The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Photograph courtesy of Ron Golick

Murphy Avenue looked different back when Golick delivered the mail.

Bill Golick, city's first mailman, dies at 86

By Katherine Petersen

Ron Golick and his sister Gayle had a hard time getting to the county fair because their father had to stop and chat with everyone along the way. Bill Golick, Sunnyvale's first letter carrier, knew just about everyone in town.

"You couldn't go anywhere without him talking with people, and sometimes he didn't even know them," Ron said.

Golick, who began delivering Sunnyvale's mail on Oct. 1, 1929, at age 18, died as the result of a head injury at his Los Altos home on Sept. 15. Golick, who was 86, fell from a ladder while trying to trim branches on a tree in his back yard.

"He died in his garden doing what he loved," Ron said. "He said many a time to my sister and me, 'You'll find me in my garden.' He was pretty robust and healthy. He liked doing things himself and wouldn't accept any limitations."

Golick continued his mail-carrying career as the first person to deliver to the surrounding farming community, and he participated in the first air-mail flights from Moffett Field.

Ron has childhood memories of riding in his father's 1935 Ford sedan through dusty dirt roads while placing bulk and unaddressed mail in each rural mailbox.

Back then, stamps for letters cost 2 cents each; mailing a postcard cost a penny. Golick delivered mail twice a day during the week and once on Saturdays. He received $90 a month when he started as a mail carrier. When he left the U.S. Postal Service in 1945, Golick made $175 a month, daughter Gayle Traut said.

Golick then worked as an insurance salesman for Metropolitan Life for 50 years, serving as Met Life Cupertino District Fellowship Chairman for more than 10 years.

The Sunnyvale Historical Society's museum features a display depicting Golick's postal career.

For many of his 16 years as a mailman, Golick didn't deliver his letters alone. Eno, a German shepherd mix, would meet him every morning and accompany him on his route, Traut said.

"He would worry terribly if Eno didn't show up," she said. "He was a big animal lover."

Golick would play "a special game of catch" throwing two tennis balls to Traut's dog, Chancy, during weekly Saturday visits, and then he would slip Chancy extra dog biscuits on the sly as a reward, Traut said.

Traut and her father had a close relationship. Each Saturday the two talked about the events of the week over cups of coffee, and her father taught Traut to ride horses and swim as a child.

"When I was little, he used to hang me off his arms and I'd swing," she said. "Or I'd stand on his hands above his head, which scared my mother half to death. He was wonderful with my two girls, too."

Golick, who loved to dance and party, met his wife, Ruth, at a dinner dance. Ruth waitressed his table during the meal, and he made a beeline for her as soon as she walked onto the dance floor, Ron said. The two celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary this year.

Golick joined almost any club that took members, although he had his favorites including Lions, Elks and SIRS, Traut said.

"He was very gregarious and loved spending time with people," she said.

Golick was assistant chairman of the American National Red Cross during World War II and was honored with a Meritorious Award in 1945 in recognition of his dedication.

Never too busy to take on something else, Golick also became an auxiliary policeman and block and air-raid warden.

Golick received the Outstanding Veterans Award in 1977 from the San Francisco chapter of the Metropolitan Life Veterans Association and again during each of the next 15 years.

Donations in Mr. William A. Golick's name may be made to the American Heart Association.

Golick is survived by his wife, Ruth, of Los Altos; son Ron of San Jose; daughter Gayle Traut of San Jose; grandchildren Christine Sanders of Bakersfield, Lorrie Stilts of Sunnyvale and Ashley Golick of San Luis Obispo; and great grandson Daniel Stilts.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, October 1, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.