PHOTO BY DAVID LOWE Rosa Gonzales, new Kempner postmaster, helps a customer during her first week on the job. Rosa Gonzales' 27-year career with the U.S. Postal Service has taken her all across Texas.

Her new role as Kempner postmaster allows her to come home.

After a year and a half as postmaster in Copperas Cove, Ms. Gonzales recently began her duties in Kempner, where she built a house about eight months ago.

"I like the homey, down-to-earth community, and I guess that's more or less what drew me here," Ms. Gonzales said.

Her postal career began in 1982, when Ms. Gonzales took a job in McKinney as a rural carrier associate. After 10 years, she became postmaster in Lavon, near the Dallas suburb of Rockwall. She also served as postmaster in Leonard, Troy, Salado, Gatesville and Bonham.

Since she joined the Postal Service, the Internet has expanded the options USPS offers its customers, she said. Carrier pickup, for example, allows customers to submit an online request for a carrier to pick up a package when delivering mail. This feature saves residents gas money and keeps them from having to take time away from work to drop off a package at a post office, Ms. Gonzales said.

Rising gas prices have become a concern for the Postal Service and its customers, the postmaster added, as the 3 million-vehicle USPS fleet uses an extra $9 million per day for every one-cent increase in the price of gasoline.

"That's why we understand the customer's need to save gas," Ms. Gonzales said. "If we can pick [a package] up on our way around, it's going to save them gas."

Along with arranging carrier pickups online, clients also can print their own postage and order stamps.

As she adjusts to the new post, Ms. Gonzales said she hopes to explain to Kempner-area residents the options they have with the Postal Service. "I want to be able to educate people, because so much has changed," the postmaster said.

Ms. Gonzales expects to enjoy a more even pace of work compared to her role in Copperas Cove. With fewer customers, she hopes to provide more personalized service and learn community members' needs.

"I just want to get to know the community," Ms. Gonzales said. "I understand it's been a great office, and I want to maintain those high standards."