Hugh "Doc" Fuller once delivered baby chickens. However, the 82-year-old has never worked on a farm. The lifelong Columbia County resident delivered the chicks as a U.S. postal carrier in a formerly rural Evans.
"People back then would order baby chickens through the mail all the time," Mr. Fuller said. "A lot of times, the chickens wouldn't make it and the people wouldn't want them.
"I would end up selling them to whoever came along for 50 cents or $1."
After serving with the U.S. Army in World War II, and a stint running a service station for his brother, Mr. Fuller took a position as the postmaster general for Evans in 1949. The job was offered to him by his first cousin Jack Eubanks, who once was a political figure in the county, Mr. Fuller said.
"Back then, it was a totally political position," he said. "I told cousin Jack I didn't know anything about being a postmaster, but he wanted me to have it."
After 14 years of working seven days a week, Mr. Fuller left the position to become the Evans area's only mail carrier.
"Delivering the mail, I could be done by 1 o'clock each day and the pay wasn't that different," he said. "I didn't realize at the time just how much Evans would grow."
When Mr. Fuller started with the post office, Washington Road was the county's only paved thoroughfare, he said. As the area grew, he drove his Ford Falcon 93 miles to more than 900 mailboxes each day before his route was split between two men.
"I had to realign my brakes every two months," he said. "It couldn't take all that stopping."
Now retired, Mr. Fuller said he misses all those he came to know making his rounds.
"I knew everybody's name in Evans. I knew their children's names," he said. "I miss that part of it, talking to everyone and catching up on all the news."
Beyond the people, Mr. Fuller is also an animal lover, said his son, Tony.
"He would go out, start feeding the strays and end up bringing them home to the kids," Tony Fuller said.
"I always took dog food with me," Mr. Fuller said. "I wanted to make sure they were taken care of."
Reach Donnie Fetter at (706) 868-1222, ext. 115, or donnie.fetter@augustachronicle.com.
HUGH 'DOC' FULLER
AGE: 82
OCCUPATION: Retired U.S. Postal Service mailman
FAMILY: Wife, Edith; daughters Ginger and Cindy; sons Tony and the late George; grandchildren Gabe and Joey.
QUOTE: "Most people don't realize that Columbia County has always been growing. It's only during the last 10 or 12 years that it's had this big burst."
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