Meet Rick Gould

A mailman for 35 years Rick is retiring this month from his six-day tour of duty sorting and delivering the mail to 440 homes.

He got his kicks on Route 66 that includes Gregory Heights and Three Tree Point.

He also put in four years as a cook in the Navy during the Viet Nam War.

An affable guy, he sometimes finds a few moments to chat with residents along his mounted route. So last week I caught him and quizzed him for a couple of minutes.

He lives in Black Diamond so he has been commuting 23 miles each way for 33 years and figures he has driven a total of around 400,000 miles WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A FENDER BENDER.

He did have a walking route in his early days in Burien and was delivering to a tavern on Ambaum when a German police guard dog rushed out a side door and took a chunk out of his right leg.

He figures he is pretty lucky and can recount many unpleasant stories his fellow mailmen can tell.

He did break an ankle (not the one the dog bit) when he fell 10 feet off his roof doing some repair work.

He grins easily, says he has become first-name friends of many patrons, and thinks of the people he serves as his extended family.

Married for 32 years, he has two daughters and two grandsons.

His plans don't call for a rocking chair. He will try to find some part-time work closer to home.

We'll miss you, Rick.