AMF Midway Postal Retirement Organization archives

Historical note

The members of the AMF Midway Postal Retirement Organization included the first African Americans allowed to work at Midway Airport’s AMF postal facility. They worked on trains, distributing mail throughout the Midwest. The AMF Midway Postal Retirement Organization was officially chartered in 1991 to document the history of African Americans who worked in the AMF Midway mailroom.

AMF Midway Organization’s first unofficial meeting was held at Burger King on April 29, 1989, though there had been discussion about starting the group for about ten years before that meeting. Marion Byrd and James Knox originally organized the meeting as a social gathering. During the organization’s early meetings Marion Byrd was the Acting President and James Knox was the Acting Secretary.

Eventually, Edgar Martine secured permission for the club to meet at Foster Park Fieldhouse on a permanent basis. The first meeting at the Fieldhouse was held March 23, 1991, and it was at this meeting that Club Officers were elected and a formal name was chosen for the group. The organization elected its founding members as the first Club Officers, Marion Byrd as President and James Knox as Secretary. The name of the organization was chosen by using the official title of the Midway Airport Mailroom, “AMF Midway (PTS),” where PTS refers to Postal Transportation System; the Organization dropped (PTS) from the name at some point in its early years. The organization was chartered by the state of Illinois on March 29, 1991. Edward Jackson established the group’s newsletter and the first issue was published September 1991. Jackson also created the newsletter’s airplane logo, as well as the birthday and anniversary column that became a staple in the newsletters. In April 1993, the club registered as an Illinois charitable organization. The organization’s bylaws were written in 1993, and stated that all former mail clerks who were employed at any time at AMF Midway were eligible for membership.

AMF Midway Retirement Organization had an active social committee that planned fundraisers for both themselves and other local groups. The club’s first fundraiser on May 23, 1992, was a raffle drawing with twenty-eight members in attendance. The organization also planned social gatherings for members and their families. The first party they hosted was a dinner dance at the Martinique Restaurant, held on November 4, 1992. The organization also made monetary donations to support local athletics; for example, one donation was given to the Foster Park Small Fry Basketball team to help with team expenses.