First Iowa City female mail carrier delivers for the last time

It was over 37 years ago when Kathy Cariens broke into a male dominated field.

Originally a clerk at the post office in Iowa City, Cariens became the city's first female mail carrier in December 1972 after the office hit a shortage.

But Cariens, 61, who is retiring after her final route today, never thought her role was anything noteworthy.

“It was just my job,” she said. “I really enjoyed being outside instead of in an office.”

Though people initially questioned what to call her - since the term mailman didn't quite fit - she told people, “just call me Kathy.”

While Cariens said she didn't experience any sexism on the job, she said she wanted to show she could overcome the routine challenges of lifting heavy packages and battling treacherous weather.

“I just felt I had to prove I could do the job,” she said. “But that's just me.”

And with a few painful dog bites behind her, Cariens said her days carrying mail were rewarding because she always met interesting people and had new adventures.

“You're your own boss out there on the road,” she said.

But in her roughly 4 decades on the job, Cariens said she felt the brunt of the changing industry - both physically and emotionally.

“After a while it seems like all you do is work. It gets old,” she said, referring to picking up many overtime hours after the post office's hiring freeze due to budget cuts.

Not to mention, having to haul around bulky catalogs and heaps of advertisements that Cariens said seemed to multiple each year.

After sometimes working up to 60-hour work weeks, Cariens said she is ready to reflect and relax.

“I've always tried to do the best job I can,” she said. “But when people tell you how much they appreciate what I've done, it means a lot.”

Cariens said she is looking forward spending time baby-sitting her six grandchildren, traveling and going cross country skiing with her husband Ken - also a retired postal mail carrier.

Though her family will see more of her, she certainly will be missed on the job.

“She's just great,” said Swen Arwine, who has been a window clerk at the post office in Iowa City for eighteen-years. “She can case mail faster than anyone. There are not too many young people who can even do what she can.”

Cindy Lippold-Owen, a longtime mail carrier in Coralville, said Cariens has been an inspiration to her, noting she thinks Cariens opened a door for women and proved the job was no longer just for men.

“In a pinch, she's always there,” she said. “If I'm anywhere near where she is, I know I've been successful. She's the one I want to aim for.”