees”, while we were suffering from upper 90 degree temperatures with 100% humidity.  I always thought he would move to Florida upon retirement, but chose southern Texas instead.

Dad had to be “on call” sometimes (several of the managers rotated that duty) and I can remember him getting up in the middle of the night to make phone calls.  We only had one phone and it was located in the living room which was next to my bedroom.  He had this square device that he would hold up to the talking end of the phone and push buttons (it had a telephone key pad on it).  Magically, he was connected to the phone at his work where he could then call anywhere in the country and the long distance charges would not be charged to our home phone (yes – people actually paid money to talk long distance).  He would discuss parts needed immediately to repair mail trucks that were not running.  He would leave for the office, get those parts ready to ship and take them to the mail sorting facility in north Topeka where they would be mailed overnight.  Then he would come home and still manage to get up in time to be at work at 7:30am and make it through the day.  Thankfully, that didn’t happen very often.  As I get older, I don’t know how he managed to do it.

I have attached the Certificates he received for classes he attended while working at the Post Office.

© 2016, copyright by Janice Penry.  All rights reserved.

Labor-Management Development
March 22, 1966
Rapid Reading
January 18, 1968


Leadership Development
April 4, 1967
Human Relations, Supervision
January 15, 1970




Pre-Supervisory Development
June 3, 1965