By Jolene FarleyNyla Reker’s friendly face has been a fixture at the Beaver Creek Post Office for several years. The postal service recently recognized Reker for 25 years of service with a pin and letter of recognition. Reker began her career at the postal service in 1978. The Postmaster at the time, Merlin Wynia, hired her to work as his substitute in Beaver Creek. In addition to working in Beaver Creek, Reker substituted at other offices until she became the Steen Postmaster in 1986. In January 1989, Reker became the Beaver Creek Postmaster. Over the years, she said the most notable change in the postal service is automation. Machines, instead of people, now sort the mail. "I guess you could call it the Ben Franklin days of sorting mail one letter at a time," she said.All mail is sent to Mankato and sorted by machine and then returned to the appropriate post office for delivery. "Now instead of one letter at a time, we can have a whole tray come in delivery sequence." Reker said this saves some offices labor costs, which in turn prevents postage increases. Another change is the bar coding of all items sold in the post office. Reker scans the items and the scanner tracks sales for her. She used to keep account books by hand. Reker wouldn’t trade her job for anything. "One thing about working in a small one (post office) you get to do everything," she said. "I like the variety of being a postmaster in a small town." Although eligible in 2008, Reker doesn’t plan to retire anytime soon. "I’d be too young to retire then," she said. "I love my job."Besides Reker, there are three other employees at the Beaver Creek Post Office. Reker’s substitute, Chad Rauk, works Saturday mornings and when Reker is on vacation or attending meetings. Janet McClure is rural carrier and Burdette Braun is her substitute. Reker and her husband, Dale, live in Beaver Creek.
