North Adams schools receives antique postcard from California man

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. (NEWS10) -- People love collecting postcards from all over the world, but one California man is on a mission to redistribute them and send some happiness through the mail along the way, one postcard at a time. One of his postcards was addressed to a school district in North Adams, Massachusetts.

Lowell Joerg has seen a lot over the last century. At 96, he's well adept at using a computer from his Stockton, California, assisted living facility. It's a skill that comes in handy for his longtime hobby. "I used to go to antique stores and pick them up and find them. And send them back to where they came from," Joerg explained.

He researches the antique postcards to find out where they originated from and mail them back. Mr. Joerg has sent hundreds of postcards around the country.

"I like to redistribute happiness. The world is kind of an influx right now. And I want people to be happy," he said.

Barbara Malkas, superintendent of the North Adams school district, said, "The letter did exactly what it was intended to do, which was redistribute joy. It was really a wonderful moment of honoring and recognizing the history of our community."

Joerg's most recent post card, circa 1905, was sent to the North Adams school district. "We received the letter and the beautiful postcard of the original Mark Hopkins Hall," Malkas said. "It just lit up so many people in my office. So many people had that experience of joy by sharing something as simple as a post card."

In it, a teacher writes how the building housed kindergarten through 9th grade classes. That building is now part of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. The vintage mailer serving as a timeless reminder for Malkas.

"This is a community that has valued education. Now, we have a little piece of history that demonstrates that," Malkas said.

In exchange for the postcard, Joerg receives something back. "I do it strictly for love," he said.

It's a priceless connection through the mail that gets everyone's stamp of approval.