Regular visitors to the local post office will miss seeing a regular face.

Charles “Chuck” Ferguson, a clerk with the U.S. Postal Service in Atmore, retired on Dec. 31, 2016, after more than 23 years in the postal business.

As a clerk, Ferguson helped customers with any outgoing mail, sort mail and sold stamps, among other duties.

He said the best part about his job were the customers.

“It’s meeting various people,” Ferguson said. “I enjoy speaking to customers up there. Ninety-nine percent of them are good people.”

Prior to working at the USPS, Ferguson spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy, specializing in radar management. He served in the Persian Gulf and late in the Vietnam War. He retired as a first class officer.

When he retired from the Navy, Ferguson said he saw there were a bunch of jobs available. He noticed there were openings with the USPS in 55 different cities.

“I never heard none of them, and didn’t hear of Mobile, really,” he said. “I came to Atmore, and it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

“It’s a great little town,” he said.

In the 23 years in the USPS, the one obvious change of the industry is the technology, Ferguson said.

“It’s automation,” he said. “We used to have to sort all the mail by hand, and now it’s done on machines. Ninety percent of them are done that way. We still have to do some by hand.”

The Champagne, Ill. native will be looking forward to his retirement because he said he’s going to travel and do some volunteer work.

“I’ve got two yards to take care of, too,” Ferguson quipped.