Letter carrier badge on pillbox style uniform hat used by postal worker Geraldine Letha Preston of Illinois.
The hat was part of the uniform for postal worker Geraldine Letha Preston of Illinois. She joined the Post Office Department in 1946 and served as a substitute carrier, later as a regular carrier for Rockton, IL. The pillbox hat has her carrier’s badge attached, number 3 for Rockton, IL, and is a uniform option specialized for female letter carriers.
According to the USPS Historian's report, May 2002: "A pillbox cap for women was approved in 1969 and was advertised for sale in Fechheimer's uniform catalogues from 1970 through 1979. It was listed as part of the female carrier uniform until the 1998 edition of the Employee and Labor Relations Manual. . . . As of December 1972 carriers no longer had to wear headgear, provided they were otherwise in full uniform and easily identifiable as Postal Service employees. By 1979, the WAVE-style hat was made available to female carriers" (https://about.usps.com/who/profile/history/pdf/letter-carrier-uniform-overview.pdf). Blue piping dates to the uniform regulations introduced on July 1, 1970 for postal reorganization and required by July 1, 1971.
