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Wake Electric’s Privette Posthumously Awarded Order of the Longleaf Pine

Late director’s family received the award on his behalf

On Dec. 8, former Wake Electric Director Rodney Privette was posthumously awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. Since 1963, North Carolina’s governors have reserved the award as the highest honor for persons who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments.

Privette passed away unexpectedly in August. He had served on the Wake Electric Board of Directors since March 2016. The award was presented to Privette’s family by NC Senator Sarah Crawford and NC Representative Terence Everitt. Donnie Lawrence, current chief of the Rolesville Rural Fire Department, coordinated the presentation, which coincided with the annual meeting for the fire department.

“Rodney’s impact on our community is an inspiring example of leadership to everyone who knows him,” said Wake Electric Board President Suzy Morgan. “As a Rolesville native, Rodney’s community ties ran deep, and Wake Electric celebrates the mark he left on the cooperative as well as public safety and economic development in our area.”

In addition to serving on the Wake Electric Board of Directors, Privette had served as chief of the Rolesville Rural Fire Department since 1992 where he had begun as a volunteer firefighter in 1975. He also served on the Wake County Fire Commission, helped form the Rolesville Chamber of Commerce, served on the board of the Wake Forest Federal Savings & Loan and co-owned Privette Insurance Agency with his sister. He was also a devoted, lifelong member of the Rolesville Baptist Church.

“Rodney filled so many roles in service to his hometown,” said NC Senator Sarah Crawford, as quoted by The Wake Weekly. “And what I knew of Rodney from such a short time, and what I’ve learned since, is that he taught every single one of us what it means to live a life of devotion to others.”

“This prestigious award is a fitting way to recognize and honor Rodney’s legacy and impact on his community and our great state,” Morgan added. “We are proud to see one of our own being honored among North Carolina’s notables.”

(L to R) Privette’s family receiving the award were fiancée Susan Cashion; daughter Brandi Privette and her fiancé Kevin; Niki Privette and grandsons Carson, Hunter and Andrew, and son Coy Privette. NC Sen. Crawford and NC Rep. Everitt presented the award.

In his spare time, Privette would restore old cars, including a 1965 Plymouth Barracuda that was once owned by a U.S. Army soldier who died in Vietnam (“The Compassionate Collector,” May 2020, page 14).

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rural A fresh start for healthcare

Training the next generation of rural doctors

By Sarah Thompson

Before Cannon Memorial Hospital’s labor and delivery unit closed in 2015, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer delivered one of the last babies to be born in an Avery County hospital. The unit where his cousins were born is gone because it was no longer seen as cost-effective to provide obstetrical care in the county, Dr. Gilmer explains.

“We have had more labor and delivery closures per capita than any other region in the country,” Dr. Gilmer says. “This is bad for communities, bad for the economy and certainly bad for women who would like to deliver their child in their home communities.”

Dr. Gilmer is the medical director of the Rural Health Initiative and Rural Fellowship at the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC), the largest of nine area health education centers in the state, which address the supply, retention and quality of health professionals, particularly in rural communities. Before joining MAHEC, he lived and worked as a doctor in rural North Carolina. He believes that inspiring the next generation of doctors is the best way to help rural places not only survive, but attain health literacy and gain access to specialized doctors educated on social justice in health advocacy.

Counties in need The North Carolina Institute of Medicine describes primary care providers as “the entry point into the health care system.” Access to their care is associated with fewer health disparities and better health among various socioeconomic statuses. The target primary care provider to population ratio should be equal to roughly 6.6 providers per 10,000 patients, according to the Institute. This ratio symbolizes how access to providers improves overall health of communities and can prevent a diagnosis or injury from becoming a NC Primary Care Physicians 2021, by county Greater than recommended minimum of 6.67 per 10,000 patients Below the recommended minimum critical health issue. Yet many rural counties in North Carolina fall far short of this ratio (see map). The gap between access to health providers in rural versus urban counties is not just an inconvenience, it’s causing serious health disparities that doctors like Benjamin Gilmer want students to understand — and want to change.

Rural training Dr. Crystal Gaddy worked in rural healthcare systems for more than 18 years. She has witnessed its shortfalls firsthand. Today, she is an associate professor at Pfeiffer

University’s Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program in Stanly County, where she and other faculty echo the significant need for students to practice medicine in rural areas.

“We’re able to, along with other faculty, really teach and educate our students with the hopes that they will, at least initially or at sometime within their careers, serve those who are really underserved,” Dr. Gaddy says. “From the moment the students enter Pfeiffer’s Occupational Therapy Program, that is the main focus.”

Pfeiffer University’s graduate program in Occupational Therapy (OT) began about two years ago alongside their Physician Assistant (PA) Studies program. As their brandnew building started construction and faculty got together to discuss curriculums, rural health was always a part of the conversation. The most pressing issue discussed was the shortage of health providers in rural regions.

Assistant Professor of Physician Assistant Studies and Randolph EMC member Dale Patterson says that it is extremely difficult to keep providers in rural places. When he’s not at the university, Dale continues to provide clinical care once a week in his local county, Montgomery. At Pfeiffer, students learn about the need for their skills in rural areas, but also the unique opportunities that practicing and living in a rural community can bring.

“The more rural you get, the more difficult it is to retain providers over time,” Dale says. “It can be burdensome on someone over a long period of time if you’re the only provider in office.”

Students discover this for themselves during their required fieldwork. Both the OT and PA programs place students across the country, and the world, to work with health providers and experience what it means to serve and be a part of a community. Dr. Gaddy believes that rural fieldwork is where students get the chance to show off their creativity and critical thinking.

“The best place to be creative is within rural healthcare,” Dr. Gaddy says. “When you have access to everything in the world, you don’t have to critically think as hard. With our students — with us trying to push them within those fieldwork areas and those opportunities in places we call ‘emerging areas’ — it shows them that anything is possible.”

Universities and rural health organizations try to motivate students to practice in rural areas through scholarships, loan forgiveness and other incentives. When Dale was in school, he received a National Health Service Corps scholarship and advises his students to take advantage of those opportunities, which give them more financial freedom to serve communities in need.

Desiring the work Back in Western North Carolina, Dr. Gilmer works 60 to 80 hours a week trying to recruit the newest generation of doctors to practice in rural places. Over the past five years, they’ve placed approximately 30 doctors in western regions of the state. The Rural Health Initiative (RHI) has become the largest recruiter of the health professionals in the mountains and are busy looking to place more psychiatrists, general surgeons and obstetricians.

“Our ultimate goal is for every member of every rural community to have access to a primary care provider,” Dr. Gilmer says. “We want our students and doctors to desire work in rural areas.”

Like Pfeiffer, Dr. Gilmer advises students to look for avenues of support that can ease their transition into rural health systems. He explains the three pillars of support that RHI utilizes to attract and retain health professionals in western North Carolina. First, they talk with high school students to inspire them to give back to their community by becoming a rural care provider. Second, they recruit, train and support students through their schooling by providing scholarships, special training for rural care and connecting them with communities early on. Third, they support practices so that they feel well-capacitated and that they’re a part of a much larger mission.

Hope for the future The work is exhausting yet rewarding. Doctors and local citizens are dedicating their lives to advocate and save lives in rural communities because they know everyone deserves the best care, no matter where they live. These advocates of rural healthcare find solace in those they work with and in the changes they’re seeing in the eyes of their students, patients and communities.

“Everybody wants to give rural communities the health services they need. It’s apolitical,” Dr. Gilmer says. “It’s more than medicine, and we’re just trying to do our part.”

Dr. Benjamin Gilmer

Corey Nolen

Sarah Thompson was a Carolina Country editorial intern in 2022. She is currently pursuing a journalism degree from UNC Chapel Hill.

Alan Cradick Stephen Hayes

Cameron Art Museum

Marching Toward Freedom

Stephen Hayes honors Black history through sculpture

By Vanessa Infanzon

In 2019, the Cameron Art Museum approached Durham-resident and sculptor Stephen Hayes about memorializing the United States Colored Troops (USCT) who marched through Wilmington during the Civil War Battle of Forks Road in 1865. Stephen accepted the challenge to create the memorial.

“This is a super important monument,” Stephen says, a 39-year-old Duke University assistant professor of the Practice of Art, Art History and Visual Studies. “It will tell the history of a story that is untold.”

Stephen’s creation — “Boundless,” a life-size bronze statue of 11 African American men — was unveiled in November 2021 on the grounds where the Battle of Forks Road was fought. The permanent exhibit is also the focal point at the only park in the nation built to honor the United States Colored Troops and their fight for freedom.

“They will be here until the end of time,” Stephen says of the troops. “I use my artwork to change the narrative.”

In the early stages of developing sketches for the sculpture, Stephen immersed himself in the history of the battle by walking the site and meeting the United States Colored Troops reenactors from Battery B 2nd United States Colored Light Artillery, USCT 35th Regiment Tryon Palace New Bern, and the 5th USCT Company C. While in character, these men gave Stephen a history lesson explaining what it was like to march and what kinds of clothing and shoes were worn. These soldiers didn’t have the benefit of making the trek on horses.

Each soldier’s face is based on a real person. At Stephen’s request, the museum put out a call for descendants of the soldiers and reenactors to pose for the sculpture. Stephen casted their faces, using plaster gauze to capture the details in a mold which would later be filled with plaster. The hands were cast from another group of people, veterans and additional descendants of the soldiers.

“The bodies were made from mannequins, dressed in clothing from that time period,” Stephen explains. “I made the clothes flow in the direction of the movement pattern. Then I placed the heads on top of the bodies.”

Unlike most monuments, Stephen intentionally placed “Boundless” on the ground, not on a pedestal. He wants viewers to question how this monument speaks to ones they’ve seen mounted on a tall platform.

“A lot of my work is on the ground so people can be a part of the work,” Stephen says. “These guys marched on the ground. I wanted people to be face to face with my work. I didn’t want it to be on a pedestal so people have to look up and gawk at it.”

Once the plaster mold was ready, Stephen reached out to Carolina Bronze Sculpture, Inc., in Seagrove about casting the piece in bronze. The large multifigure casting was complex, says Ed Walker, president of Carolina Bronze. He and Stephen worked closely together.

“(Stephen) is a visionary,” Ed says. “He can create pieces that have strong statements about societal changes, especially about the plight of African American people. He’s highly respected in my book in his ability to convey those types of images so that people can view and experience his sculpture, and lead with a new sensibility about important social issues.”

Vanessa Infanzon moved to Charlotte for college and never left. When she’s not writing about business or travel, she’s paddle boarding on the Catawba River.

embershipM MATTERS

TWENTY TWENTY THREE

Vegetation management:

Balancing power reliability with scenic beauty

The single major cause of power outages is damage to power lines from trees and limbs during severe weather such as high winds, heavy snow, ice or lightning.

With over 8,000 miles of power lines to protect, Blue Ridge Energy works year-round on vegetation management to ensure members have the most reliable electricity possible. Blue Ridge ranks among the most reliable electric providers in the nation, and in recent years, has added another method to help achieve reliability in a safe, environmentally friendly manner — aerial tree pruning.

This method utilizes specially trained helicopter pilots who carefully conduct pruning along rights-of-way. Trained “spotters” are located on ground level and are in constant communication with the pilot.

Used by utilities across the nation for years, aerial tree pruning is approved by the American National Standards Institute. The process is less intrusive to member property and the environment than traditional methods.

As with all vegetation management, members are notified in advance of pruning. Debris is removed from maintained areas, while in non-maintained areas, debris is either left or bush hogged to the ground.

Our vegetation management program combines several growth control methods that balance scenic beauty with safe, reliable power. For more information, visit BlueRidgeEnergy.com/ROW.

THE Perspective

Neighbors Helping Neighbors: Thank you!

From Blue Ridge Energy CEO Doug Johnson

Giving back is a cooperative tradition. The Members Foundation and Operation Round Up® reflect the power of partnership between members and your electric cooperative. Working together, I’m proud to say that we’re making life better for the people and communities we serve, and the latest special “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” campaign is one example.

I want to say a sincere thank you to everyone who has supported this campaign and are joining with us to help meet the need.

A portion of Operation Round Up is used each year for crisis heating assistance, with the rest going to community grants to other local not-for-profit organizations that also help our members. This winter, we projected a higher need for crisis heating assistance due to significantly increased prices for heating fuel and kerosene, and propane to a lesser degree. Bills are also being impacted by increases in electric generation fuels. Neighbors Helping Neighbors is helping raise additional funds to fill this need.

I’m pleased to say that as of the date this newsletter went to press, Neighbors Helping Neighbors was on track to raise well over $25,000 for Operation Round Up to help more households than ever stay warm. Contributions are coming from members, Blue Ridge Energy employees and Board members as well as others. Our subsidiary companies also played a large role: while Blue Ridge Energy Propane and Fuels and RidgeLink typically donate $50,000 each year to Operation Round Up, Propane and Fuels donated an extra $25,000 to kick off the campaign.

As winter continues and the need remains, we invite you to make a donation at any time to the Neighbors Helping Neighbors campaign. Every penny donated will be used to provide additional funds to Operation Round Up for crisis heating assistance this season. It’s the cooperative spirit of our members and communities that make programs like this successful. Again, I want to say a sincere “thank you” for your support and for being a good neighbor to help someone in need this winter.

Ways to give to Neighbors Helping Neighbors:

• BlueRidgeEnergy.com/Neighbors • At a local Blue Ridge Energy office • Call us at 1-800-451-5474

How to receive help:

• Contact your local helping agency or see the list at BlueRidgeEnergy.com/resources/ emergency-assistance-agencies. These agencies work with Blue Ridge Energy to distribute the funds based on need, and they have additional resources that can help.

Attention: High school students!

Scholarship and leadership opportunities are available as part of Blue Ridge Energy’s support of local communities.

To qualify for these opportunities, high school students must join Blue Ridge Energy’s Leadership Track in their freshman or sophomore years, or as early as possible during high school. To join or learn more, visit: BlueRidgeEnergy.com/LeadershipTrack.

In February, qualifying seniors involved in Blue Ridge Energy’s Leadership Track will be invited to apply for up to eight $4,000 renewable scholarships for students seeking a four-year degree. Awards are based on leadership performance, resume development and a personal interview. Additionally, for students in Caldwell County, Blue Ridge Energy helps administer the Charles and Lucille Suddreth scholarship, which awards $800 for a student seeking a vocational degree including the Electrical Lineworker Institute. Financial need and academic performance are the primary criteria and the deadline for applications is April 15. Apply at: BlueRidgeEnergy.com/scholarships.

Leadership camp opportunities as well as college bound workshops are also available to high school students in the Blue Ridge Energy Leadership Track. Learn more at: BlueRidgeEnergy.com/LeadershipTrack.

Visit us on the web: BlueRidgeEnergy.com

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Doug Johnson

EDITOR

Renée R. Walker

PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR

Jacob Puckett

DISTRICT OFFICES

Caldwell Watauga Ashe Alleghany PowerLine*

(PowerLine* is an automated account information and outage reporting system) (828) 754-9071 (828) 264-8894 (336) 846-7138 (336) 372-4646 (800) 448-2383 TOLL FREE

OFFICE HOURS: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Monday - Friday Kiosks available (800) 451-5474

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1Subject to availability, on a total purchase of 4 or more. Buy 2 windows or doors and get the second 2 windows or doors, of equal or lesser value, 40% off – applied to lowest priced window and/or door products in purchase. Special Presidents’ Day $200 discount valid during first appointment only. To qualify for discount offer, initial contact for an appointment must be made and documented on or before 2/28/23 with the purchase then occurring on or before 3/10/23. 2No payments and deferred interest for 12 months available from third-party lenders to well qualified buyers on approved credit only. No Finance Charges will be assessed if promo balance is paid in full in 12 months. Products are marketed, sold and installed (but not manufactured) by Renewal by Andersen retailers, which are independently owned and operated under S&L Windows and Doors, LLC d/b/a Renewal by Andersen of the Carolinas. NC Residential Builders License #80213. South Carolina Residential Builders Commission #571. See complete information and entity identification at www.rbaguidelines.com. ©2023 Andersen Corporation. ©2023 Lead Surge LLC. All rights reserved.