St. Pete is celebrated for its fabulous weather, beautiful vistas, world-class food scene, and thriving cultural atmosphere—but the people of St. Pete truly make this city something special. In appreciation, each month Green Bench Monthly shines a light on one of the many people that makes St. Pete unique.
This month we’re turning our attention to Kenny Larson. Kenny is not a complete stranger to the spotlight. He’s done a bit of modeling over the years and was also an All American long jumper for his alma mater, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Still competing, he’s currently training for a Masters’ Meet in January. The 40-year-old’s goal is to hit a long-jump of 19 feet 3 ¼ inches down from his college best of 24 feet, but impressive nonetheless! As notable as all that is, it’s Kenny’s eleven years as a local United States Postal Service mail carrier that brought him to our attention.
“Waitin’ For the Postman”
Originally from Texas, Kenny’s family lived for a time in Tennessee before relocating to Wisconsin. After earning a degree in Sports Management, a job interview brought Kenny to St. Pete in 2001. Although the new job didn’t pan out, it did help him decide to make Tampa Bay his home. He quickly arranged a job transfer and for the next six years worked in sales for Coca Cola. To him, it was a good job but never felt like a perfect fit. So when the opportunity to join the USPS arose, he grabbed it. Carrying mail may have not been his original plan, but it turned out to be the career he was waiting for.
“Please Mr. Postman”
Why is it such a perfect fit? He’s outside instead of being stuck in a cubicle. He’s active instead of being tied to a desk. And most importantly, he’s part of his community. He says the “best thing” about the job are the relationships he builds with those on his route. Recently reassigned from Magnolia Heights to a route including Granada Terrace and the Old Northeast, he says the hardest part of this move was saying goodbye to the old neighborhood!
Kenny is also a bit of a hero. Not once, but TWICE, Kenny spotted (or smelled) something suspicious and called the fire department. In one case, he alerted an unsuspecting tenant so they could safely evacuate! But my favorite story about Kenny’s years as a mail carrier is a love story.
“Signed Sealed Delivered, I’m Yours”
Kenny was substituting for another carrier on an unfamiliar route when he entered a condo lobby to deliver mail. Thirty seconds later he was out the door, unlikely to deliver at that address again. But, unbeknownst to him, a beautiful woman he had noticed at the top of the lobby stairs, Heather, had also noticed him! She had been on her way out for a run, but something made her take the initiative and say hello. They talked for a few minutes and he shared his phone number. He then continued his route and she continued on her run, but that wasn’t the end of the story. She called, and, as they say, the rest is history. In October of 2013, they wed and two years later received their own special delivery. Now Kenny, Heather, and their adorable three-year-old daughter, Teagan, are living happily-ever-after in their Euclid-St. Paul home.
