The U.S. postal worker was recognized Wednesday for hitting the 1 million miles mark in his 34 year career - all without incurring a preventable crash.

In his North Carolina district of about 8,000 employees, only about 12 to 15 workers earn this honor each year. Morgan will retire from the U.S. Postal Service on July 1.

A surfer in his youth and now an avid water skier, Morgan has sampled coastal life around the world: he grew up in Oak Island and has lived in Hawaii, Korea and California. He spent five and a half years in the Army before starting his postal career in California.

Morgan and his wife decided to move back to North Carolina to be close to family. He worked in Durham before transferring to Cary in 1985. In his career, he has walked several miles a day as a letter carrier, helped maintain the fleet's vehicles, served as a driving instructor and worked as lobby director for the post office's retail operation.

Now you can see him collecting mail from the blue drop boxes around town. In an interview, he talked about his experiences.

Q: What is your advice to other letter carriers so they can become members of the Million Mile Club?

A: You cannot let yourself get complacent. The route can become boring and monotonous, but you can't lose your focus. The postal trucks are essentially targets out there. We have to be alert and aware. Also, have patience.

Q: What were some of the things you saw along your regular letter carrying route?

A: I did the same route [in the Kildaire Farms area of Cary] for about 15 years. I watched children as they learned to walk all the way up through graduation. I took some of the neighbors along the route out on my boat so they could get the chance to water ski.

I really got to know the people along the route. You could tell by each person's mail who was an animal lover or coin collector.

I had one experience when I saw a woman sitting on the curb outside a house. She asked me to let her into the house. She thought it was 1949, and I could tell she was confused. I got a neighbor, and we figured out the woman had wandered away from a church day care for elderly people. I was glad I could help.

Q: What is the worst weather for a mail carrier?

A: Definitely when you are walking and it is 35 degrees with wind and rain. In Russell Hills, I used to walk my route - it was about four to six miles a day.

One time, a tornado came through Cary. I was delivering mail up on someone's front porch, and I heard what sounded like a loud truck. The noise made me crouch down on the porch, and I figured out that it was a tornado. It just passed right over.

Q: How have times changed for postal workers?

A: I wish people would write more letters. I know there are all sorts of things like cell phones and email and texting, but letters are so much more personal. Handwriting says so much about a person that an email can't possibly communicate. When people get letters, they smile. I've noticed that people don't take the time to write letters anymore.

Q: What will you do after you retire?

A: I will take about two months off. I have a couple of job offers I'm considering that would be part-time. We'll see.

I live in New Hill on a mini-farm. We have 20 chickens , two pot-bellied pigs and a goldfish pond. My wife wants to get some fainting goats ... and if that's what she wants, that's what we should do.

I'll also spend some time on my Sky Ski... it looks like a ski with a seat on top. We go out on our boat and have fun.