UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Mike Herr, known to Penn Staters and the State College community as “Mike the Mailman,” will receive the 2023 Lion’s Paw Medal during the society’s 2023 Convocation Ceremony. The ceremony will take place over Blue-White Weekend, on April 15, 2023.
Lion’s Paw is an honor society that seeks to promote the welfare and perpetuate the traditions of Penn State. Since 1965, the society has awarded its Lion’s Paw Medal annually to recognize individuals who have gone above and beyond in terms of their service to Penn State.
“The Lion’s Paw Medal stands alone in the awards given in the Penn State community as it is the sole award intended to recognize an individual’s service, above and beyond the norm, to the University and its students,” said Rebecca Friese, class of 1993, communications, chair of the Lion’s Paw Medal Committee.
Herr managed the University Park Post Office for 40 years following eight years of prior service in the downtown State College Post Office. Lion’s Paw named Herr the 2023 recipient of the medal due to his continued commitment to the Penn State community and consistently demonstrating the values of Lion’s Paw through his lifetime of work dedicated to supporting all that is Penn State, through daily acts of humility, kindness and service.
“The intent of the Lion’s Paw Medal is to award someone who emulates the values of Lion’s Paw,” added Lisa Bistline, class of 2006, liberal arts, president of the Lion’s Paw Alumni Interest Group. “Someone who is humble, who values service to community, and is a leader among leaders. Mike is the epitome of all these things and has spent a lifetime within the Penn State Community embodying these values. I can’t imagine a more deserving medal recipient.”
The Lion’s Paw Alumni Interest Group is one of many affiliate groups of the Penn State Alumni Association, which give alumni a creative way to stay connected with the people they knew during their student years at Penn State. These groups also give alumni a way to interact and network with folks with similar interests after they leave Penn State.
Herr’s legendary approach to service was honored with the Honorary Alumni Award at Penn State, with his biography noting, “during his official tenure on campus, Herr delighted in helping his customers by assuring parcels would be treated with tender, loving care and expert postal savvy while extending sincerity and compassion. He conducted his work with a zest for life that established him as an icon and pioneer. While on campus, Mike befriended everyone he met, dispensing kindness, generosity and lightheartedness. He found a way to foster community with everyone, making his impact not just local but global. Mike connected famously and instantly with international students by holding up signs in various languages to convey his mission of service and willingness to connect. In Mike’s words, ‘We should all try to do a little kindness.’”
The Lion's Paw Alumni Association annually awards the Lion's Paw Medal to persons who have contributed notable service to the University by going above and beyond what is normally expected. What stands out about Herr, as noted by the committee, was that each day for him is an opportunity to go above and beyond his “job” to spread kindness and care, benefiting everyone who met him.
Herr was not only honored with the Honorary Alumni Award at Penn State, but also with the Honorary Lion Ambassador and Honorary Lion Scout, and Co-Grand Marshall of the 2007 Homecoming Parade. He was also the subject of a “CBS Evening News” profile in 2013 which told of his innovative customer service. Herr was on the cover of the Penn Stater magazine’s May/June 2016 issue and has been featured in numerous local and regional media outlets.
Herr retired from official service on April 1, 2016, but continues volunteering at Penn State and throughout Happy Valley, through such activies as Q&As with the Penn State Alumni Association, a sports blog, continued support of all sports, and, since 1990, the center of “Mail Call” during the Penn State Dance Marathon.
While most people would be hard pressed to find a Penn Stater who hasn’t heard of or met Mike the Mailman, it is not his fame that prompted his selection for the Lion’s Paw Medal, said the committee. Instead, it is his position as a role model on campus, established by always promoting kindness, loving his job, selflessly helping others, and doing whatever he can to improve life at Penn State for all, every day.
“We’re thrilled and honored to welcome Mike among the company of Lion’s Paw Medal recipients,” says Bistline.
Additional information about Lion’s Paw and the award can be found at www.lionspaw.org.