Francis Ross, a rural mail carrier from Gowanda, was recognized as Outstanding Rural Carrier of the Year for New York State at the 100th anniversary of the National Rural Letter Carriers Association held in Chicago the week of Aug. 2 - Aug. 8. Ross was elected New York State Rural Carrier of the Year at the New York Rural Letter Carriers Convention in New York City held the week of July 5-11.

     Ross is the immediate past president of the Cattaraugus County Rural Letter Carriers Association, having completed two separate terms of three years and of two years. He has served on the Cattaraugus County RLCA State Convention Committee and has been elected delegate and delegate-at-large to the New York RLCA State Convention and elected delegate to the National Convention.

     Since August 1997, Ross has served as the NYRLCA Political Action Committee chairman. He has helped NYRLCA members achieve high ratings in the amount of voluntary contributions made by them in comparison with contributions made by members of the other states of the nation.

     The award winner is a member of the Armed Services Veterans Club of the NRLCA. He is presently a participant in the Quality Work Life Group known as Sensible Solutions, and formerly worked with two other QWL groups known as the Mail House Gang and the Country Innovators. He is a member of the Loyal Order of Moose of Gowanda, and a member of the American Legion. Ross is a lifetime member of the American Water Works Association and is presently serving the Town of Collins as Water Commissioner at Large, a position he has held for the past several years. Since 1980, he has been a rural carrier at the Gowanda Post Office, serving Rural Route #1.