When he was officially sworn in as San Jose’s 28th executive postmaster Wednesday, Rick Keppeler was not only reaching a milestone in his career with the U.S. Postal Service, he was also fulfilling a dream of his mother’s.
An immigrant from South Korea, she wanted nothing more than to work for the post office when she came to the United States but never really got that opportunity, Keppeler told the audience gathered at the Janet Gray Hayes Rotunda at San Jose City Hall.
Rick Keppeler, left, is sworn in by Aron Jones, U.S. Postal Service district manager for Santa Ana, as the 28th Executive Postmaster of San Jose on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024 at San Jose City Hall. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
When the Monterey Peninsula native finished his service as an MP with the U.S. Army, he was hoping to get a job as a police officer. But his mom had a different idea.
“She kept telling me, go apply at the post office,” he said, adding that he just made the deadline for his veteran’s status to help him get the job. He started his career as a letter carrier in San Jose in 1994 and 30 years later has ascended to the Postal Service’s top position in the city. “I want to thank my mom for bugging me to go down there and get a job.”
Keppeler was sworn in by Aron Jones, who served as San Jose’s postmaster for nine years before being promoted to district manager of the Santa Ana region. Jones expressed his deep appreciation for San Jose while passing the baton on to his successor.
“My heart is very much in this city. It’s hard to move on from this job,” Jones said. “What San Jose will continue to have is a leader, not a boss. A leader cares about you, a boss only cares about himself.”
Keppeler said that while some people might question a three-decade career with the Postal Service — especially when emails and texts dominate personal communications — he never has and sees his work with the Postal Service almost as a continuation of his military service.
“I wanted to do something with my life, something positive for the community,” he said to the rotunda audience, which included his mom, his stepdad, his wife and two of his three children. “I gravitated to those kinds of jobs where I can lay my head at night knowing I did something productive to help the community and continue to be of service.”
SWEET READING: The San Jose Woman’s Club is kicking off its 130th anniversary celebration Sunday with a free event that should satisfy your sweet tooth as well as your literary curiosity. “Chill Out & Read” will feature more than two dozen authors talking about their books from 1 to 5 p.m. That takes care of the “Read” part, and the “Chill Out” part is covered by the Marianne’s Ice Cream everyone will be enjoying.
The authors — including Ricardo Cortez, Elizabeth Kile, Ken Yeager and Cassie Kifer — will be divided into panels based on topics like children’s books, politics and San Jose history. It all happens in the Woman’s Club’s historic ballroom at 75 S. 11th St., a California landmark that itself dates to 1929. Get more information at sjwomansclub.org.
CHEERS: Speaking of cool events, Broadway San Jose opened the musical version of “Disney’s Frozen” this week at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. And while it’s the last show before the 2024-25 season starts, it’s also the last production for Sally Souders, who is retiring after 10 years of being manager of Broadway San Jose’s President’s Club.
Her decade of taking care of those high-level subscribers — and being their tour guide on an annual trip to Broadway in New York City — made her a real audience favorite, no matter what show was on the stage.
