End of an era Jim McGonigle retires Friday after 24 years as postmaster in Intervale

Number of postal boxes increased from 103 to 1,500 during his tenure in three locations

After 33 years with the U.S. Postal Service, including the last 24 as the postmaster In Intervale, Jim McGonigle will retire Friday afternoon, bringing to an end a career he said he's "thoroughly enjoyed," and leaving with enough stories to make for an entertaining book. There are no plans for a book but a farewell open house in his honor is planned at the post office from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday."I can truthfully say it's been a wonderful experience," McGonigle said Thursday morning. "Every postmaster will tell you that their patrons are the best, but I can honestly say the customers of Intervale are the best, wonderful, wonderful people."The North Conway resident admits he's looking forward to retirement and already has a busy schedule planned. "Judy (his wife) and I aren't leaving the area or anything like that," he said, laughing. "The daughters live in the area and we plan on spending a lot of time with the grandchildren. Abby and Natalie each have passes to Story Land and I got some for Father's Day I think there was some hidden message there. We'll go there, ride the bamboo chutes five or six times, go to Dairy Queen for ice cream, and then take them home all sugared up."McGonigle, who served in the Marines for five years and actually received a purple heart when he was wounded in Vietnam, began his career with the post office in 1972, fresh out of the military. He was interested in moving to the Mount Washington Valley, but was living in Waltham, Mass., at the time. "There really weren't many decent paying jobs here, and there still aren't," he said, smiling. "I looked into working for the postal service and Henry Hatch told me if I wanted to work for the post office it would be a lot easier if I was to transfer up here... I took a job at the J.F.K. Station in Boston as a custodian for three months, making $3.26 an hour until a clerk position opened. I became a clerk three months later and was on my way."Working out of the old North Conway Post Office, located next to the Conway Scenic Railroad, McGonigle served as a clerk there for seven years and then it was off to Intervale where he became postmaster in the building that is now Cross Road Studio in 1979."We had 103 postal boxes, no heat and no bathroom," McGonigle said, laughing. "People, weren't lining up for the job, but I saw the potential. Skyline Drive was just starting to come into being and there was other development on the way... Those were the days. With no bathroom we had to use the facilities down at the Scenic Vista. I remember we'd leave a note on the door, back in 15 minutes."McGonigle also recalled burning the hair of his arm and eyebrows on a daily basis trying to get heat into the building. On top of that the building sat next to the railroad track, and trains ran a little more regularly back then. "The train would go by and the whole building would just vibrate," he said. "The vibration was so much it opened most of the postal boxes. So after it went by I had to go out front and close them all."In 1981 the post office moved down the road to Cannell's Country Store. "It was like moving into the Taj Mahal," McGonigle said with a big grin. "We had heat, a toilet, and more space. "In two years we went from 103 to 235 boxes. When we left Cannell's (in 1996) we were up to 580. We just kept on doubling in size."McGonigle recalls having to share the post office with a family of raccoons. "(Laughing) John (Cannell, property owner) still denies we ever had raccoons but (Conway Animal Control Officer) Betty (Holmes) found them."In 1996 McGonigle moved into the current post office, which has been set up with 1,500 postal boxes. "We planned for growth," he said, explaining that over 900 boxes are currently rented. McGonigle calls the advancements in post service technology "unbelievable," and has seen plenty of changes over the years. "We're on line now with two computers; we went from manual book-keeping to the point of sale method. When we sell a $.37 stamp they know in Washington D.C. that Intervale has just sold another stamp... There have been a lot of changes, and for the better. I think it gives us more time to wait on the customers and that's our business the US. Postal Service we're here to serve."No successor has been named, but Paul Ansaldi, who lives in Conway, will serve as the officer in charge. McGonigle would like to see Ansaldi become the postmaster in Intervale. "He enjoys the job and customer service is his first priority," he said. "It gives me a good feeling leaving the office to someone who cares."McGonigle can remember exactly what a stamp cost when he first started. "Stamps were 8 cents when we started and now they're $.37," he said. "I can give you some perspective. Heating oil was 19 cents a gallon from Lyman Oil and today it's $1.49 a gallon I still think stamps are a good deal."