It was Floyd Martin's day to sleep in. He didn't.
After nearly 35 years of delivering the mail, the stroke of 5 a.m. pulled him out of bed like always. A good thing, it turned out. It was Floyd Martin's day to shine.
His heart was full when his head hit the pillow after his last day as a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier. Neighbors in his Marietta territory had decorated their mailboxes to surprise him on his last day, then hundreds gathered for a block party to celebrate his retirement.
“Continue to take care of each other,” he told the crowd, “and smile when you think of me."
A day later, it seemed the entire internet was smiling and thinking of him. “Mr. Floyd” became a trending topic after hundreds of thousands of people shared a Twitter thread telling his story.
Actor Patton Oswalt was among them:
This thread will make you SO HAPPY. SO SO HAPPY. I needed it this morning. And donate to the GoFundMe at the end (I did!) Reading the thread alone is such an endorphin rush you’ll WANT to contribute. #FloydMartin https://t.co/4rlzAlGHyY
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) May 24, 2019
As was actress Alyssa Milano:
Floyd! Congratulations!
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) May 24, 2019
This is a beautiful thread for a wonderful person. https://t.co/ckBJOrUSNn
And CNN’s Jake Tapper:
Wow this is an amazing thread https://t.co/rcDY8dhOQB
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) May 24, 2019
And NBC’s Willie Geist:
If you haven’t already, take some time with this wonderful thread. Congratulations, Floyd! @USPS https://t.co/fKQuR6pEXR
— Willie Geist (@WillieGeist) May 24, 2019
Neighbors launched a Go Fund Me campaign hoping to raise $5,000 to help Martin realize his dream of vacationing in Hawaii. It's raised more than $25,000, but Floyd can use those donations for other needs during his retirement. Delta Air Lines is taking care of the flight.
A trip to Hawaii is the perfect way to celebrate a wonderful career. We’d love to to take care of Mr. Martin’s flight. Let’s connect on the details in DM.
— Delta (@Delta) May 24, 2019
I called Floyd the day after his big sendoff to see how his first day off the clock was going.
"I haven't learned to sleep in yet," he said. "I'm still on such a high from yesterday."
Then I let him know about Delta, the celebrities tweeting about him, and a slew of reporters wanting to talk with him.
"What? Oh, my God," he said, stunned. "This is all unbelievable."
Channel 2 Action News was the first broadcaster to share Floyd's story. The AJC's corporate cousin aired a piece just hours after the Thursday night block party and followed up with a second piece about the successful Go Fund Me campaign the next day.
By Friday morning, I'd heard from journalists at CNN, Fox News, The Washington Post, NBC, ABC World News Tonight, Reuters, Inside Edition, People, Mother Jones and elsewhere, interested in pursuing stories. With his OK, I helped those who wanted to interview him get in touch. Here's the latest, from NBC's Today Show:
A beloved mail carrier, Floyd Martin was honored in an amazing send-off for his retirement this week. The residents of Marietta, Georgia threw a block party and even started a fundraiser for him. @DylanDreyerNBC is in the #OrangeRoom with more. pic.twitter.com/3oxnwGomrK
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) May 25, 2019
CNN International has shared the story and CBC/Radio-Canada is working on one as well.
Some outlets, like MSNBC and the Mel Robbins Show, pulled together quick pieces using my photos (with attribution, after requesting and receiving permission to do so, which is standard industry practice). Some, like Yahoo and The Week, posted aggregated pieces with content and photos embedded from the Twitter thread (also a common practice).
A few, like BuzzFeed News and WGCL, did their own reporting.
“I can’t believe all this is happening,” Martin said.
I can. Coverage of political rancor, international tension, natural disasters, violence and tragedy dominates just about any news cycle. People everywhere ache for a bit of good news once in a while.
"What a great thread, I was smiling all the way reading it," Freddie E. Tobar messaged from Panama.
"I'm not quite sure why but it's reduced me to some tears on my lunch break at work," Tom Adams of Northampton, about 60 miles northwest of London, told me in a message. One of his countrymen checked in say Floyd is all the talk across the pond:
Great story Jennifer. You're fully global and happily reading in London about #MrFloyd
— Richard Robinson🔥 (@LondonRobinson) May 25, 2019
Another reader posted from India:
Just shows if you do your job with love, passion and compassion, you can turn any job into the best job in the world! Floyd Martin enbodies all that you can do right in your workplace.... a true inspiration!
— Shailja (@himdaughter) May 25, 2019
Many in India need to be highlighted as well and as well as done here.. https://t.co/u5kV0toOwa
Someone posted this from the Netherlands:
From the Netherlands 2 thumbs up for a great postman and a great American town that knows how to honor this man. 👍👍
— Mani (@Manus4811) May 25, 2019
Here’s one from Canada:
Jennifer, thank you for this beautiful story, I'm in Canada and I mostly see stories in the media about all the hatred in the U.S.; it's nice to be reminded of all the love there too💖
— Cheeky🇨🇦 (@RealCheekybelle) May 25, 2019
And Australia (interesting how this and the one above use similar words to reference the type of news they’re used to reading from America):
Its so heartwarming to read this beautiful story. Sadly here in Australia the majority of stories we see are violence and hatred in America. This is beautiful and congrats on your retirement Floyd
— Brendan Cook (@xmgc_2013) May 25, 2019
And one from Belgium:
I'm from Belgium. This is so cool!!!! That is what America is really about.
— Corexit (@Corexit) May 26, 2019
And the Czech Republic:
It is. In my country, we have a similar thingy where neighbors are part of your family. This is one of the things that is missing in the Czech Republic. The day that neighborhood communities will exist, it will enrich the culture and everything will become better.
— Mohamed Sahbi (@Sahbi_Mohamed) May 25, 2019
Back home, Floyd has people crying happy tears.
I am in TEARS, I don’t even know Floyd and I love him https://t.co/Aq4Iy4ozMm
— TJ (@TaylorrrU) May 24, 2019
I’m sitting in an airport with tears streaming down my face. God Bless Floyd! I hope his retirement is everything it should be. Filled with love and blessings!! Thx for sharing!!’
— TracyFromJax 🌴✌🏼☀️🐚 (@tracyfromjax) May 24, 2019
This is truly the best thing I’ve read on the internet this week & now I’m crying. And I know exactly the tweet in the thread that will bring the tears for you too! Go Floyd. https://t.co/eDFIkBrylB
— Erin Bury (@erinbury) May 24, 2019
I’m hearing from some of my neighbors, too. Here’s a great photo of Mr. Floyd in action!
Floyd being greeted by his favorite pup pic.twitter.com/UBfqYXbKdQ
— Cole Sulmonetti (@Colemonetti) May 25, 2019
When I called Floyd the other day to see how the day was going his phone went to voicemail; I hope he was either packing for Hawaii or getting ready for another nationally televised interview.
Regardless, we'll all see him again in October. Sooner than that, probably, but he's invited to be a celebrity costume judge at Marietta's annual Halloween parade.
“I’ll be back,” he has promised his people on his route, the customers who became family. “Y’all are my life.”
Sarah Bullington organized tonight's sendoff for Floyd and invited him to be a celebrity judge at the Maple Avenue Halloween Parade this Oct. 31. If you've never been .. it's something. pic.twitter.com/27KX47Y5Vt
— Jennifer Brett (@Jennifer__Brett) May 24, 2019
Morgan Beatton and River, 18 months, waited for Mr. Floyd today. As always he had treats for their dog, Sage. He said he'll come visit and attend events like Taste of Marietta. "I'll be back," he said. "Y'all are my life."
— Jennifer Brett (@Jennifer__Brett) May 22, 2019
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