Cecil Spain, with his wife Clara, was Zeigler's First
Postman (badge # 1) at Zeigler's Zip Code Day in front of the Post
Office he worked at many years.
A special brick recognizing Cecil is
located in front of the Library.
Cecil Elijah Spain.
Mr. Spain was born January 7, 1904 in Absher, Ill. to Winfield Scott and Mary (Fiveash) Spain. When he was a year old, his family moved to Marion where he lived until the year 1924.
Mr. Spain was a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service for the city of Marion from 1917 to 1924. He joined the National Association of Letter Carriers in 1920, then moved to Zeigler in 1925 and became the town's first mail carrier from February 1, 1926 until his retirement on July 31, 1964. He was known as the "whistling mailman' for the tunes that preceded him along his route.
When Cecil moved to Zeigler he married his childhood sweetheart, Miss Clara D. Simpson on September 19, 1926 in Granite City.
Cecil was a member of the Presbyterian Church since 1917 and attended the First Baptist Church in Zeigler. He was a member and Past Patron of the Zeigler Easter Star 841 and Past Master of Zeigler Lodge AF&AM 1048 and received his 32nd degree Scottish Rite in the Masons in 1958. He was an over 50-year member in both organizations and a member of the East St. Louis Ainad Masonic Shrine.
Mr. Spain was a member of the former Zeigler Rotary Club for 50 years, serving as president twice and secretary for 11 years. He received the Paul Harris Rotary Award on July 5, 1990. The Harris award is the highest honor in Rotary International and Cecil was the first person from Franklin County to receive it.
He served as Finance Commissioner for the city of Zeigler from 1967 till 1971 and was the past president of the Zeigler Improvement Incorporated.
Cecil Spain passed away on March 31, 2001.
Other Links About Mr. Spain
