The Guthrie Post Office was officially dedicated on Tuesday morning in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Oscar Jefferson Upham during a ceremony attended by community members, military representatives, postal officials, and elected leaders, including U.S. Senator James Lankford.
The post office will now permanently bear the name of Oscar Jefferson Upham, a Guthrie resident, U.S. Marine, and Medal of Honor recipient who later served the community for more than three decades as a Guthrie mail carrier. Related article: Guthrie Post Office to be named for Medal of Honor Recipient Oscar J. Upham
The ceremony opened with the presentation of colors by the Guthrie Job Corps Honor Guard, the national anthem by Jason Reece, and an invocation led by Pastor Coleman.
Stephanie Fiordelisi, Guthrie postmaster, welcomed attendees and said it was an honor to celebrate Upham’s legacy with the community and family members present.
Falonda Woods, district manager for Arkansas and Oklahoma with the United States Postal Service, spoke about the significance of the dedication and the rare honor of naming a federal post office after an individual.
“It takes an act of Congress literally and a signature of the President of the United States to make it happen,” Woods said. “This honor is reserved for a few individuals.”
According to Woods, the Postal Service has more than 33,000 retail locations nationwide, with only 1,048 facilities named after individuals. Upham becomes only the 14th person in Oklahoma to receive the distinction.
Woods highlighted Upham’s military service, including his actions during the Spanish-American War and the Boxer Rebellion in China, where he earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery under enemy fire.
After his military service, Upham returned to Guthrie and worked as a letter carrier for 36 years before retiring from the post office.
Senator Lankford detailed the congressional effort required to rename the post office and praised the persistence of Upham’s family, especially great-granddaughter Katherine Hayes, for helping bring the project to reality.
“The more that we started digging and researching, the more we could see this absolutely needed to be done,” Lankford said.
Lankford also shared a letter from President Donald Trump recognizing Upham’s military service and sacrifice.
“The dedication of the Guthrie, Oklahoma Post Office in his name stands as a permanent tribute to his legacy,” the letter stated.
Lankford spoke extensively about the Boxer Rebellion and the actions of U.S. Marines who defended Americans, Christian missionaries, and foreign embassies during a three-month siege in China in 1900.
“It was an enormous act of bravery,” Lankford said. “He was the one that answered the call.”
Captain Joshua S. Rogers of the United States Marine Corps also spoke during the ceremony, praising Upham’s lifelong dedication to service.
“What he did repeatedly his entire life was excellence,” Rogers said. “Not a single act, but a lifetime.”
Hayes, one of Upham’s surviving great-granddaughters, addressed the crowd on behalf of the family. Hayes said the Medal of Honor returning to their side of the family years ago sparked renewed efforts to tell Upham’s story and preserve his legacy.
“What stands out is his reliance and faith in God,” Hayes said. “Oscar left our family a generational blessing.”
Hayes credited the Oklahoma Territorial Museum, local leaders, postal officials, and members of the community for helping educate the public about Upham’s life and accomplishments.
The ceremony concluded with the unveiling of the official dedication plaque, which will soon be permanently displayed inside the Guthrie Post Office lobby.
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