Connolly retires after 25 years as Mundelein postmaster

A ruby ring encrusted with diamonds was an unexpected, breathtaking surprise going-away gift for Mary Connolly as she faced about 100 well wishers Friday morning.

But framed photos of staff at the Mundelein and Vernon Hills post offices, sandwiching an image of Connolly with her father as she was sworn in as the local postmaster in 1987, was the real treasure, she said.

“I love the idea I can look at my employees,” Connolly said as a celebration of her 40 years with the U.S. Postal Service wound down in the back of the Mundelein post office, where mail is readied for delivery.

The sentiment appeared mutual. Voices cracked and eyes dampened as friends, family, and co-workers — many of whom Connolly mentored and promoted through the years — gathered to say goodbye.

Connolly, 57, was known for instilling a sense of customer service and letting everyone know they played an important role. She showed care for employees in various ways, supporters said, such as making breakfast or handing out gift cards for Christmas and awarding prizes for being accident free or not using sick leave.

“We never had many grievances in all my years. You weren’t there to fight with us,” said Virginia White, union steward for the American Postal Workers Union, herself a 32-year veteran who has worked with Connolly for her entire tenure in Mundelein.

“You have the best, most compassion I’ve ever seen in a person. You bent over backward to help us — all of us,” White said.

Connolly, a River Grove native who lives in Arlington Heights, was a student at Triton College when her mother, a postal supervisor, urged her to apply. She became a part-time worker in 1972, then a management trainee and acting postmaster in Genoa before landing in Mundelein in 1985 as superintendent of postal operations.

“I’ve always, always felt this was my home. I never wanted to leave,” she said.

Since 1987, Connolly basically has served as general manager of the facilities (the Vernon Hills branch opened in 1995) overseeing about 90 employees, the equipment, building and operations.

Together, the two offices send about 750,000 pieces of mail out the door each week. The Mundelein post office had been part of the Northern Illinois district until about a year ago when it was merged with much of Wisconsin to become the Lakeland district.

“Mundelein was one of the larger offices I had in the Northern Illinois District but the least worries,” of about 60 post offices, said Judy Carlson, who retired about a year ago as manager of post office operations for the Northern Illinois district.

While there are many measures to gauge a particular post office, Mundelein/Vernon Hills has remained a leader in customer service, according to Sean Hargadon, a U.S. Postal Service spokesman.

Described as dedicated and determined, Connolly doesn’t shirk from the nickname “queen” by which she is sometimes known. A shirt hanging on the wall among others honoring her service has a crown depicted on one sleeve.

“It’s a nice way of saying I’m the boss,” she said.

She admitted to being demanding for a reason.

“I wanted us to be the best. If there was an issue, let’s fix it, let’s not complain to complain,” she told well wishers.

The postal service has been weathering its own storms in recent years, with volume dropping amid more competition. Two weeks ago, it announced a modified plan to consolidate processing operations this summer, which will cut the workforce by 13,000 and save $1.2 billion per year.

Connolly acknowledged significant changes during her tenure, particularly in automation, but thinks there remains a place for personal service.

“I’d like to think we’ll still be around for a long time,” she said. “People I talk to love their letter carriers. They trust the postal service.”