Willow Glen Resident
News
Super sorter was never out of sorts
By Alicia Upano
No boss could ask for a better employee than Carol Darwin. She is the Cal Ripken Jr. of her league.
Like the baseball legend who holds the career record for consecutive games played at 2,632, Darwin has her own record that will probably never be broken. In her 41 years with the U.S. Postal Service, Darwin did not miss a single day of work and racked up 4,244 hours of sick time. She can't add to those amazing numbers because March 30 was her last day on the job.
Over the years Darwin not only worked at her job, but gave her time willingly to co-workers recovering from surgery and chronic illness. She often brought in organic produce from her Willow Glen garden to share and was equally generous with her time.
Darwin worked at the U.S. Postal Service's San Jose plant and distribution center sorting letters from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. She worked a swing shift most of her years on the job.
Darwin's punctuality at work stems back to her youth. She didn't miss a day of high school or college, either.
Darwin, 89, grew up on a farm in North Carolina and began working for a Greek family, where she met her husband, Paul. The couple ventured out to California shortly after their marriage.
"We came here for our honeymoon and decided not to go back," she says.
The family owned and operated a restaurant for 12 years, but her daughter, Cleo Constantine, inspired Darwin to go back to school after Constantine graduated with a bachelor's degree from San Jose State University.
Constantine began teaching, and Darwin decided to attended SJSU to become a teacher. Darwin graduated in the mid-1960s but discovered teaching was not her calling, Constantine says. Instead, her mother began working at the post office on Meridian Avenue before transferring to the San Jose plant and distribution center on Lundy Avenue.
At the Lundy site, Darwin sorted, rerouted misplaced mail and repaired envelopes. Darwin enjoyed her night shift because she was able to work in her garden during the daytime.
Working and gardening were in her mother's blood, says Constantine.
"Carol is a very, very hard worker," says Evelyn Quaile, supervisor of distribution operations. "She was one of the few that was always here."
In addition to working regular hours, Darwin frequently requested overtime, Quaile says. Even when she stopped driving, Darwin patiently waited for OUTREACH, the county transportation program, to pick her up at 5 a.m.
The secret to Darwin's accomplishment of never missing a day of work may lie in her garden.
"My friends think it's the produce I grow," she says.
She bought her Willow Glen home for its deep lot that allowed her to flex her green thumb. Fruit trees dot the back yard, and blackberry vines grow on the fences. She has an arbor for grapes and beds for her vegetables. She once had beehives, too, and collected honey at home.
For years, Darwin has juiced her wild concord grapes. Today, scientific data proves that they're chock-full of antioxidants that reduce premature aging, Constantine says.
Her plans after a lifetime of work? "Just taking it easy," says Darwin.
Darwin doesn't really plan to sit still. She attends gardening classes at the Willows Senior Center and looks forward to pampering her garden this summer.
Even during retirement, Quaile knows that Darwin will look for ways to keep busy. Before she left the post office, she asked Quaile to be a reference if she opted to go back to work in her 90s. Of course, Quaile said yes.
