New postmaster arrives in town
Having started his postal service career here almost 30 years ago, Carl Tucker returned to town earlier this month as postmaster of McMinnville Post Office.
A Vietnam veteran with a degree in accounting from MTSU, Tucker’s career with the postal service has spanned 29 years. During this time, he has worked in 50 post offices across Tennessee and North Georgia. Most recently he served as postmaster in Fayetteville, a position he held for the past 10 years.
Seeking a change, he said when the McMinnville postmaster position became available, he jumped at the opportunity. In addition to being a one-step promotion, McMinnville is a shorter commute from his home, located between Manchester and Tullahoma. Also contributing to his decision, is he always heard McMinnville to be a good community with good people – things which he has already found to be true.
Asked what, if any, changes he planned on instituting at the post office, he said none are presently in the works, save for the continual effort to improve service.
“The plan is just to ride along for awhile and see how things work here before making any changes,” Tucker said. “I’ve worked in 50 post offices and I can truly say this one gives good quality service. It’s far better than the average.”
Though he could retire from the postal service in December of this year, Tucker said he has no desire to do so, and wishes to remain on the job here for years to come.
“I plan on staying awhile. I started my career here when Deimer [Smartt] gave me the postal service exam and, in eight or 10 years, I’ll probably end it here too,” he said.
In addition to his postal duties, Tucker also serves as pastor of First Baptist Church in Lynchburg. He and his wife, Dorothy, have two children, Stacy, a student at MTSU, and Carl, an eighth-grader at Coffee County Junior High School.