President Dean King

President Dean King

If there would be one carrier designated as a favorite son in our organization, it would be Dean King. Dean and I share a special date. He became President of the National Rural Letter Carriers Association the same year I became a full time rural carrier. Today I had a chance to spend time visiting with him about his career as a national officer and as a rural carrier.

Dean King was 22 years old the summer of 1946. He had just served two years with the Navy Air Corp. Jobs were scarce then with so many service members returning from the war. He decided to pursue an education. He came home to Clay Center Kansas and enrolled at Kansas State University.

This was a time when rural carrier positions were more or less a political appointment. Dean had never voted, but his father was a registered Democrat. Truman was president and the position of rural carrier in Clay County was to be filled by a person from that party. Then, as now, veterans often fill rural carrier jobs. Dean heard about the carrier position and took the test, which was a requirement along with the proper party affiliation. Unknown to Dean, however, there were political shenanigans going on. Someone else wanted the position only he was a Republican. It seemed everyone but that person failed the first test session. Many thought this was a bit odd. Dean did pass the test the second time and much to the disgust of the opponent, received the appointment.

Dean King’s first day as a rural carrier was June 1, 1948. His salary was $3,000 plus mileage. Postage was 3 cents. From the first, he was active in the rural carrier organization and soon started filling positions in the county and district. Also during that time he married and had a family. With that came school activities and summer baseball. Dean still participated in rural carrier meetings and in 1960 he was approached to run for a state office. He agreed and that year he was elected state vice president and in 1964 KRLCA president.

In 1970 his family was grown and he finally consented to put his name on the ballot for a National office. He laughed as he told me about that national convention in Kentucky. "It was hot but my backers hit the state running. Whereas the caucuses are combined now, back then each state had their own. First a “roadrunner” would go in and prepare. Then his group would make their pitch. That was close to 50 times."

They did something right because he was elected on the third ballot as national treasurer. He served that position until 1973 when he was elected national committeeman. This was a busy time for Dean as he served the Western and Southern United States and processed 60-70 grievances a month.

In 1977 he ran and won the vice president position. He and his wife then moved to Washington DC. He told of their move and the mechanical failure. “We had all our possessions in a trailer behind our truck and had a breakdown in Ohio on a busy thoroughfare. No one would stop and my wife was getting more upset by the minute. I suggested we put our rocking chair on top and maybe someone would take pity thinking we are the Beverly Hillbillies.” Dean said she did not laugh.

In 1978 in Biloxi, Mississippi, he was elected President of the National Rural Letter Carrier Association. I asked what he felt was the most important accomplishment of his tenure. Without hesitation, he stated it was the implication of the L Route. This designation made rural carriers competitive with the city carriers for urban routes. Postmaster General Bolger mandated something be done and Dean Smith accomplished the challenge. It was because of his innovative thinking that the rural carrier craft has grown from roughly 60,000 members to 100,000.

His memories of living in the Capitol are of hard work and visiting National sites. He did remember he was at the exact spot just a day before then President Reagan was shot. He indicated it was a sobering moment.

Following his national presidency, it was back Clay Center Kansas and a rural route.

Thank you Dean King. You are an example of how a letter carrier from a small town in rural Kansas achieved national success.