Postman's fans hope to deliver needed help;
Beloved carrier in Uptown area lost both legs after car hit him

BYLINE: By Laura Maggi, Staff writer

SECTION: NATIONAL; Pg. 1

LENGTH: 546 words
In the Uptown neighborhood where Roy Rondeno Sr. delivered the mail, it seems nearly everyone knows his name and remembers his smile.
After he was hit by a car Saturday in an accident that cost him both legs below the knee, neighbors this week banded together to raise money for him during his recovery and support his family, asking for donations and planning a block party.
Even people who no longer live in the neighborhood were moved by the horrific accident. One former resident of Bordeaux Street, who moved to the Washington, D.C., area last year, said she was upset when she read an e-mail message from her former neighborhood association, prompting her to call a friend who also had moved out of town to tell him about what had occurred.
"Everytime I saw him, he was smiling. He always said hello," said Patricia Barry, who has pledged to submit a donation to a Capital One account created for Rondeno. Now living in Alexandria, Va., Barry said she doesn't know her new letter carrier the way she did Rondeno.
Rondeno's son, Roy Rondeno Jr., said that although he knows his father is charismatic and appreciated by the people along his route, he is still surprised by the outpouring of sentiment.
"I knew my dad was loved, but not like now," he said.
Rondeno Sr., 57, was standing by the side of the street, getting mail out of his truck, when he was hit by a car Saturday afternoon.
The accident was caused by a driver traveling down Valence Street who ran a stop sign at St. Charles Avenue, said officer Garry Flot, a New Orleans police spokesman. The car collided with another car traveling on St. Charles, and one of the vehicles hit Rondeno Sr. The driver of the car driving down Valence was given a citation for failure to yield, Flot said.
A 37-year Postal Service employee, Rondeno Sr. lost his left leg at the scene, his son said. Doctors tried to save his other leg but couldn't.
Now Rondeno Sr. needs to heal and wait for prosthetics, his son said.
"He's in good spirits. He's been talking and eating regular food," said Rondeno Jr., who added that, while his father will no longer work as a letter carrier, he will be revitalized by immersing himself in his faith and ministry. Rondeno Sr. and his wife, Shirley, had just begun a fast when the accident occurred.
Rondeno Sr. was close to retirement, planning to hang up his letter bag early next year, his son said.
Two co-workers delivering mail Wednesday described Rondeno Sr. as a dedicated employee and friendly colleague.
Kenneth Powell, who worked another Uptown route, noted that Rondeno Sr. wasn't even supposed to be on the job Saturday. But he agreed to come in because the station was shorthanded.
"You couldn't meet nobody better," Powell said.
Susan Hereford, who lives a couple blocks from the site of the crash, wrote up a flier the next day to ask her neighbors to pray for Rondeno's recovery. She also set up the account at Capital One.
So far, Hereford said, she believes donations are flowing in. For example, at a veterinary clinic on Prytania Street, several people have called in to ask how to contribute, said Dr. Brian Ghere and his staff.
"He was just an exceptional human being and great letter carrier," Ghere said.
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