When the Lights Came On

West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

When the Lights Came On

Croft

West Florida Electric When the Lights Came On

By Candace G. Croft

Dedicated to the memory of the farmers and cooperative pioneers who founded West Florida Electric Cooperative in 1937.

Contents

Copyright © 2012 by West Florida Electric Cooperative Association, Inc. 5282 Peanut Road

Graceville, FL 32440 All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this work in any form whatsoever without permission in writing from the publisher, except for brief passages in connection with a review. For information, please write:

4  Acknowledgments 5  Poem: A Word of Appreciation to West Florida Electric Cooperative by Jean Glass 6  Chapter 1

The Beginning

18  Chapter 2

The Next Step

22  Chapter 3

Growth and Success

Virginia Beach, VA 23462

30  Chapter 4

Products of the Labor

Steve Mull, General Manager

34  Chapter 5

Changes Continue as Growth Occurs

Richard A. Horwege, Senior Editor

40  Chapter 6

Growth Inspires Additional Services

Priscilla Odango, Imaging Artist

46  Chapter 7

Programs and Services Inspire Success

Tonya Washam, Marketing Specialist

56  Chapter 8

Technology and Opportunity Breed Success for the New Millennium

68  Chapter 9

Our Promise: To Continue Working Together for the Common Good

70  Chapter 10

General Managers

The Donning Company Publishers

184 Business Park Drive, Suite 206

Barbara B. Buchanan, Office Manager Stephanie Danko, Graphic Designer Lori Kennedy, Project Research Coordinator Pamela Engelhard, Marketing Advisor Lynn Walton, Project Director Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Croft, Candace G.

West Florida Electric : when the lights came on / by Candace G. Croft. p.

cm.

76  Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-57864-742-2 (hbk. : alk. paper)

1. West Florida Electric Cooperative Association. 2. Electric utilities—Florida— Graceville—History. 3. Electric cooperatives—Florida—Graceville—History. I. Title.

HD9685.U7W453 2012

334’.68133379320975993—dc22 Printed in the USA at Walsworth Publishing Company

74  Endnotes

2012000662

78  Index 80  About the Author

Dedicated to the memory of the farmers and cooperative pioneers who founded West Florida Electric Cooperative in 1937.

Contents

Copyright © 2012 by West Florida Electric Cooperative Association, Inc. 5282 Peanut Road

Graceville, FL 32440 All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this work in any form whatsoever without permission in writing from the publisher, except for brief passages in connection with a review. For information, please write:

4  Acknowledgments 5  Poem: A Word of Appreciation to West Florida Electric Cooperative by Jean Glass 6  Chapter 1

The Beginning

18  Chapter 2

The Next Step

22  Chapter 3

Growth and Success

Virginia Beach, VA 23462

30  Chapter 4

Products of the Labor

Steve Mull, General Manager

34  Chapter 5

Changes Continue as Growth Occurs

Richard A. Horwege, Senior Editor

40  Chapter 6

Growth Inspires Additional Services

Priscilla Odango, Imaging Artist

46  Chapter 7

Programs and Services Inspire Success

Tonya Washam, Marketing Specialist

56  Chapter 8

Technology and Opportunity Breed Success for the New Millennium

68  Chapter 9

Our Promise: To Continue Working Together for the Common Good

70  Chapter 10

General Managers

The Donning Company Publishers

184 Business Park Drive, Suite 206

Barbara B. Buchanan, Office Manager Stephanie Danko, Graphic Designer Lori Kennedy, Project Research Coordinator Pamela Engelhard, Marketing Advisor Lynn Walton, Project Director Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Croft, Candace G.

West Florida Electric : when the lights came on / by Candace G. Croft. p.

cm.

76  Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-57864-742-2 (hbk. : alk. paper)

1. West Florida Electric Cooperative Association. 2. Electric utilities—Florida— Graceville—History. 3. Electric cooperatives—Florida—Graceville—History. I. Title.

HD9685.U7W453 2012

334’.68133379320975993—dc22 Printed in the USA at Walsworth Publishing Company

74  Endnotes

2012000662

78  Index 80  About the Author

Poem

Acknowledgments The author wishes to thank the following for their assistance:

A Word of Appreciation to West Florida Electric Cooperative

The Graceville News The Washington County News Betty Vollenweider Terry and Robin Jumper Dr. Tom Crutchfield Arthur and Tootsie Williams Brian Buckalew, Communications Specialist John Thornton, Supervisor, Communications Terry Mullen, Manager, Marketing and Communications Gary Clark, Vice President, Member Services WFEC Board of Trustees and Executive Staff

by Jean Glass

I said a prayer for you today All you who work for REA Without your help, you can plainly see We’d live our lives in misery.

When you are called from the warmth of your bed The chill of night fills you with dread You never know what the trouble might be— An overloaded circuit or a burning tree.

We take you for granted If the lights shine bright, When we flip the switch in the dead of night.

You think of your family and others too And feel so grateful for the job you do.

If the water is warm when we turn on our baths, If things run smoothly all over the house.

You come home wet, nearly frozen to death Drink some hot coffee And take a deep breath.

We thank the Lord for our daily bread For it’s by His dear hands That we are fed.

The phone starts to ring, it’s the voice of your friend— Come on buddy, let’s go again!

But food would be tasteless we have to agree If we missed the company of TV!

The wind chill factor is ten below— Your hands so cold as you climb the poles.

When the clouds blow in and the winds are high I hear your trucks as they go rolling by.

You may feel so alone, but the ones who love you Are waiting at home— You have wives and mothers too.

I pray that God will keep you safe From all the danger you must face.

4 

They are not sleeping they are praying for you.

 5

Poem

Acknowledgments The author wishes to thank the following for their assistance:

A Word of Appreciation to West Florida Electric Cooperative

The Graceville News The Washington County News Betty Vollenweider Terry and Robin Jumper Dr. Tom Crutchfield Arthur and Tootsie Williams Brian Buckalew, Communications Specialist John Thornton, Supervisor, Communications Terry Mullen, Manager, Marketing and Communications Gary Clark, Vice President, Member Services WFEC Board of Trustees and Executive Staff

by Jean Glass

I said a prayer for you today All you who work for REA Without your help, you can plainly see We’d live our lives in misery.

When you are called from the warmth of your bed The chill of night fills you with dread You never know what the trouble might be— An overloaded circuit or a burning tree.

We take you for granted If the lights shine bright, When we flip the switch in the dead of night.

You think of your family and others too And feel so grateful for the job you do.

If the water is warm when we turn on our baths, If things run smoothly all over the house.

You come home wet, nearly frozen to death Drink some hot coffee And take a deep breath.

We thank the Lord for our daily bread For it’s by His dear hands That we are fed.

The phone starts to ring, it’s the voice of your friend— Come on buddy, let’s go again!

But food would be tasteless we have to agree If we missed the company of TV!

The wind chill factor is ten below— Your hands so cold as you climb the poles.

When the clouds blow in and the winds are high I hear your trucks as they go rolling by.

You may feel so alone, but the ones who love you Are waiting at home— You have wives and mothers too.

I pray that God will keep you safe From all the danger you must face.

4 

They are not sleeping they are praying for you.

 5

T

1

The Beginning I think the day of selfishness is over; the day of really working together has come, and we must learn to work together, all of us, regardless of race or creed or color.

Eleanor Roosevelt, in a 1934 speech

he roots of the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) can be traced back to the spirit of cooperation encouraged by Eleanor Roosevelt. During the 1930s, investor-owned utilities would not construct power lines into rural America because it was not profitable or economically feasible. So rural residents came together and began working with a common goal—to bring electricity to every farm.

After spending time at his home in Warm Springs, Georgia, and experiencing the inequality of service and the higher prices of rural electricity, President Franklin D. Roosevelt saw the need to bring affordable and reliable electric service to rural communities. On May 11, 1935, he created the REA by signing Executive Order 7037. This order, part of Roosevelt’s New Deal, was the beginning of many electric cooperatives across the nation like West Florida Electric Cooperative (WFEC).

“Yes, electricity is a modern necessity of life (and) not a luxury. That necessity ought to be found in every village, in every home and on every farm in every part of the wide United States,” said Roosevelt in 1938 during an address dedicating an REA project in Barnesville, Georgia.1 REA was and is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Administration helped many communities form electric cooperatives, providing low interest loans to finance the building of electric lines and purchasing of equipment.

With the introduction of electricity to rural America, the lives of farmers and their families were forever changed. Farmers no longer had to milk cows by hand, a chore that usually had to be done twice each day, early in the morning and late in the evening. Milking was often done by the light of a lantern or in complete darkness. Farmers in rural areas could not use anything with an electric motor to make their work easier or more efficient. Everything from feeding the livestock to chopping wood had to be done by hand. The typical farmer worked from sunup until sundown every day, as farmers had done for centuries.

Domestic tasks on the farm were no easier for women. Washing, ironing, cooking, and canning were labor-intensive chores that took hours and oftentimes days to complete. Washing was done outside once every week in huge tubs of boiling water; the clothes were scrubbed on a washboard with soap and getting them clean was hard work. Something as simple as boiling water

This page and opposite page: Reprinted with permission.

Copyright © NRECA.

Chapter 1: The Beginning  7

T

1

The Beginning I think the day of selfishness is over; the day of really working together has come, and we must learn to work together, all of us, regardless of race or creed or color.

Eleanor Roosevelt, in a 1934 speech

he roots of the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) can be traced back to the spirit of cooperation encouraged by Eleanor Roosevelt. During the 1930s, investor-owned utilities would not construct power lines into rural America because it was not profitable or economically feasible. So rural residents came together and began working with a common goal—to bring electricity to every farm.

After spending time at his home in Warm Springs, Georgia, and experiencing the inequality of service and the higher prices of rural electricity, President Franklin D. Roosevelt saw the need to bring affordable and reliable electric service to rural communities. On May 11, 1935, he created the REA by signing Executive Order 7037. This order, part of Roosevelt’s New Deal, was the beginning of many electric cooperatives across the nation like West Florida Electric Cooperative (WFEC).

“Yes, electricity is a modern necessity of life (and) not a luxury. That necessity ought to be found in every village, in every home and on every farm in every part of the wide United States,” said Roosevelt in 1938 during an address dedicating an REA project in Barnesville, Georgia.1 REA was and is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Administration helped many communities form electric cooperatives, providing low interest loans to finance the building of electric lines and purchasing of equipment.

With the introduction of electricity to rural America, the lives of farmers and their families were forever changed. Farmers no longer had to milk cows by hand, a chore that usually had to be done twice each day, early in the morning and late in the evening. Milking was often done by the light of a lantern or in complete darkness. Farmers in rural areas could not use anything with an electric motor to make their work easier or more efficient. Everything from feeding the livestock to chopping wood had to be done by hand. The typical farmer worked from sunup until sundown every day, as farmers had done for centuries.

Domestic tasks on the farm were no easier for women. Washing, ironing, cooking, and canning were labor-intensive chores that took hours and oftentimes days to complete. Washing was done outside once every week in huge tubs of boiling water; the clothes were scrubbed on a washboard with soap and getting them clean was hard work. Something as simple as boiling water

This page and opposite page: Reprinted with permission.

Copyright © NRECA.

Chapter 1: The Beginning  7

Both photos on this page are reprinted with permission.

Copyright © NRECA.

took a lot of time and energy. Water had to be obtained by hand pump from the well or carried from a nearby stream— one bucket at a time.

“Ironing was a complete drudgery,” said Mrs. Perry Lee Smith in 1987. Smith was a lifelong resident of Holmes County who recalled vividly when electricity was brought to her community.2 To iron women had to heat a metal iron on the stove. It would lose its heat quickly and have to be reheated over and over until the task was complete. Many women suffered serious burns from metal irons.

The conveniences taken for granted in cities were simply unknown to farmers and their families. There were no vacuums, washing machines, or even bathrooms since indoor plumbing required an electric pump. Bathing was often done outside in creeks or ponds during the summer. In the winter, water had to be taken inside and heated on the wood-burning stove in order for it to be used for baths.

The introduction of electricity to rural families enabled them to catch up with their more “urban” neighbors and brought conveniences

8  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

Reprinted with permission. Copyright © NRECA.

Chapter 1: The Beginning  9

Reprinted with permission.

Copyright © NRECA.

like milking machines, sheep shearers, and electric motors that were used in farm equipment such as corn shellers and seed separators. Electric fencing was also made available to rural farmers for the first time.

According to The Next Greatest Thing, a book published by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) in celebration of fifty-years of rural electrification, “Not only did electricity provide the farm family with a servant to help shear the sheep or milk the cows, it meant new business for the town merchant and better quality food for the consumer. And electric brooders and egg candlers helped the farmer’s wife increase the ‘chicken and egg money.’ For the kids this meant a few more dollars for school clothes or a rare treat.”3 The life of the average farmer’s wife was also revolutionized. Wives no longer had to use woodburning stoves to cook, scrub floors on their hands and knees, or spend hours and hours scrubbing clothes on washboards in tubs of boiling water outside. They now had access to electric stoves, washing machines, refrigerators, and indoor plumbing.

Bathing children, ironing and sewing clothes were other tasks made easier by electricity.

Other electric appliances began entering the home alongside washing machines, stoves and electric lighting. Evenings were now spent listening to the radio or reading, not by the light of a kerosene lamp, but a light bulb. Radios became the center of the home quickly, providing information and entertainment, but also serving as a centerpiece for displaying family photos or heirlooms.

Radio and its programming held a special place in the farm family’s heart. Not only did it provide market and weather reports, but it was also used as an educational tool. The airwaves were flooded with shows sharing practical farm advice and news, as well as information on clothes, diet, cooking and child rearing. REA even reported that typing was successfully taught via radio. Shows like The Grand Ole Opry, As the World Turns, and The Lone Ranger kept farm and city families alike entertained.

Most importantly, the radio enabled farm families to become more politically savvy. They could now listen to FDR’s famous Fireside Chats and be educated and well informed about local, national, and worldwide events.4

10  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

“Farmers and their families were grateful. They wrote letters of thanks to REA, to President Roosevelt, and later to President Truman, telling how rural life and work, living itself, were so much better. At least a dozen letters told of how, when REA power first lighted their farm kitchen, the farmer or his wife hurled a kerosene lamp out the window. It was common for each member of the family to go through the house, turning on every light, every appliance,” notes The Next Greatest Thing.5 However, these changes to rural American life did not come easily. Some met the idea of rural electrification with skepticism. According to The Next Greatest Thing, some farmers worried about getting in debt to the government, weren’t sure electricity was worth the added expense or couldn’t come up with the five dollar membership fee (which was a lot of money in the 1930s). Farmers understood how cooperatives worked because they’d been utilizing farmers’ co-ops for years to furnish their supplies, but fear of the unknown kept some people from joining the movement sweeping the nation. Community leaders and visionaries who saw the need for electricity started a grassroots effort in rural America and carried the message to their neighbors. Once word got out that a co-op was forming, meetings were held and maps plotting the new electric lines were created to include the homes of the people who had already signed up. Lines would be drawn, picking up as many new members as possible. When residents had a general idea of where the lines would be built, they’d split into pairs and personally visit farmers along the line who hadn’t yet joined, convincing them to become a member of the cooperative.6

This letter dated December 27, 1937, was received by W. E. “Bill” Seay soliciting his membership in REA. His great-granddaughter, Penny Hagan, is employed by the co-op as Manager, Member Services.

Chapter 1: The Beginning  11

Reprinted with permission.

Copyright © NRECA.

like milking machines, sheep shearers, and electric motors that were used in farm equipment such as corn shellers and seed separators. Electric fencing was also made available to rural farmers for the first time.

According to The Next Greatest Thing, a book published by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) in celebration of fifty-years of rural electrification, “Not only did electricity provide the farm family with a servant to help shear the sheep or milk the cows, it meant new business for the town merchant and better quality food for the consumer. And electric brooders and egg candlers helped the farmer’s wife increase the ‘chicken and egg money.’ For the kids this meant a few more dollars for school clothes or a rare treat.”3 The life of the average farmer’s wife was also revolutionized. Wives no longer had to use woodburning stoves to cook, scrub floors on their hands and knees, or spend hours and hours scrubbing clothes on washboards in tubs of boiling water outside. They now had access to electric stoves, washing machines, refrigerators, and indoor plumbing.

Bathing children, ironing and sewing clothes were other tasks made easier by electricity.

Other electric appliances began entering the home alongside washing machines, stoves and electric lighting. Evenings were now spent listening to the radio or reading, not by the light of a kerosene lamp, but a light bulb. Radios became the center of the home quickly, providing information and entertainment, but also serving as a centerpiece for displaying family photos or heirlooms.

Radio and its programming held a special place in the farm family’s heart. Not only did it provide market and weather reports, but it was also used as an educational tool. The airwaves were flooded with shows sharing practical farm advice and news, as well as information on clothes, diet, cooking and child rearing. REA even reported that typing was successfully taught via radio. Shows like The Grand Ole Opry, As the World Turns, and The Lone Ranger kept farm and city families alike entertained.

Most importantly, the radio enabled farm families to become more politically savvy. They could now listen to FDR’s famous Fireside Chats and be educated and well informed about local, national, and worldwide events.4

10  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

“Farmers and their families were grateful. They wrote letters of thanks to REA, to President Roosevelt, and later to President Truman, telling how rural life and work, living itself, were so much better. At least a dozen letters told of how, when REA power first lighted their farm kitchen, the farmer or his wife hurled a kerosene lamp out the window. It was common for each member of the family to go through the house, turning on every light, every appliance,” notes The Next Greatest Thing.5 However, these changes to rural American life did not come easily. Some met the idea of rural electrification with skepticism. According to The Next Greatest Thing, some farmers worried about getting in debt to the government, weren’t sure electricity was worth the added expense or couldn’t come up with the five dollar membership fee (which was a lot of money in the 1930s). Farmers understood how cooperatives worked because they’d been utilizing farmers’ co-ops for years to furnish their supplies, but fear of the unknown kept some people from joining the movement sweeping the nation. Community leaders and visionaries who saw the need for electricity started a grassroots effort in rural America and carried the message to their neighbors. Once word got out that a co-op was forming, meetings were held and maps plotting the new electric lines were created to include the homes of the people who had already signed up. Lines would be drawn, picking up as many new members as possible. When residents had a general idea of where the lines would be built, they’d split into pairs and personally visit farmers along the line who hadn’t yet joined, convincing them to become a member of the cooperative.6

This letter dated December 27, 1937, was received by W. E. “Bill” Seay soliciting his membership in REA. His great-granddaughter, Penny Hagan, is employed by the co-op as Manager, Member Services.

Chapter 1: The Beginning  11

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS APPROVED AT FIRST BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING

Second Annual Meeting of WFEC, May 1, 1939, Jackson County Court House, Marianna, Florida. Members present: J. A. Mitchell, Joel Paulk, Harvey Paulk, Bell Mitchell, Frank Bruner, Coone Nichols, Grady Baxley, David Cooley, Joe Bruner, J. J. ( Jim) Still, W. W. (Bill) Henley, Will Cook, Williams Mitchell, Lonnie Womble, Robert Crutchfield, Mrs. Robert Crutchfield, Winford Adams, W. T. King, Chap Toole, A. B. Barfield, J. M. (Bill) Heisler, Mrs. Bud Williams, Mrs. Womble Smith, C. D. Hurston, Albert Morris, Fonnie Morris, G. D. Nealy, Lela Crutchfield, Cleve McCoy, Mrs. Cleve McCoy, Mrs. A. J. (Susie) Crutchfield, Mrs. Brown Carter, Otis Mitchell, A. H. John Carter, Miss Nell Smith, General Manager Claude Smith, President A .J. Crutchfield, Wilmer Snell, Brown Carter, Pete Sheffield, and G. W. Courtney. Several people in the photograph are unidentified.

The sign-up teams soon realized that having the farmer’s wife present when they discussed the benefits of electricity was very important. Most of the time, the women would pay the membership fee then and there.7 In Jackson County, a group of these visionaries formed West Florida Electric Cooperative (WFEC) in December 1937. The cooperative’s Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Florida Secretary of State’s office on December 11, 1937. The first meeting of incorporators and members of West Florida Electric Cooperative Association was held on December 21, 1937, at 9:00 a.m. at Home Products Building in Marianna, Florida. The following founding members were present at the meeting: A. M. Andreason, A. J. Crutchfield, L. F. Mathews, A. L. Williams, W. R. Powell, and Wendell Spence. At this meeting, applications for membership in the cooperative were approved and bylaws were adopted. A. J. Crutchfield was elected to serve as West Florida’s first Board of Trustees’ president; A. M. Andreason was elected vice president; and W. R. Powell was tapped as secretary/treasurer.

A. J. Crutchfield, A. L. Williams, W. R. Powell, and L. F. Mathews were selected as solicitors to secure applications for membership and easements for right-of-way. The Board of Trustees voted that each man would be paid $4.00 per day and five cents per mile traveled in securing applications for membership and easements. These solicitors of membership were encouraged to secure three hundred applications within the shortest amount of time possible. The next two years were very busy for the fledgling co-op, signing up new members and growing each day.

12  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

A. J. Crutchfield C. D. Houston Isaac Crutchfield Parish and Cook, by W. T. Cook Carson Everett A. L. Williams W. E. Whiddon N. L. Hart H. H. Williams I. L. Sills Willis Ivey D. W. West M. B. Pierce R. D. Sellers G. C. McCoy J. N. B. Hart Floyd Cassidy L. F. Mathews W. J. Jinkins M. D. Schwinn B. G. Kingry

W. R. Powell S. B. Hines N. L. Christmas Allen Crutchfield W. J. Brinks Gussie W. Peel R. C. Peacock J. Wilson Williams

Joel Paulk J. E. Hall Wendell Spence W. W. Taylor W. H. Leonard E. C. Barfield A. M. Andreason A. B. Barfield

MEMBERSHIPS APPROVED ON FEBRUARY 24, 1938 R. G. Adams T. J. Adams L. A. Avery W. S. Broxton Mrs. Molsie Watford Brooks E. L. Braxton Walter Bowden G. B. Baxley M. C. Broxton Mrs. Frank Benefield A. E. Church Florida Caverns J. M. Cooper Eddie Crutchfield J. S. Evans F. L. Fowler G. W. Ford

Galilee Church C. G. Gainer W. M. Gainer Bob Gainer J. H. Griffin W. W. Henley J. M. Heisler W. F. Ingram Johnson Merchandise Company J. J. Jones I. C. McDaniel A. J. Nichols Mrs. A. F. Pittman Mrs. E. E. Pepler J. Pettis D. W. Peel R. L. Price Warren Pelt

E. D. Patterson Glenn O. Register J. L. Ricks Rex Lumber Company W. C. Stevens J. T. Sapp Fred Stokes C. G. Shiver Salem Church Mrs. G. E. Tidwell R. L. Tool B. H. Thomas Claude Tindal Union School C. H. Wistron J. C. Willis B. W. White A. C. Williams

Chapter 1: The Beginning  13

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS APPROVED AT FIRST BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING

Second Annual Meeting of WFEC, May 1, 1939, Jackson County Court House, Marianna, Florida. Members present: J. A. Mitchell, Joel Paulk, Harvey Paulk, Bell Mitchell, Frank Bruner, Coone Nichols, Grady Baxley, David Cooley, Joe Bruner, J. J. ( Jim) Still, W. W. (Bill) Henley, Will Cook, Williams Mitchell, Lonnie Womble, Robert Crutchfield, Mrs. Robert Crutchfield, Winford Adams, W. T. King, Chap Toole, A. B. Barfield, J. M. (Bill) Heisler, Mrs. Bud Williams, Mrs. Womble Smith, C. D. Hurston, Albert Morris, Fonnie Morris, G. D. Nealy, Lela Crutchfield, Cleve McCoy, Mrs. Cleve McCoy, Mrs. A. J. (Susie) Crutchfield, Mrs. Brown Carter, Otis Mitchell, A. H. John Carter, Miss Nell Smith, General Manager Claude Smith, President A .J. Crutchfield, Wilmer Snell, Brown Carter, Pete Sheffield, and G. W. Courtney. Several people in the photograph are unidentified.

The sign-up teams soon realized that having the farmer’s wife present when they discussed the benefits of electricity was very important. Most of the time, the women would pay the membership fee then and there.7 In Jackson County, a group of these visionaries formed West Florida Electric Cooperative (WFEC) in December 1937. The cooperative’s Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Florida Secretary of State’s office on December 11, 1937. The first meeting of incorporators and members of West Florida Electric Cooperative Association was held on December 21, 1937, at 9:00 a.m. at Home Products Building in Marianna, Florida. The following founding members were present at the meeting: A. M. Andreason, A. J. Crutchfield, L. F. Mathews, A. L. Williams, W. R. Powell, and Wendell Spence. At this meeting, applications for membership in the cooperative were approved and bylaws were adopted. A. J. Crutchfield was elected to serve as West Florida’s first Board of Trustees’ president; A. M. Andreason was elected vice president; and W. R. Powell was tapped as secretary/treasurer.

A. J. Crutchfield, A. L. Williams, W. R. Powell, and L. F. Mathews were selected as solicitors to secure applications for membership and easements for right-of-way. The Board of Trustees voted that each man would be paid $4.00 per day and five cents per mile traveled in securing applications for membership and easements. These solicitors of membership were encouraged to secure three hundred applications within the shortest amount of time possible. The next two years were very busy for the fledgling co-op, signing up new members and growing each day.

12  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

A. J. Crutchfield C. D. Houston Isaac Crutchfield Parish and Cook, by W. T. Cook Carson Everett A. L. Williams W. E. Whiddon N. L. Hart H. H. Williams I. L. Sills Willis Ivey D. W. West M. B. Pierce R. D. Sellers G. C. McCoy J. N. B. Hart Floyd Cassidy L. F. Mathews W. J. Jinkins M. D. Schwinn B. G. Kingry

W. R. Powell S. B. Hines N. L. Christmas Allen Crutchfield W. J. Brinks Gussie W. Peel R. C. Peacock J. Wilson Williams

Joel Paulk J. E. Hall Wendell Spence W. W. Taylor W. H. Leonard E. C. Barfield A. M. Andreason A. B. Barfield

MEMBERSHIPS APPROVED ON FEBRUARY 24, 1938 R. G. Adams T. J. Adams L. A. Avery W. S. Broxton Mrs. Molsie Watford Brooks E. L. Braxton Walter Bowden G. B. Baxley M. C. Broxton Mrs. Frank Benefield A. E. Church Florida Caverns J. M. Cooper Eddie Crutchfield J. S. Evans F. L. Fowler G. W. Ford

Galilee Church C. G. Gainer W. M. Gainer Bob Gainer J. H. Griffin W. W. Henley J. M. Heisler W. F. Ingram Johnson Merchandise Company J. J. Jones I. C. McDaniel A. J. Nichols Mrs. A. F. Pittman Mrs. E. E. Pepler J. Pettis D. W. Peel R. L. Price Warren Pelt

E. D. Patterson Glenn O. Register J. L. Ricks Rex Lumber Company W. C. Stevens J. T. Sapp Fred Stokes C. G. Shiver Salem Church Mrs. G. E. Tidwell R. L. Tool B. H. Thomas Claude Tindal Union School C. H. Wistron J. C. Willis B. W. White A. C. Williams

Chapter 1: The Beginning  13

Reprinted with permission.

Copyright © NRECA.

Opposite page, bottom left: This is an example of an early billing statement sent to the late A. D. and Gertha Simpson, members in Graceville, Florida. The Simpsons were the parents of longtime WFEC Board of Trustee member and mayor of Graceville, Charles Holman. A. D. was also one of WFEC’s first employees, earning twenty-f ive cents an hour as the foreman in charge of right-ofway. Gertha helped sign members up to join the cooperative in its early days and lived to be 101.

In May 1938, Claude H. Smith came on board as the cooperative’s first general manager. His salary was $100 per month, plus five cents per mile, not to exceed $35 per month. The cooperative’s first annual meeting was held on May 2, 1938, in Marianna. President A. J. Crutchfield gave a report on the present state of the cooperative and outlined in general terms the plans for construction of electric distribution lines in Calhoun, Holmes, and Jackson Counties. Washington County was also added to the first electrification project later that same year. Members of WFEC present at the meeting agreed to borrow $100,000 to build the original one hundred miles of line serving Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington Counties. Some members of the new co-op began receiving electricity in April of 1939.8 The co-op signed an agreement with Gulf Power to buy generated power from them to supply the distribution system.

In addition to the cooperative’s loan to build power lines from REA, they also borrowed $10,000 so they could provide financing to members to have their homes wired and plumbed. The Board voted to allow members to finance up to $400 to have this done.

The offices of West Florida Electric Cooperative were moved from Marianna to Graceville in 1939. This decision was made by the Board of Trustees since the work was centered in that area at the time. The move was to be temporary; however, WFEC’s offices are still located in Graceville today. 

Opposite page, bottom right: Gertha Simpson 14  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

Chapter 1: The Beginning  15

Reprinted with permission.

Copyright © NRECA.

Opposite page, bottom left: This is an example of an early billing statement sent to the late A. D. and Gertha Simpson, members in Graceville, Florida. The Simpsons were the parents of longtime WFEC Board of Trustee member and mayor of Graceville, Charles Holman. A. D. was also one of WFEC’s first employees, earning twenty-f ive cents an hour as the foreman in charge of right-ofway. Gertha helped sign members up to join the cooperative in its early days and lived to be 101.

In May 1938, Claude H. Smith came on board as the cooperative’s first general manager. His salary was $100 per month, plus five cents per mile, not to exceed $35 per month. The cooperative’s first annual meeting was held on May 2, 1938, in Marianna. President A. J. Crutchfield gave a report on the present state of the cooperative and outlined in general terms the plans for construction of electric distribution lines in Calhoun, Holmes, and Jackson Counties. Washington County was also added to the first electrification project later that same year. Members of WFEC present at the meeting agreed to borrow $100,000 to build the original one hundred miles of line serving Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington Counties. Some members of the new co-op began receiving electricity in April of 1939.8 The co-op signed an agreement with Gulf Power to buy generated power from them to supply the distribution system.

In addition to the cooperative’s loan to build power lines from REA, they also borrowed $10,000 so they could provide financing to members to have their homes wired and plumbed. The Board voted to allow members to finance up to $400 to have this done.

The offices of West Florida Electric Cooperative were moved from Marianna to Graceville in 1939. This decision was made by the Board of Trustees since the work was centered in that area at the time. The move was to be temporary; however, WFEC’s offices are still located in Graceville today. 

Opposite page, bottom right: Gertha Simpson 14  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

Chapter 1: The Beginning  15

COOPERATIVE PIONEERS A. J. (Andrew Jackson) Crutchfield (1887–1946): Crutchfield served as the cooperative’s first president of the Board of Trustees and also a founding member of the cooperative, signing up his friends and neighbors for the new REA project. He lived in Cottondale and farmed and sold fertilizer for Fox Fertilizer Company.

Crutchfield and his family moved to a much larger farm near Graceville in 1913. He was also a land appraiser and owned a real estate office for several years.

Andrew Andreasen (1881–1974): Andreason served as the first vice president of WFEC. He moved to Florida from Nebraska in 1918. He was married to Kay Hanson, and they had three children: Guy, V. E., and Arland. He was a farmer and manager of the Federal Land Bank and a very civic-minded individual. After the government took his farm to use as Marianna Air Base, Andreason purchased the George Morrow House in Greenwood and lived there until his death.

William Powell (1882–1940): Powell served as the first secretary of the Board of Trustees. He was born in the Ephesus community northwest of Campbellton and taught in several rural schools in south Alabama and also at Ephesus. After experiencing health problems that prevented him from teaching, Powell returned to the area and bought a farm near his childhood home. In 1913, he married Mary Alice Wade, and they raised a family of seven. Powell played an instrumental role in the consolidation of Ephesus School and Campbellton School, serving as a trustee there for many years.

family received notice that the cooperative had reached the membership percentage it needed to receive assistance from REA. Williams had the distinction of collecting the first membership to the co-op from “Dock” Peel who operated a small grocery outside of Graceville.

Lee Mathews (1883–1972): Mathews also served on the original Board of Trustees. He was married to Ruby Lee, and they were members of the Malone Methodist Church. Mathews was a farmer and also worked in construction. He actually had his home wired for electricity one year before he was able to receive service.

W. H. Leonard (1879–1956): Leonard served as a member of the Board of Trustees. Originally from North Carolina, he moved to Calhoun County and later into the Ocheesee Community. He was married to Julia Pope and worked in many industries including turpentine, farming, and real estate. Leonard also worked at a sawmill and automobile agencies.

James M. Heisler (1897–1961): Heisler served on the cooperative’s Board of Trustees from the time of its organization until his death, a period of more than twenty-four years. He moved to Graceville when he was one-year-old and lived there his entire life. In 1901, Heisler married Lula Grant, and they had seven children.

A farmer for most of his life, he also worked in Dr. Grace’s Drug Store, Smith’s Dry Good Store, and Waters and Davis Store.

William Walter Henley (1905–1982): Henley served as WFEC’s second president of the Board of Trustees from 1946 until 1953. He was elected to the Board in 1939 and was very instrumental in helping the cooperative purchase property and the franchise for the Sneads area in 1940. During the war, he helped locate aluminum, which was scarce, but necessary to build power lines. He also served as president of the Florida Statewide Association in 1950. Henley was a graduate of the University of Florida and a cattle farmer in Jackson County until his death. He was married to Reba Miars, and together they raised five children.

Henley’s grandson, James Efurd, is currently employed at the cooperative as the Manager of Internet Services.

Claude Smith: Smith served as WFEC’s first general manager. After his first three months, Smith began receiving a salary of $100 per month and worked alone in the office. Later, his wife Elizabeth helped him for six months without pay. In 1939, the office was moved from Marianna to Graceville, and Nell Smith was hired as general office clerk and secretary. This new employee gave Smith the freedom to leave the office and sign up new members. Members could come into the office and sign up for electricity. Easements were also granted at the office.

Wendell Spence (1912–1984): Spence was a member of the original Board of Trustees for the cooperative. He was born in Jackson County and graduated from Malone High School. After graduation, Spence was a farmer and also worked in the pulpwood business.

The Cooperative’s First Linemen: Carlton Franklin, Bill Deal, and Henry Sharon were hired and began their training in 1939, after REA announced WFEC had enough members to receive electricity.

A. L. Williams, Sr. (1888–1938): Williams also served on the original Board of Trustees.

He was a farmer and was married to Irma Belyeau. The couple had two sons, Arthur and Gerald. Shortly after his death, in 1938, the

16  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

John Carter: Carter, a lawyer from Marianna, was chosen to serve as the co-op’s attorney in 1939.

E. P. McClain: McClain was the cooperative’s first engineer.

Mr. A. L. Williams, and the original receipt Williams received in 1938 from the original secretary-treasurer of the Board, W. R. Powell. Image provided by Mr. A. L. Williams, Jr., of Graceville.

Chapter 1: The Beginning  17

COOPERATIVE PIONEERS A. J. (Andrew Jackson) Crutchfield (1887–1946): Crutchfield served as the cooperative’s first president of the Board of Trustees and also a founding member of the cooperative, signing up his friends and neighbors for the new REA project. He lived in Cottondale and farmed and sold fertilizer for Fox Fertilizer Company.

Crutchfield and his family moved to a much larger farm near Graceville in 1913. He was also a land appraiser and owned a real estate office for several years.

Andrew Andreasen (1881–1974): Andreason served as the first vice president of WFEC. He moved to Florida from Nebraska in 1918. He was married to Kay Hanson, and they had three children: Guy, V. E., and Arland. He was a farmer and manager of the Federal Land Bank and a very civic-minded individual. After the government took his farm to use as Marianna Air Base, Andreason purchased the George Morrow House in Greenwood and lived there until his death.

William Powell (1882–1940): Powell served as the first secretary of the Board of Trustees. He was born in the Ephesus community northwest of Campbellton and taught in several rural schools in south Alabama and also at Ephesus. After experiencing health problems that prevented him from teaching, Powell returned to the area and bought a farm near his childhood home. In 1913, he married Mary Alice Wade, and they raised a family of seven. Powell played an instrumental role in the consolidation of Ephesus School and Campbellton School, serving as a trustee there for many years.

family received notice that the cooperative had reached the membership percentage it needed to receive assistance from REA. Williams had the distinction of collecting the first membership to the co-op from “Dock” Peel who operated a small grocery outside of Graceville.

Lee Mathews (1883–1972): Mathews also served on the original Board of Trustees. He was married to Ruby Lee, and they were members of the Malone Methodist Church. Mathews was a farmer and also worked in construction. He actually had his home wired for electricity one year before he was able to receive service.

W. H. Leonard (1879–1956): Leonard served as a member of the Board of Trustees. Originally from North Carolina, he moved to Calhoun County and later into the Ocheesee Community. He was married to Julia Pope and worked in many industries including turpentine, farming, and real estate. Leonard also worked at a sawmill and automobile agencies.

James M. Heisler (1897–1961): Heisler served on the cooperative’s Board of Trustees from the time of its organization until his death, a period of more than twenty-four years. He moved to Graceville when he was one-year-old and lived there his entire life. In 1901, Heisler married Lula Grant, and they had seven children.

A farmer for most of his life, he also worked in Dr. Grace’s Drug Store, Smith’s Dry Good Store, and Waters and Davis Store.

William Walter Henley (1905–1982): Henley served as WFEC’s second president of the Board of Trustees from 1946 until 1953. He was elected to the Board in 1939 and was very instrumental in helping the cooperative purchase property and the franchise for the Sneads area in 1940. During the war, he helped locate aluminum, which was scarce, but necessary to build power lines. He also served as president of the Florida Statewide Association in 1950. Henley was a graduate of the University of Florida and a cattle farmer in Jackson County until his death. He was married to Reba Miars, and together they raised five children.

Henley’s grandson, James Efurd, is currently employed at the cooperative as the Manager of Internet Services.

Claude Smith: Smith served as WFEC’s first general manager. After his first three months, Smith began receiving a salary of $100 per month and worked alone in the office. Later, his wife Elizabeth helped him for six months without pay. In 1939, the office was moved from Marianna to Graceville, and Nell Smith was hired as general office clerk and secretary. This new employee gave Smith the freedom to leave the office and sign up new members. Members could come into the office and sign up for electricity. Easements were also granted at the office.

Wendell Spence (1912–1984): Spence was a member of the original Board of Trustees for the cooperative. He was born in Jackson County and graduated from Malone High School. After graduation, Spence was a farmer and also worked in the pulpwood business.

The Cooperative’s First Linemen: Carlton Franklin, Bill Deal, and Henry Sharon were hired and began their training in 1939, after REA announced WFEC had enough members to receive electricity.

A. L. Williams, Sr. (1888–1938): Williams also served on the original Board of Trustees.

He was a farmer and was married to Irma Belyeau. The couple had two sons, Arthur and Gerald. Shortly after his death, in 1938, the

16  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

John Carter: Carter, a lawyer from Marianna, was chosen to serve as the co-op’s attorney in 1939.

E. P. McClain: McClain was the cooperative’s first engineer.

Mr. A. L. Williams, and the original receipt Williams received in 1938 from the original secretary-treasurer of the Board, W. R. Powell. Image provided by Mr. A. L. Williams, Jr., of Graceville.

Chapter 1: The Beginning  17

N

2

The Next Step It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage that we move on to better things.

Theodore Roosevelt

ow that the cooperative had members, the next step was to begin building power lines to serve them. In 1939, West Florida Electric began hiring linemen and training them to build lines. Early line crews were often made up of unskilled workers or even farmers. Line work wasn’t easy or glamorous; it was hard, backbreaking labor that didn’t always go smoothly. REA continuously received reports from co-ops across the country about difficulties met and ways those difficulties were overcome with resourcefulness.

One such report said this, “In rural Indiana during 1939, a woman lay dying in her farmhouse from pneumonia. The doctor said that an oxygen tent might save her, but there was no electricity to operate the tent fan.

Three linemen, working in a rainstorm, built a five-hundred-foot line extension in only two hours and when the switch was turned on the woman’s life was saved,” according to The Next Greatest Thing.9 However, REA soon developed a “moving belt” assembly-line method that revolutionized rural line construction, making it more efficient. First, two men with tape, stakes, and paint came down the roadway measuring the span between poles and appraising the local conditions. They would paint symbols on the stake, leave it for the next crew, and move on down the road. Second, poles would be delivered for the assembly teams. Third, an assembly crew would deliver supplies—nuts, bolts, insulators, and transformers. Then, the crew with the post-hole diggers and mechanics would stop. The instructions on the stake would tell the men where the hole for the pole should be dug and which hardware should be attached. Next, the pole would be set in place and the conductors strung. As the assembly moved along, the men would secure the conductors, hang the transformers, and prepare the line for service.10 Linemen continued to work hard in adverse conditions to bring the American dream of electricity to rural America, and new farm families received lights each day.

“I wanted to be at my parents’ house when electricity came. It was in 1940. We’d all go around flipping the switch, to make sure it hadn’t come on yet. We didn’t want to miss it. When they finally came on, the lights just barely glowed. I remember my mother smiling. When they came on full, tears started to run down her cheeks,” recalled Clyde T. Ellis, first general manager of NRECA.11

This page and opposite page: Reprinted with permission.

Copyright © NRECA.

Chapter 2: The Next Step  19

N

2

The Next Step It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage that we move on to better things.

Theodore Roosevelt

ow that the cooperative had members, the next step was to begin building power lines to serve them. In 1939, West Florida Electric began hiring linemen and training them to build lines. Early line crews were often made up of unskilled workers or even farmers. Line work wasn’t easy or glamorous; it was hard, backbreaking labor that didn’t always go smoothly. REA continuously received reports from co-ops across the country about difficulties met and ways those difficulties were overcome with resourcefulness.

One such report said this, “In rural Indiana during 1939, a woman lay dying in her farmhouse from pneumonia. The doctor said that an oxygen tent might save her, but there was no electricity to operate the tent fan.

Three linemen, working in a rainstorm, built a five-hundred-foot line extension in only two hours and when the switch was turned on the woman’s life was saved,” according to The Next Greatest Thing.9 However, REA soon developed a “moving belt” assembly-line method that revolutionized rural line construction, making it more efficient. First, two men with tape, stakes, and paint came down the roadway measuring the span between poles and appraising the local conditions. They would paint symbols on the stake, leave it for the next crew, and move on down the road. Second, poles would be delivered for the assembly teams. Third, an assembly crew would deliver supplies—nuts, bolts, insulators, and transformers. Then, the crew with the post-hole diggers and mechanics would stop. The instructions on the stake would tell the men where the hole for the pole should be dug and which hardware should be attached. Next, the pole would be set in place and the conductors strung. As the assembly moved along, the men would secure the conductors, hang the transformers, and prepare the line for service.10 Linemen continued to work hard in adverse conditions to bring the American dream of electricity to rural America, and new farm families received lights each day.

“I wanted to be at my parents’ house when electricity came. It was in 1940. We’d all go around flipping the switch, to make sure it hadn’t come on yet. We didn’t want to miss it. When they finally came on, the lights just barely glowed. I remember my mother smiling. When they came on full, tears started to run down her cheeks,” recalled Clyde T. Ellis, first general manager of NRECA.11

This page and opposite page: Reprinted with permission.

Copyright © NRECA.

Chapter 2: The Next Step  19

During 1940 and 1941, efforts to extend electric service to WFEC’s four-county service area continued. According to articles in the Washington County News, six miles of power lines were built southeast of Chipley and were proposed to be completed within forty-five days.12 REA also approved an allotment of $217,000 to build 261 miles of additional lines to serve 705 additional farm families in Jackson, Holmes, Washington, and Calhoun Counties in November 1941.13

equipment was also at a premium. However, General Manager Smith managed to get the supplies he needed to keep things moving along here at home, but growth was very slow.

“As our part in the war effort and the fight for victory, we are serving four air beacons on the New Orleans–Jacksonville route; two auxiliary air fields and a radio range station of the Marianna Army Air Base. This is in addition to the several hundred farm homes where farm produce is being raised of which a large percent is being sent to our fighting boys in all parts of the world,” said A. J. Crutchfield, president, WFEC Board of Trustees at the 1944 annual meeting.

According to Crutchfield, no meters had been manufactured for REA projects for over a year, but cooperative personnel converted old meters into working meters that could be used to continue making electrical connections. A serious shortage of materials vital to electric line construction kept the co-op from growing as much as it would have liked, but the company still managed to make electric service available to around one hundred new members. 

THE CO-OP BY THE NUMBERS

Reprinted with permission.

Copyright © NRECA.

In 1941, the rural electrification movement hit a rough patch when the United States entered World War II and most able-bodied men were drafted into service. This left WFEC with only two men working on the lines. In fact, General Manager Smith was even drafted by the U.S. Army, according to official Board meeting minutes from May 1942. The Board of Trustees agreed to grant Smith a leave of absence for the duration of the war, should he be accepted into the Army. Smith never left for military service; however, one of the cooperative’s two linemen was drafted and left to aid in the war effort. Because of the war, electrical

20  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

1939—138 miles of line and 160 members 1940—412 miles of line and 710 members 1941—450 miles of line and 900 members 1942—1,074 members 1944—454 miles of line and 1,200 members 1946—2,000 members 1948—4,240 members 1949—5,005 members 1950—5,764 members 1951—1,990 miles of line and 6,876 members 1953—7,314 members 1954—7,560 members 1955—7,278 members 1960—2,643 miles of line and 9,626 members;

serving 3.64 members per each mile of

transmission line

1968—9,065 members 1969—9,109 members 1973—11,158 members 1981—13,619 members 1982—13,725 members 1988—15,179 members 1992—16,239 members 1993—16,503 members 1995—17,395 members 1996—17,431 members 2000—18,703 members 2005—19,716 members 2007—20,442 members 2009—20,692 members 2010—20,583 members

Chapter 2: The Next Step  21

During 1940 and 1941, efforts to extend electric service to WFEC’s four-county service area continued. According to articles in the Washington County News, six miles of power lines were built southeast of Chipley and were proposed to be completed within forty-five days.12 REA also approved an allotment of $217,000 to build 261 miles of additional lines to serve 705 additional farm families in Jackson, Holmes, Washington, and Calhoun Counties in November 1941.13

equipment was also at a premium. However, General Manager Smith managed to get the supplies he needed to keep things moving along here at home, but growth was very slow.

“As our part in the war effort and the fight for victory, we are serving four air beacons on the New Orleans–Jacksonville route; two auxiliary air fields and a radio range station of the Marianna Army Air Base. This is in addition to the several hundred farm homes where farm produce is being raised of which a large percent is being sent to our fighting boys in all parts of the world,” said A. J. Crutchfield, president, WFEC Board of Trustees at the 1944 annual meeting.

According to Crutchfield, no meters had been manufactured for REA projects for over a year, but cooperative personnel converted old meters into working meters that could be used to continue making electrical connections. A serious shortage of materials vital to electric line construction kept the co-op from growing as much as it would have liked, but the company still managed to make electric service available to around one hundred new members. 

THE CO-OP BY THE NUMBERS

Reprinted with permission.

Copyright © NRECA.

In 1941, the rural electrification movement hit a rough patch when the United States entered World War II and most able-bodied men were drafted into service. This left WFEC with only two men working on the lines. In fact, General Manager Smith was even drafted by the U.S. Army, according to official Board meeting minutes from May 1942. The Board of Trustees agreed to grant Smith a leave of absence for the duration of the war, should he be accepted into the Army. Smith never left for military service; however, one of the cooperative’s two linemen was drafted and left to aid in the war effort. Because of the war, electrical

20  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

1939—138 miles of line and 160 members 1940—412 miles of line and 710 members 1941—450 miles of line and 900 members 1942—1,074 members 1944—454 miles of line and 1,200 members 1946—2,000 members 1948—4,240 members 1949—5,005 members 1950—5,764 members 1951—1,990 miles of line and 6,876 members 1953—7,314 members 1954—7,560 members 1955—7,278 members 1960—2,643 miles of line and 9,626 members;

serving 3.64 members per each mile of

transmission line

1968—9,065 members 1969—9,109 members 1973—11,158 members 1981—13,619 members 1982—13,725 members 1988—15,179 members 1992—16,239 members 1993—16,503 members 1995—17,395 members 1996—17,431 members 2000—18,703 members 2005—19,716 members 2007—20,442 members 2009—20,692 members 2010—20,583 members

Chapter 2: The Next Step  21

T

3

Growth and Success Let us be frank about it: most of our people have never had it so good.

Harold MacMillan

he men came back to work, and the economy boomed in 1946 and into the 1950s. Urban and rural people alike had money and were spending it.

Growth was taking place across the nation—not just economic growth, but social and cultural growth. Segregation was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Rosa Parks made her stand on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, and strides were made in the scientific community. A vaccine for polio was developed; the first U.S. satellite successfully orbited the earth; and the first domestic jet-airline passenger service by National Airlines was started between New York City and Miami. Work on the Interstate Highway System was begun, and Alaska and Hawaii became the forty-ninth and fiftieth states.

Architects like Frank Lloyd Wright and artists like Jackson Pollock became very popular. Science fiction books became popular as well because space travel was now an actual possibility. Singers and entertainers like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, and James Dean were all the rage and became icons of the time. People in the 1950s also loved sports. More leisure time and greater prosperity led to greater participation in athletic activities for the average person and added large numbers of fans to all types of sports. As television became more popular and available, other sports found growing numbers of fans. College football was widely followed.14 However, the most impactful advancements were the changes in television broadcasting. During the 1950s, TV became the dominant mass media as people brought television into their homes in greater numbers and watched it for more hours per week than ever before. In the early fifties, the number of hours young people watched TV steadily increased.

People began to accept what was heard and seen on television as the norm.

The effect on print news media and entertainment media was felt in lower attendance at movies and greater reliance on TV news sources for information. Black and white broadcasts became color broadcasts and shows called “sitcoms” like Lassie, Father Knows Best, and I Love Lucy featured popular characters whose lives thousands of viewers watched and copied. Families enjoyed variety shows like The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday evenings.15 In WFEC’s service area, the demand for more electricity to power televisions, appliances, and modern conveniences, created a demand for more cooperative employees, and more office space was needed. The co-op couldn’t expand in downtown Graceville, so a tract of land just south of town was gifted to the Cooperative Board by the citizens of Graceville. WFEC received an allotment of $70,000 for office construction, and it began in 1948. The new facility opened in 1949 at WFEC’s current location.

Opposite page: Reprinted with permission. Copyright © NRECA.

Chapter 3: Growth and Success  23

T

3

Growth and Success Let us be frank about it: most of our people have never had it so good.

Harold MacMillan

he men came back to work, and the economy boomed in 1946 and into the 1950s. Urban and rural people alike had money and were spending it.

Growth was taking place across the nation—not just economic growth, but social and cultural growth. Segregation was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Rosa Parks made her stand on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, and strides were made in the scientific community. A vaccine for polio was developed; the first U.S. satellite successfully orbited the earth; and the first domestic jet-airline passenger service by National Airlines was started between New York City and Miami. Work on the Interstate Highway System was begun, and Alaska and Hawaii became the forty-ninth and fiftieth states.

Architects like Frank Lloyd Wright and artists like Jackson Pollock became very popular. Science fiction books became popular as well because space travel was now an actual possibility. Singers and entertainers like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, and James Dean were all the rage and became icons of the time. People in the 1950s also loved sports. More leisure time and greater prosperity led to greater participation in athletic activities for the average person and added large numbers of fans to all types of sports. As television became more popular and available, other sports found growing numbers of fans. College football was widely followed.14 However, the most impactful advancements were the changes in television broadcasting. During the 1950s, TV became the dominant mass media as people brought television into their homes in greater numbers and watched it for more hours per week than ever before. In the early fifties, the number of hours young people watched TV steadily increased.

People began to accept what was heard and seen on television as the norm.

The effect on print news media and entertainment media was felt in lower attendance at movies and greater reliance on TV news sources for information. Black and white broadcasts became color broadcasts and shows called “sitcoms” like Lassie, Father Knows Best, and I Love Lucy featured popular characters whose lives thousands of viewers watched and copied. Families enjoyed variety shows like The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday evenings.15 In WFEC’s service area, the demand for more electricity to power televisions, appliances, and modern conveniences, created a demand for more cooperative employees, and more office space was needed. The co-op couldn’t expand in downtown Graceville, so a tract of land just south of town was gifted to the Cooperative Board by the citizens of Graceville. WFEC received an allotment of $70,000 for office construction, and it began in 1948. The new facility opened in 1949 at WFEC’s current location.

Opposite page: Reprinted with permission. Copyright © NRECA.

Chapter 3: Growth and Success  23

PRIZES GIVEN AWAY AT THE 1949 ANNUAL MEETING Prize Donated by One pig—value $25 Claude Tindel Sheaffer fountain pen Service Drug Store $5 Bank of Graceville Two automobile tires—16x600 Jones Motor Company One sack Old Rose flour Suwannee Store One sack flour J. E. Wells and Company $5 Bank of Graceville Electric clock Cash Drug Store 100-lb. sack feed—your choice Quality Food Store One Youngstown Kitchenaider (kitchen sink w/built-in steel cabinets) Patterson Hardware Company $5 Bank of Graceville One suit cleaned and pressed Miller’s Dry Cleaners One free radio repair up to $5 Graceville Radio Service One pair shoe soles (ladies or men) Pitts Shoe Shop Five gallons gasoline Wilson Service Station Best shirt in house Noel Peters $5 Bank of Graceville One table lamp Henderson Furniture Company One 24-lb. sack flour Williams Supply Company One Royalton felt hat Morris’ Department Store One grease job Hodges Service Station One half-gallon cooking oil Frank Williams Grocery One gallon Devoe paint Pee Tee’s Super Market $2 in trade Miller Mercantile Company One gallon cooking oil Creel’s Grocery One automobile tire Graceville Auto Company $5 Graceville News One haircut and shave Crawford Barber Shop $5 Bank of Graceville One 25-lb. bag Silk flour Jitney-Jungle One pair large-size Cannon sheets Kingry’s Twenty-five lbs. baby chick starter and Fifty baby chicks Segrest Seed and Feed Store Choice of 10.5’ Kelvinator Refrigerator or Kelvinator Electric Range Tindel-Watford Company and Kelvinator Corporation One lb. Fleetwood coffee Jitney-Jungle One G.E. Ironer (value $199.50) Liddon and White, West Florida Electric Cooperative

24  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

The first mention of a member newsletter occurred in minutes from a 1940 Board of Trustees meeting and indicated it was already being published at that time. However, records of the newsletter name and volume numbers indicate it began its current incarnation in 1950. The Current Light Flashes (CLF) has become the cooperative’s best communications tool. This monthly newsletter is still utilized today as the cooperative’s main mode of communication with members. The publication shared news about the coop’s growth, outages, and rates. The newsletter featured information on billing issues, reminders to read meters, and other useful information. It also provided a forum for members to buy and sell items, which is still one of the publication’s most popular features. Even in 1951, the cooperative was concerned with energy efficiency issues (a main focus of communications efforts today) as illustrated by the following article:

Top: Early photo of Graceville office.

Down the Drain If your hot water faucet is dripping as little as 100 drops a minute, you will lose about 151 gallons of water a month. You will have wasted the 25 or 30 kilowatts you used to heat that water plus the kilowatts you used to pump it. (Even if it’s the cold water faucet dripping, you will be wasting the kilowatts used to pump it.) How do we know? Ralph Wright, who works for an electric co-op in Oklahoma, ran a test on it.

Why are we concerned if you want to waste electricity? Mostly because we want our members to use electricity profitably, not merely to use electricity.16

Above: Example of early version of CLF.

Chapter 3: Growth and Success  25

PRIZES GIVEN AWAY AT THE 1949 ANNUAL MEETING Prize Donated by One pig—value $25 Claude Tindel Sheaffer fountain pen Service Drug Store $5 Bank of Graceville Two automobile tires—16x600 Jones Motor Company One sack Old Rose flour Suwannee Store One sack flour J. E. Wells and Company $5 Bank of Graceville Electric clock Cash Drug Store 100-lb. sack feed—your choice Quality Food Store One Youngstown Kitchenaider (kitchen sink w/built-in steel cabinets) Patterson Hardware Company $5 Bank of Graceville One suit cleaned and pressed Miller’s Dry Cleaners One free radio repair up to $5 Graceville Radio Service One pair shoe soles (ladies or men) Pitts Shoe Shop Five gallons gasoline Wilson Service Station Best shirt in house Noel Peters $5 Bank of Graceville One table lamp Henderson Furniture Company One 24-lb. sack flour Williams Supply Company One Royalton felt hat Morris’ Department Store One grease job Hodges Service Station One half-gallon cooking oil Frank Williams Grocery One gallon Devoe paint Pee Tee’s Super Market $2 in trade Miller Mercantile Company One gallon cooking oil Creel’s Grocery One automobile tire Graceville Auto Company $5 Graceville News One haircut and shave Crawford Barber Shop $5 Bank of Graceville One 25-lb. bag Silk flour Jitney-Jungle One pair large-size Cannon sheets Kingry’s Twenty-five lbs. baby chick starter and Fifty baby chicks Segrest Seed and Feed Store Choice of 10.5’ Kelvinator Refrigerator or Kelvinator Electric Range Tindel-Watford Company and Kelvinator Corporation One lb. Fleetwood coffee Jitney-Jungle One G.E. Ironer (value $199.50) Liddon and White, West Florida Electric Cooperative

24  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

The first mention of a member newsletter occurred in minutes from a 1940 Board of Trustees meeting and indicated it was already being published at that time. However, records of the newsletter name and volume numbers indicate it began its current incarnation in 1950. The Current Light Flashes (CLF) has become the cooperative’s best communications tool. This monthly newsletter is still utilized today as the cooperative’s main mode of communication with members. The publication shared news about the coop’s growth, outages, and rates. The newsletter featured information on billing issues, reminders to read meters, and other useful information. It also provided a forum for members to buy and sell items, which is still one of the publication’s most popular features. Even in 1951, the cooperative was concerned with energy efficiency issues (a main focus of communications efforts today) as illustrated by the following article:

Top: Early photo of Graceville office.

Down the Drain If your hot water faucet is dripping as little as 100 drops a minute, you will lose about 151 gallons of water a month. You will have wasted the 25 or 30 kilowatts you used to heat that water plus the kilowatts you used to pump it. (Even if it’s the cold water faucet dripping, you will be wasting the kilowatts used to pump it.) How do we know? Ralph Wright, who works for an electric co-op in Oklahoma, ran a test on it.

Why are we concerned if you want to waste electricity? Mostly because we want our members to use electricity profitably, not merely to use electricity.16

Above: Example of early version of CLF.

Chapter 3: Growth and Success  25

In a 1951 issue of the Current Light Flashes, the following letters to WFEC were published thanking the cooperative for electricity and the conveniences it brought to local farm families:

MORE THAN HALF OF FARMS IN FLORIDA ELECTRIFIED, EXTENSION SERVICE SAYS Rural electrification has made giant strides in Florida during the past twelve years, the State Agricultural Extension Service revealed this week.

Except for providing power for a comparatively small number of farms needing it to increase food production, the rural electrification program of Florida slowed to a virtual standstill during the war years, but it made great progress before the war and is advancing rapidly now.

Of Florida’s sixty-one thousand farms, about thirty-five thousand now enjoy central station electric service, as compared with only fifty-seven hundred receiving such service in May 1935, shortly before the Rural Electrification Administration was established. At present, 41.2 percent of Florida farms are without electricity.

Cooperatives and private power companies that supply electricity to Florida farms have extended their lines and services very rapidly, and they plan increasing activity in this field during the next few years.

The first REA loan in Florida was approved in November 1935, while the first REA-financed line was put in operation on June 19, 1936, by the Florida Power Corporation of St. Petersburg. From November 1935 to July 31, 1947, the REA approved a total of $15,581,000 in loans to seventeen Florida borrowers—sixteen cooperatives and one private company. These loans will enable borrowers to finance more than eleven thousand miles of lines and other rural electric facilities. Of the total approved, $10,264,905 has been advanced to borrowers.

Florida borrowers have done well in keeping up with their payments on REA loans, the Extension Service pointed out. On June 30, 1947, they had paid $1,006,409 in principal and interest, and this included $56,362 paid on principal in advance of time due. On that date, seven borrowers were ahead with payments, and only one was behind. The allotment for loans to Florida borrowers during the year ending June 30, 1948, is $1,239,676.

REA-financed electric power systems in Florida include the Clay Electric Cooperative, Keystone Heights; Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative, Live Oak; Sumter Electric Cooperative, Sumterville; West Florida Electric Cooperative, Graceville; Escambia River Electric Cooperative, Jay; Central Florida Electric Cooperative, Chiefland; Florida Keys Electric Cooperative, Tarvernier; Lee County Electric Cooperative, Fort Myers; Peace River Electric Cooperative, Wauchula; Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Madison; Talquin Electric Cooperative, Quincy; Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative, DeFuniak Springs; Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative, Dade City; Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative, Panama City; and Glades Electric Cooperative, Moore Haven. The Florida Power Corporation, St. Petersburg, is also a borrower.17

26  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

We are enjoying an electric pump with running water here at home. We have had it for about four months. It sure is a help thanks to electricity.

Yours truly,

C. W. Sawyer We are the proud owners of a Universal washing machine and thanks to electricity for making this labor saver possible.

Mrs. Loy Culliver

April 14, 1951 Dear Sir: We are proud to announce that Mr. and Mrs. R. O. Rehberg of Marianna, Rt. 1, has recently installed a Fairbanks-Morse water system. We are especially proud of the REA line which makes it possible for us to enjoy service like this in the Rural Section.

Sincerely,

Mrs. R. O. Rehberg Gentlemen: Just a few lines to let you know that we appreciate very much the changes made for us during the re-building of our place in Dellwood several months ago.

Since then, we have been enjoying the use of a new Coldspot refrigerator and Cook deep well pump.

Yours very truly,

Mr. and Mrs. L. C. Allen18 The newsletter also shared safety information with cooperative members. An article featured in the February 1954 CLF warns residents that shooting insulators could cause “an extensive amount of damage with only one bullet.” According to the story, cooperative staff found a large number of line insulators that were shot with .22 rifles. The author surmised that these guns were Christmas gifts the new owners couldn’t wait to fire until they found suitable game for target practice. The article requests that members refrain from shooting insulators because cracked Chapter 3: Growth and Success  27

In a 1951 issue of the Current Light Flashes, the following letters to WFEC were published thanking the cooperative for electricity and the conveniences it brought to local farm families:

MORE THAN HALF OF FARMS IN FLORIDA ELECTRIFIED, EXTENSION SERVICE SAYS Rural electrification has made giant strides in Florida during the past twelve years, the State Agricultural Extension Service revealed this week.

Except for providing power for a comparatively small number of farms needing it to increase food production, the rural electrification program of Florida slowed to a virtual standstill during the war years, but it made great progress before the war and is advancing rapidly now.

Of Florida’s sixty-one thousand farms, about thirty-five thousand now enjoy central station electric service, as compared with only fifty-seven hundred receiving such service in May 1935, shortly before the Rural Electrification Administration was established. At present, 41.2 percent of Florida farms are without electricity.

Cooperatives and private power companies that supply electricity to Florida farms have extended their lines and services very rapidly, and they plan increasing activity in this field during the next few years.

The first REA loan in Florida was approved in November 1935, while the first REA-financed line was put in operation on June 19, 1936, by the Florida Power Corporation of St. Petersburg. From November 1935 to July 31, 1947, the REA approved a total of $15,581,000 in loans to seventeen Florida borrowers—sixteen cooperatives and one private company. These loans will enable borrowers to finance more than eleven thousand miles of lines and other rural electric facilities. Of the total approved, $10,264,905 has been advanced to borrowers.

Florida borrowers have done well in keeping up with their payments on REA loans, the Extension Service pointed out. On June 30, 1947, they had paid $1,006,409 in principal and interest, and this included $56,362 paid on principal in advance of time due. On that date, seven borrowers were ahead with payments, and only one was behind. The allotment for loans to Florida borrowers during the year ending June 30, 1948, is $1,239,676.

REA-financed electric power systems in Florida include the Clay Electric Cooperative, Keystone Heights; Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative, Live Oak; Sumter Electric Cooperative, Sumterville; West Florida Electric Cooperative, Graceville; Escambia River Electric Cooperative, Jay; Central Florida Electric Cooperative, Chiefland; Florida Keys Electric Cooperative, Tarvernier; Lee County Electric Cooperative, Fort Myers; Peace River Electric Cooperative, Wauchula; Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Madison; Talquin Electric Cooperative, Quincy; Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative, DeFuniak Springs; Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative, Dade City; Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative, Panama City; and Glades Electric Cooperative, Moore Haven. The Florida Power Corporation, St. Petersburg, is also a borrower.17

26  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

We are enjoying an electric pump with running water here at home. We have had it for about four months. It sure is a help thanks to electricity.

Yours truly,

C. W. Sawyer We are the proud owners of a Universal washing machine and thanks to electricity for making this labor saver possible.

Mrs. Loy Culliver

April 14, 1951 Dear Sir: We are proud to announce that Mr. and Mrs. R. O. Rehberg of Marianna, Rt. 1, has recently installed a Fairbanks-Morse water system. We are especially proud of the REA line which makes it possible for us to enjoy service like this in the Rural Section.

Sincerely,

Mrs. R. O. Rehberg Gentlemen: Just a few lines to let you know that we appreciate very much the changes made for us during the re-building of our place in Dellwood several months ago.

Since then, we have been enjoying the use of a new Coldspot refrigerator and Cook deep well pump.

Yours very truly,

Mr. and Mrs. L. C. Allen18 The newsletter also shared safety information with cooperative members. An article featured in the February 1954 CLF warns residents that shooting insulators could cause “an extensive amount of damage with only one bullet.” According to the story, cooperative staff found a large number of line insulators that were shot with .22 rifles. The author surmised that these guns were Christmas gifts the new owners couldn’t wait to fire until they found suitable game for target practice. The article requests that members refrain from shooting insulators because cracked Chapter 3: Growth and Success  27

Reprinted with permission.

Copyright © NRECA.

insulators are one of the “hardest forms of trouble to locate.” “Not only does a cracked insulator cause radio noise that is troublesome for many miles, but it will eventually trip the line protective device and many people will be without lights until the trouble is located. Last but not least, it is possible for one to shoot the line down and be electrocuted by the fallen conductors,” the story continued.19 The CLF was as valuable a tool then as it is now. WFEC still uses it to educate members about energy efficiency and electrical safety. It is also available for members to use as a forum for buying and selling items and used to communicate with members about events like the annual meeting and other issues that may have an impact on the utility industry.

Circulated to over twenty-four thousand cooperative members each month, the publication is the most widely read in four counties according to data from the cooperative’s most recent survey.

In 1952, co-op members voted to divide the four-county service area into districts. Once the decision was made, district boundaries were determined and nine districts were created to represent members’ interests.

During 1952, the co-op’s first general manager Claude Smith made the decision to resign after fourteen years, and F. W. Warfel was appointed acting general manager until the position could be filled.

J. B. Rutherford was eventually hired as general manager and took over the everyday operations of the cooperative. 

28  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

Co-op members voted to split the cooperative’s service area into nine districts in 1952.

The cooperative purchased two-way radio communications system in the 1940s.

1945—WFEC joined Florida Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

1946—W. W. Henley became president of the Board of Trustees.

On January 6, 1948, the co-op suffered financial losses due to a brush fire that resulted in the destruction of 120 transformers costing approximately $11,000.

August 14, 1948—WFEC transferred 53.291 miles of power lines and all members on those lines in southern Calhoun County to Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative who took over service to that area.

1949—Only single-phase transmission lines existed in WFEC’s service area. The cooperative did not own any two or three-phase lines at the time.

May and June 1950—New 44KV line and substation were energized, and the Graceville substation carried a demand of 1,701 KVA. In January 2011, the Graceville substation peaked at 10,698 KVA. 1951—General Manager Smith proposed to begin selling commercial ads in the CLF. The cost was $2/column inch. In 2011, commercial ads in the publication cost $23/column inch.

August 1953—There were still approximately eight hundred homes throughout the co-op’s service area that did not have electricity.

1954—Cooperative purchased a new billing machine to help with billing seventy-four hundred members; Florida law changed to allow REA directors to serve for a term of three years, so the by-laws of the cooperative were amended by the membership at the May 1954 annual meeting.

Chapter 3: Growth and Success  29

Reprinted with permission.

Copyright © NRECA.

insulators are one of the “hardest forms of trouble to locate.” “Not only does a cracked insulator cause radio noise that is troublesome for many miles, but it will eventually trip the line protective device and many people will be without lights until the trouble is located. Last but not least, it is possible for one to shoot the line down and be electrocuted by the fallen conductors,” the story continued.19 The CLF was as valuable a tool then as it is now. WFEC still uses it to educate members about energy efficiency and electrical safety. It is also available for members to use as a forum for buying and selling items and used to communicate with members about events like the annual meeting and other issues that may have an impact on the utility industry.

Circulated to over twenty-four thousand cooperative members each month, the publication is the most widely read in four counties according to data from the cooperative’s most recent survey.

In 1952, co-op members voted to divide the four-county service area into districts. Once the decision was made, district boundaries were determined and nine districts were created to represent members’ interests.

During 1952, the co-op’s first general manager Claude Smith made the decision to resign after fourteen years, and F. W. Warfel was appointed acting general manager until the position could be filled.

J. B. Rutherford was eventually hired as general manager and took over the everyday operations of the cooperative. 

28  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

Co-op members voted to split the cooperative’s service area into nine districts in 1952.

The cooperative purchased two-way radio communications system in the 1940s.

1945—WFEC joined Florida Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

1946—W. W. Henley became president of the Board of Trustees.

On January 6, 1948, the co-op suffered financial losses due to a brush fire that resulted in the destruction of 120 transformers costing approximately $11,000.

August 14, 1948—WFEC transferred 53.291 miles of power lines and all members on those lines in southern Calhoun County to Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative who took over service to that area.

1949—Only single-phase transmission lines existed in WFEC’s service area. The cooperative did not own any two or three-phase lines at the time.

May and June 1950—New 44KV line and substation were energized, and the Graceville substation carried a demand of 1,701 KVA. In January 2011, the Graceville substation peaked at 10,698 KVA. 1951—General Manager Smith proposed to begin selling commercial ads in the CLF. The cost was $2/column inch. In 2011, commercial ads in the publication cost $23/column inch.

August 1953—There were still approximately eight hundred homes throughout the co-op’s service area that did not have electricity.

1954—Cooperative purchased a new billing machine to help with billing seventy-four hundred members; Florida law changed to allow REA directors to serve for a term of three years, so the by-laws of the cooperative were amended by the membership at the May 1954 annual meeting.

Chapter 3: Growth and Success  29

“T

4

Products of the Labor The Great Society is not a safe harbor, a resting place, a final objective, a finished work. It is a challenge constantly renewed, beckoning us toward a destiny where the meaning of our lives matches the marvelous products of our labor.

President Lyndon Johnson, 1964

he sixties were the age of youth, as 70 million children from the postwar baby boom became teenagers and young adults. The movement away from the conservative fifties continued and eventually resulted in revolutionary ways of thinking and real change in the cultural fabric of American life. No longer content to be images of the generation ahead of them, young people wanted change.

The changes affected education, values, lifestyles, laws, and entertainment.

Many of the revolutionary ideas which began in the sixties are continuing to evolve today.”20 Many of these young people began working hard to implement the changes they wanted. College campuses became places of debate and protests. Civil Rights was again at the forefront of the issues impacting the youth of America. Books like To Kill a Mockingbird illustrated race relations in American society. The Women’s Liberation Movement emerged, and the “glass ceiling” was disclosed. America joined the space race and became the first country to have astronauts walk on the moon.

Following along with the trends in society, the cooperative saw many changes during the 1960s. West Florida Electric became involved with economic development efforts within its service area during the sixties.

General Manager Rutherford learned that industry was interested in locating to the Sneads area, so he and a committee of trustees began actively recruiting this business on behalf of the town. During this time, the cooperative also purchased eighty acres of land on Highway 90 between Cottondale and Chipley to serve as a possible industrial site.

The co-op also purchased land in Sneads to serve as a possible site location for business growth. Today, the cooperative remains involved in economic development efforts throughout its service area.

A change in leadership and a more proactive Board of Trustees were a few of the other changes.

Elbert Franklin was hired as general manager of the cooperative in 1964.

Work procedures were updated and redesigned and operating policies were changed to improve the cooperative’s service to members.

Opposite page: WFEC Sneads office circa 1960s.

Chapter 4: Products of the Labor  31

“T

4

Products of the Labor The Great Society is not a safe harbor, a resting place, a final objective, a finished work. It is a challenge constantly renewed, beckoning us toward a destiny where the meaning of our lives matches the marvelous products of our labor.

President Lyndon Johnson, 1964

he sixties were the age of youth, as 70 million children from the postwar baby boom became teenagers and young adults. The movement away from the conservative fifties continued and eventually resulted in revolutionary ways of thinking and real change in the cultural fabric of American life. No longer content to be images of the generation ahead of them, young people wanted change.

The changes affected education, values, lifestyles, laws, and entertainment.

Many of the revolutionary ideas which began in the sixties are continuing to evolve today.”20 Many of these young people began working hard to implement the changes they wanted. College campuses became places of debate and protests. Civil Rights was again at the forefront of the issues impacting the youth of America. Books like To Kill a Mockingbird illustrated race relations in American society. The Women’s Liberation Movement emerged, and the “glass ceiling” was disclosed. America joined the space race and became the first country to have astronauts walk on the moon.

Following along with the trends in society, the cooperative saw many changes during the 1960s. West Florida Electric became involved with economic development efforts within its service area during the sixties.

General Manager Rutherford learned that industry was interested in locating to the Sneads area, so he and a committee of trustees began actively recruiting this business on behalf of the town. During this time, the cooperative also purchased eighty acres of land on Highway 90 between Cottondale and Chipley to serve as a possible industrial site.

The co-op also purchased land in Sneads to serve as a possible site location for business growth. Today, the cooperative remains involved in economic development efforts throughout its service area.

A change in leadership and a more proactive Board of Trustees were a few of the other changes.

Elbert Franklin was hired as general manager of the cooperative in 1964.

Work procedures were updated and redesigned and operating policies were changed to improve the cooperative’s service to members.

Opposite page: WFEC Sneads office circa 1960s.

Chapter 4: Products of the Labor  31

West Florida Electric Graceville office staff.

As part of efforts to serve the communities in a more efficient manner, two outside bill collection points were implemented in Holmes and Washington Counties.

The cooperative also rejoined the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and the Florida Electric Cooperative Association (FECA) after brief absences from both organizations.

The cooperative Board of Trustees believed that WFEC would be a more effective utility with the support NRECA and FECA could offer.

The Sneads area of the cooperative territory experienced a surge of growth in the 1960s, so construction on an office there began in the summer of 1965 in hopes that having a facility there would improve customer service to members living in eastern Jackson County. The Altha substation was also added to the cooperative’s holdings that year. Construction on the office in Sneads was completed in 1966, and that area continued to grow.

In June 1969, the cooperative continued with changes as it implemented electronic billing equipment. 

A. D. Simpson was appointed to the Board of Trustees.

1964—Graceville-Campbellton Hospital opened.

1965—Town of Sneads was franchised.

1966—Board of Trustees voted to conduct a local beauty contest with the winner competing for the state title at the 1966 Annual Meeting of Florida Electric Cooperatives in December 1966.

The Board of Trustees also voted to participate in a program to furnish replacement stoves and refrigerators on a yearly basis to the Home Economics Departments of local high schools served by the co-op.

Annual use of electricity by the U.S. worker averaged an estimated 32,870 KWh in 1964. This was an increase in 508 KWh from 1963. The total amount of electricity used by manufacturing industries went up approximately 70 percent, while the average use of electricity by worker increased 67 percent since 1954. Factory workers in 1964 had the equivalent of 491 men helping him on his job all year long with the use of this much electricity.21 According to a 1966 article in the Current Light Flashes, homes that were not air-conditioned may soon be considered obsolete. A National Home Builder’s survey showed that 32 percent of single-family homes built by its members in 1965 were air-conditioned.22

32  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

Chapter 4: Products of the Labor  33

West Florida Electric Graceville office staff.

As part of efforts to serve the communities in a more efficient manner, two outside bill collection points were implemented in Holmes and Washington Counties.

The cooperative also rejoined the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and the Florida Electric Cooperative Association (FECA) after brief absences from both organizations.

The cooperative Board of Trustees believed that WFEC would be a more effective utility with the support NRECA and FECA could offer.

The Sneads area of the cooperative territory experienced a surge of growth in the 1960s, so construction on an office there began in the summer of 1965 in hopes that having a facility there would improve customer service to members living in eastern Jackson County. The Altha substation was also added to the cooperative’s holdings that year. Construction on the office in Sneads was completed in 1966, and that area continued to grow.

In June 1969, the cooperative continued with changes as it implemented electronic billing equipment. 

A. D. Simpson was appointed to the Board of Trustees.

1964—Graceville-Campbellton Hospital opened.

1965—Town of Sneads was franchised.

1966—Board of Trustees voted to conduct a local beauty contest with the winner competing for the state title at the 1966 Annual Meeting of Florida Electric Cooperatives in December 1966.

The Board of Trustees also voted to participate in a program to furnish replacement stoves and refrigerators on a yearly basis to the Home Economics Departments of local high schools served by the co-op.

Annual use of electricity by the U.S. worker averaged an estimated 32,870 KWh in 1964. This was an increase in 508 KWh from 1963. The total amount of electricity used by manufacturing industries went up approximately 70 percent, while the average use of electricity by worker increased 67 percent since 1954. Factory workers in 1964 had the equivalent of 491 men helping him on his job all year long with the use of this much electricity.21 According to a 1966 article in the Current Light Flashes, homes that were not air-conditioned may soon be considered obsolete. A National Home Builder’s survey showed that 32 percent of single-family homes built by its members in 1965 were air-conditioned.22

32  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

Chapter 4: Products of the Labor  33

T

5

Changes Continue as Growth Occurs Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.

Benjamin Franklin

he electronic billing equipment purchased by the cooperative instigated changes in the payment process for WFEC members. Instead of having to make a trip to the office to make a payment, members could now send their payments through the mail.

As the cooperative’s membership continued to grow, more substations were needed to supply power. In 1971, a new substation was built in Alford. Plans to continue building additional substations were also considered at this time. A new warehouse was constructed at the Sneads office, and plans to build another warehouse and bill collection point in Westville were made. This construction was completed in the fall of 1975.

Since the early 1940s, WFEC received the bulk of its power supply from Gulf Power Company, but with the cost of wholesale power continuing to rise, the Board of Trustees reached out to another generation and transmission cooperative. Alabama Electric Cooperative (AEC), now known as PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, presented a proposal for supplying the cooperative’s power needs. The Board subsequently accepted their proposal and AEC has been WFEC’s generation and transmission cooperative ever since. As growth and development continued in WFEC’s service area—especially in eastern Jackson County, the Board of Trustees decided to borrow additional funds from REA to help meet the cooperative’s rising demand.

After the annual meeting was held in 1975, the cooperative experienced another change in leadership. George Barfield replaced Elbert Franklin as general manager of the cooperative in 1976 after the new Board of Trustees took office. The new Board took a conservative approach to running the co-op and enacted sweeping policy changes, including a reduction in deposits and services charges. A minority advisor position was added to the Board of Trustees at this time with A. H. Bowers serving in this capacity.

As the 1976 annual meeting rolled around, changes to the voting procedure

Opposite page: Office staff began using computers during the 1970s for accounting and billing.

Chapter 5: Changes Continue as Growth Occurs  35

T

5

Changes Continue as Growth Occurs Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.

Benjamin Franklin

he electronic billing equipment purchased by the cooperative instigated changes in the payment process for WFEC members. Instead of having to make a trip to the office to make a payment, members could now send their payments through the mail.

As the cooperative’s membership continued to grow, more substations were needed to supply power. In 1971, a new substation was built in Alford. Plans to continue building additional substations were also considered at this time. A new warehouse was constructed at the Sneads office, and plans to build another warehouse and bill collection point in Westville were made. This construction was completed in the fall of 1975.

Since the early 1940s, WFEC received the bulk of its power supply from Gulf Power Company, but with the cost of wholesale power continuing to rise, the Board of Trustees reached out to another generation and transmission cooperative. Alabama Electric Cooperative (AEC), now known as PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, presented a proposal for supplying the cooperative’s power needs. The Board subsequently accepted their proposal and AEC has been WFEC’s generation and transmission cooperative ever since. As growth and development continued in WFEC’s service area—especially in eastern Jackson County, the Board of Trustees decided to borrow additional funds from REA to help meet the cooperative’s rising demand.

After the annual meeting was held in 1975, the cooperative experienced another change in leadership. George Barfield replaced Elbert Franklin as general manager of the cooperative in 1976 after the new Board of Trustees took office. The new Board took a conservative approach to running the co-op and enacted sweeping policy changes, including a reduction in deposits and services charges. A minority advisor position was added to the Board of Trustees at this time with A. H. Bowers serving in this capacity.

As the 1976 annual meeting rolled around, changes to the voting procedure

Opposite page: Office staff began using computers during the 1970s for accounting and billing.

Chapter 5: Changes Continue as Growth Occurs  35

Alabama Electric Cooperative logo.

Above: A. H. Bowers served as the minority advisor to the Board of Trustees for many years.

Right: WFEC began utilizing voting machines at the 1976 annual meeting.

36  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

for trustees began. For the first time in cooperative history voting machines were available at the annual meeting for members to cast their votes. Before this, ballots had to be counted by hand at the annual meeting by a committee of members who were selected by the Board of Trustees to carry out this task.

By the time of the co-op’s fortieth anniversary in 1977, additional land for expansion was needed at the Graceville office location. So later that year, the Board decided to purchase the property known as Sportsman’s Park, former home field of the town’s professional baseball team—the Graceville Oilers. This land was to be used as a pole yard.

The Graceville Oilers were members of the Alabama-Florida League (AFL) and were quite successful during the 1950s. The team gave Graceville its second major claim to national fame, according to an article by E. W. Carswell published in the Graceville News in 1954. “It is known as the ‘smallest city in professional baseball’ and as the home of the world’s largest peanut shelling plant.”23 It is from peanut oil, one of the products produced by that plant, Greenwood Products Company, that the Graceville Oilers took their name.

Promoters of the sport were amazed at the support and attendance at the Oilers games from a town the size of Graceville—a population of just 1,672. However, on regular occasions more than 3,000 fans from

Alabama-Florida League Champs: Standing (left to right) are Ray Pierce, Jerry Alsop, Ed Kowalsky, Dick Wright, Bob Wyzykowski, Travis Bernard, Marion Fincher, Bobby Sherer, Al Rivenbark, Pete Adair, and Marcus Davis (manager). Front (left to right) are Bob Camp, Nick Berbesia, Humberto Lopez, Joe Dacus, Van Tarlton, and Johnny Horne. Photo

by J. C. Winslett, courtesy of the Graceville News.

Chapter 5: Changes Continue as Growth Occurs  37

Alabama Electric Cooperative logo.

Above: A. H. Bowers served as the minority advisor to the Board of Trustees for many years.

Right: WFEC began utilizing voting machines at the 1976 annual meeting.

36  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

for trustees began. For the first time in cooperative history voting machines were available at the annual meeting for members to cast their votes. Before this, ballots had to be counted by hand at the annual meeting by a committee of members who were selected by the Board of Trustees to carry out this task.

By the time of the co-op’s fortieth anniversary in 1977, additional land for expansion was needed at the Graceville office location. So later that year, the Board decided to purchase the property known as Sportsman’s Park, former home field of the town’s professional baseball team—the Graceville Oilers. This land was to be used as a pole yard.

The Graceville Oilers were members of the Alabama-Florida League (AFL) and were quite successful during the 1950s. The team gave Graceville its second major claim to national fame, according to an article by E. W. Carswell published in the Graceville News in 1954. “It is known as the ‘smallest city in professional baseball’ and as the home of the world’s largest peanut shelling plant.”23 It is from peanut oil, one of the products produced by that plant, Greenwood Products Company, that the Graceville Oilers took their name.

Promoters of the sport were amazed at the support and attendance at the Oilers games from a town the size of Graceville—a population of just 1,672. However, on regular occasions more than 3,000 fans from

Alabama-Florida League Champs: Standing (left to right) are Ray Pierce, Jerry Alsop, Ed Kowalsky, Dick Wright, Bob Wyzykowski, Travis Bernard, Marion Fincher, Bobby Sherer, Al Rivenbark, Pete Adair, and Marcus Davis (manager). Front (left to right) are Bob Camp, Nick Berbesia, Humberto Lopez, Joe Dacus, Van Tarlton, and Johnny Horne. Photo

by J. C. Winslett, courtesy of the Graceville News.

Chapter 5: Changes Continue as Growth Occurs  37

Oilers memorabilia. Courtesy of Dr. Tom Crutchfield.

neighboring towns and the surrounding countryside showed up to support the team for crucial games. The team’s success began in 1947, when several Graceville citizens got together to create a wholesome hometown program for the community’s youth—this led to the formation of the Sportsmen’s Association which sponsored a semiprofessional team.

According to Carswell, when the town heard Enterprise, Alabama, was dropping out of the AlabamaFlorida League, they jumped at the opportunity to move the team to Graceville. “Why don’t we take over the franchise?” someone asked, and Graceville did.

The team moved to the town in mid-season 1952.

The team played its first game on July 5, 1952, and won—only to lose their next fifteen games in a row.24 However, local support for the team never waned.

The Oilers ranked second in paid admissions in the league during the last half of 1952.

In 1953, the Oilers hired Holt (Cat) Milner as manager and set out to improve their play and win some games. They did—finishing second in the pennant race that year. Over thirty-five thousand fans paid to see them play at home that year. The fans’ support paid off the next year when the Oilers became the AFL Champs in 1954. Today, the bleachers, walls, and concession stand of the field can still be seen on the outskirts of the cooperative’s pole yard. Transformers, poles, and other building materials are stored in this area.

In another expansion project during 1977, the cooperative built substations in Bonifay and Chipley to meet the demand for power. Later that same year, another change in cooperative leadership occurred. George Barfield was replaced as general manager with longtime cooperative employee Sneads District Manager Adell Miles. Miles would serve as acting manager until a permanent replacement could be hired. Plans to start a Member Services Department at the co-op were also begun in 1977.

The cooperative began making advances in technology during the late 1970s by purchasing a computer system for accounting and billing.

Changes in the way WFEC received power were also on the horizon.

The first step in this process was allowing Alabama Electric Cooperative (AEC) (now PowerSouth) to begin supplying power to the Chipley and Graceville substations, instead of Gulf Power.

38  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

Samuel Chaney came on board as WFEC’s new general manager in November of 1977, but his tenure with the cooperative was brief. Chaney left in 1979, and Adell Miles again stepped forward as acting manager until a replacement could be hired.

In 1978, the cooperative had eighty-two employees, and Claude Smith, the co-op’s first general manager, spoke at that year’s annual meeting.

During 1979, the Board of Trustees made the decision to join Alabama Electric Cooperative (now PowerSouth) in an effort to reduce wholesale power costs. PowerSouth continues to act as West Florida Electric Cooperative’s generation and transmission cooperative today. The Board of Trustees also made a decision to renovate the Graceville office building in 1979. Offices would be added to the rear of the building, and improvements were also made to the warehouse and pole yard.

Office Manager Charles Thibos was hired as general manager, and a new substation in Westville was completed. Outage times were down from previous years—the lowest since 1974. The cooperative was able to move into the new decade in a positive manner with new leadership, new assets, and a renovation project underway. 

Today the bleachers, walls, and concession stand can still be seen on the outskirts of the pole yard.

Photo of Graceville office after renovations were completed.

Chapter 5: Changes Continue as Growth Occurs  39

Oilers memorabilia. Courtesy of Dr. Tom Crutchfield.

neighboring towns and the surrounding countryside showed up to support the team for crucial games. The team’s success began in 1947, when several Graceville citizens got together to create a wholesome hometown program for the community’s youth—this led to the formation of the Sportsmen’s Association which sponsored a semiprofessional team.

According to Carswell, when the town heard Enterprise, Alabama, was dropping out of the AlabamaFlorida League, they jumped at the opportunity to move the team to Graceville. “Why don’t we take over the franchise?” someone asked, and Graceville did.

The team moved to the town in mid-season 1952.

The team played its first game on July 5, 1952, and won—only to lose their next fifteen games in a row.24 However, local support for the team never waned.

The Oilers ranked second in paid admissions in the league during the last half of 1952.

In 1953, the Oilers hired Holt (Cat) Milner as manager and set out to improve their play and win some games. They did—finishing second in the pennant race that year. Over thirty-five thousand fans paid to see them play at home that year. The fans’ support paid off the next year when the Oilers became the AFL Champs in 1954. Today, the bleachers, walls, and concession stand of the field can still be seen on the outskirts of the cooperative’s pole yard. Transformers, poles, and other building materials are stored in this area.

In another expansion project during 1977, the cooperative built substations in Bonifay and Chipley to meet the demand for power. Later that same year, another change in cooperative leadership occurred. George Barfield was replaced as general manager with longtime cooperative employee Sneads District Manager Adell Miles. Miles would serve as acting manager until a permanent replacement could be hired. Plans to start a Member Services Department at the co-op were also begun in 1977.

The cooperative began making advances in technology during the late 1970s by purchasing a computer system for accounting and billing.

Changes in the way WFEC received power were also on the horizon.

The first step in this process was allowing Alabama Electric Cooperative (AEC) (now PowerSouth) to begin supplying power to the Chipley and Graceville substations, instead of Gulf Power.

38  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

Samuel Chaney came on board as WFEC’s new general manager in November of 1977, but his tenure with the cooperative was brief. Chaney left in 1979, and Adell Miles again stepped forward as acting manager until a replacement could be hired.

In 1978, the cooperative had eighty-two employees, and Claude Smith, the co-op’s first general manager, spoke at that year’s annual meeting.

During 1979, the Board of Trustees made the decision to join Alabama Electric Cooperative (now PowerSouth) in an effort to reduce wholesale power costs. PowerSouth continues to act as West Florida Electric Cooperative’s generation and transmission cooperative today. The Board of Trustees also made a decision to renovate the Graceville office building in 1979. Offices would be added to the rear of the building, and improvements were also made to the warehouse and pole yard.

Office Manager Charles Thibos was hired as general manager, and a new substation in Westville was completed. Outage times were down from previous years—the lowest since 1974. The cooperative was able to move into the new decade in a positive manner with new leadership, new assets, and a renovation project underway. 

Today the bleachers, walls, and concession stand can still be seen on the outskirts of the pole yard.

Photo of Graceville office after renovations were completed.

Chapter 5: Changes Continue as Growth Occurs  39

T

6

Growth Inspires Additional Services Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation. You will have opportunities beyond anything we’ve ever known.

Ronald Reagan

he cooperative continued to grow and implement new programs and services in the 1980s. One of the programs implemented by the Board of Trustees was a low interest loan program that allowed members of the co-op to borrow money to complete energy efficiency upgrades in their homes. Members could purchase new heating and cooling systems, and add insulation or new windows with the funds they borrowed under the Energy Resources Conservation program (ERC).

The co-op also began participating in the National Rural Electric Youth Tour program. This program allowed high school juniors to compete to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., during the summer. The winners joined over fifteen hundred students from across the country to visit our nation’s historic monuments, buildings, and also visit with legislators to learn more about how our government and cooperatives work. Through the years, West Florida Electric has sent over fifty students on this once-in-a-lifetime trip. Many of them have gone on to become leaders in the communities served by the cooperative.

In 1982, the cooperative implemented cycle billing as it continued to grow. On Christmas Day 1983, a new peak load of 54,650 KVA was reached by the co-op. Peak load is the amount of electric power required by a utility system during times when electric consumption reaches its highest point. The company continued to grow throughout 1984 and 1985, acquiring franchise agreements with several local governments including Bonifay, Graceville, and Jacob. The Board of Trustees decided to construct a district office in Bonifay in 1984, and construction began on a parcel of land near Interstate 10. A discussion about dividing the cooperative’s service territory into three districts was also begun that year.

Eventually, the company opened three full-service offices to provide better service to its members—one in Graceville, one in Bonifay and one in Sneads.

The Bonifay district office opened on October 1, 1985, and the Board of Trustees decided to close the Westville payment facility allowing the new Bonifay full-service office to serve those customers. A grand opening and open house were held on November 15, 1985.

Opposite page: Manager of Energy Services, Rhonda Byrd-Lee, conducts an energy audit at a new construction project.

Below: Groundbreaking ceremony for Bonifay District office, February 25, 1985.

Chapter 6: Growth Inspires Additional Services  41

T

6

Growth Inspires Additional Services Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation. You will have opportunities beyond anything we’ve ever known.

Ronald Reagan

he cooperative continued to grow and implement new programs and services in the 1980s. One of the programs implemented by the Board of Trustees was a low interest loan program that allowed members of the co-op to borrow money to complete energy efficiency upgrades in their homes. Members could purchase new heating and cooling systems, and add insulation or new windows with the funds they borrowed under the Energy Resources Conservation program (ERC).

The co-op also began participating in the National Rural Electric Youth Tour program. This program allowed high school juniors to compete to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., during the summer. The winners joined over fifteen hundred students from across the country to visit our nation’s historic monuments, buildings, and also visit with legislators to learn more about how our government and cooperatives work. Through the years, West Florida Electric has sent over fifty students on this once-in-a-lifetime trip. Many of them have gone on to become leaders in the communities served by the cooperative.

In 1982, the cooperative implemented cycle billing as it continued to grow. On Christmas Day 1983, a new peak load of 54,650 KVA was reached by the co-op. Peak load is the amount of electric power required by a utility system during times when electric consumption reaches its highest point. The company continued to grow throughout 1984 and 1985, acquiring franchise agreements with several local governments including Bonifay, Graceville, and Jacob. The Board of Trustees decided to construct a district office in Bonifay in 1984, and construction began on a parcel of land near Interstate 10. A discussion about dividing the cooperative’s service territory into three districts was also begun that year.

Eventually, the company opened three full-service offices to provide better service to its members—one in Graceville, one in Bonifay and one in Sneads.

The Bonifay district office opened on October 1, 1985, and the Board of Trustees decided to close the Westville payment facility allowing the new Bonifay full-service office to serve those customers. A grand opening and open house were held on November 15, 1985.

Opposite page: Manager of Energy Services, Rhonda Byrd-Lee, conducts an energy audit at a new construction project.

Below: Groundbreaking ceremony for Bonifay District office, February 25, 1985.

Chapter 6: Growth Inspires Additional Services  41

YOUTH TOUR WINNERS 1982–2011 Although WFEC began participating in the Youth Tour program in 1980, no records of the winners could be found in the co-op’s records. This list of winners begins in 1982, two years after the cooperative began participating.

1982—Theresa Wells, Chipley High School 1983—Kathy Kent, Marianna High School 1984—Melody Hatcher, Marianna High School 1985—Desiree Weems, Marianna High School 1986—Jody Spooner, Sneads High School 1987— Melissa Gulu, Holmes County High School 1988 – Johnna Howell, Ponce De Leon High School, and Jim Franklin, Graceville High School 1989—Jim Sapp, Chipley High School, and Ladonna Kellum, Graceville High School 1990—Jennifer Basford, Marianna High School, and Stacey Pittman, Chipley High School 1991—Starla Tyus, Sneads High School, and Gabriel Berry, Chipley High School 1992—Kelly Horton, Grand Ridge High School, and Reta Taylor, Malone High School 1993—Vanessa Smith, Sneads High School, and Jennifer Riley, Vernon High School 1994—Sarah Hyde, Chipley High School, and Jo-Elyn Peavy, Sneads High School 1995—Niki Bracewell and Seth Smith, Graceville High School 1996—Michelle Ramsey, Sneads High School, and Brigitto Cintron, Cottondale High School 1997—Carmen Sconiers, Bethlehem High School, and Amalie Bishop, Ponce De Leon High School 1998—Genette Britt, Graceville High School, and Melissa Anderson, Holmes County High School 1999—Amanda Barber, Cottondale High School, and Stephanie Crisp, Graceville High School 2000—Jeremy Branch, Marianna High School, and Casey Gurganus, Graceville High School 2001—Marlene Mann, Graceville High School, and George Johnson, Grand Ridge High School 2002—Audra Creel, Grand Ridge High School, and Stewart Price, Graceville High School 2003—Jessica Sloan, Cottondale High School, and Brittney Young, Altha High School 2004—Kyle Borst, Bethlehem High School, and Angelanell Dees, Sneads High School 2005—Daniel Bernabe, Jr., Bethlehem High School, and Shana Robinson, Grand Ridge High School 2006—Melanie Sloan, Cottondale High School, and Jordan

Coley, Sneads High School 2007— Mary Perkins, Sneads High School, and Kacee Floyd,

Malone High School 2008—Joseph Brown, Bethlehem High School, and Haley

Bozeman, Blountstown High School 2009—Rachel Pelt, Sneads High School, and Preston Wilson,

Chipley High School 2010— Brett Tanner, Blountstown High School, and Jennifer

Thompson, Sneads High School (alternate Annie Rodriguez, Poplar Springs High

School, traveled to D.C.) 2011— Randolph McKinnie, Graceville High School, and Youth Tour winners Randolph

Sarah Barton, Blountstown High School McKinnie of Graceville and Sarah Barton of Blountstown at the Lincoln 2012— Tierra Campbell, Malone High School, and Lindsey Memorial in 2011.

Locke, Sneads High School

42  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

On November 21, 1985, Hurricane Kate rolled through WFEC’s service area. Kate made landfall as a Category 2 storm between Panama City and Apalachicola. It later weakened to a Category 1 as it traveled east through Florida and north into Georgia and South Carolina. The storm was the sixth to make landfall in the United States that year. Kate caused around $300,000 in damages to WFEC’s distribution system and over fifteen thousand outages. WFEC line crews received assistance from Wiregrass Electric Cooperative, Clay Electric Cooperative, Harper Construction, Richards and Associates, and Eastern Utility Contractors, and all outages were restored by November 25—just four days after the storm.

In 1986, the cooperative purchased the old Chattahoochee Motor Company for the site of a new Sneads district office and in an effort to continue expanding the services available to WFEC members. Renovations on the old Chattahoochee Motor Company were completed, and the new Sneads office building opened on December 5, 1988. The addition of this office along with a twenty-four-hour, seven-day service center in the Graceville office eliminated the need for WFEC members to call the home of the lineman on duty to report an outage or other problem.

This is a practice that continues today.

Top: The Sneads office as it looks today after renovations on the Old Chattahoochee Motor Company were completed.

Above: Hurricane Kate caused tremendous damage to the WFEC service area.

Chapter 6: Growth Inspires Additional Services  43

YOUTH TOUR WINNERS 1982–2011 Although WFEC began participating in the Youth Tour program in 1980, no records of the winners could be found in the co-op’s records. This list of winners begins in 1982, two years after the cooperative began participating.

1982—Theresa Wells, Chipley High School 1983—Kathy Kent, Marianna High School 1984—Melody Hatcher, Marianna High School 1985—Desiree Weems, Marianna High School 1986—Jody Spooner, Sneads High School 1987— Melissa Gulu, Holmes County High School 1988 – Johnna Howell, Ponce De Leon High School, and Jim Franklin, Graceville High School 1989—Jim Sapp, Chipley High School, and Ladonna Kellum, Graceville High School 1990—Jennifer Basford, Marianna High School, and Stacey Pittman, Chipley High School 1991—Starla Tyus, Sneads High School, and Gabriel Berry, Chipley High School 1992—Kelly Horton, Grand Ridge High School, and Reta Taylor, Malone High School 1993—Vanessa Smith, Sneads High School, and Jennifer Riley, Vernon High School 1994—Sarah Hyde, Chipley High School, and Jo-Elyn Peavy, Sneads High School 1995—Niki Bracewell and Seth Smith, Graceville High School 1996—Michelle Ramsey, Sneads High School, and Brigitto Cintron, Cottondale High School 1997—Carmen Sconiers, Bethlehem High School, and Amalie Bishop, Ponce De Leon High School 1998—Genette Britt, Graceville High School, and Melissa Anderson, Holmes County High School 1999—Amanda Barber, Cottondale High School, and Stephanie Crisp, Graceville High School 2000—Jeremy Branch, Marianna High School, and Casey Gurganus, Graceville High School 2001—Marlene Mann, Graceville High School, and George Johnson, Grand Ridge High School 2002—Audra Creel, Grand Ridge High School, and Stewart Price, Graceville High School 2003—Jessica Sloan, Cottondale High School, and Brittney Young, Altha High School 2004—Kyle Borst, Bethlehem High School, and Angelanell Dees, Sneads High School 2005—Daniel Bernabe, Jr., Bethlehem High School, and Shana Robinson, Grand Ridge High School 2006—Melanie Sloan, Cottondale High School, and Jordan

Coley, Sneads High School 2007— Mary Perkins, Sneads High School, and Kacee Floyd,

Malone High School 2008—Joseph Brown, Bethlehem High School, and Haley

Bozeman, Blountstown High School 2009—Rachel Pelt, Sneads High School, and Preston Wilson,

Chipley High School 2010— Brett Tanner, Blountstown High School, and Jennifer

Thompson, Sneads High School (alternate Annie Rodriguez, Poplar Springs High

School, traveled to D.C.) 2011— Randolph McKinnie, Graceville High School, and Youth Tour winners Randolph

Sarah Barton, Blountstown High School McKinnie of Graceville and Sarah Barton of Blountstown at the Lincoln 2012— Tierra Campbell, Malone High School, and Lindsey Memorial in 2011.

Locke, Sneads High School

42  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

On November 21, 1985, Hurricane Kate rolled through WFEC’s service area. Kate made landfall as a Category 2 storm between Panama City and Apalachicola. It later weakened to a Category 1 as it traveled east through Florida and north into Georgia and South Carolina. The storm was the sixth to make landfall in the United States that year. Kate caused around $300,000 in damages to WFEC’s distribution system and over fifteen thousand outages. WFEC line crews received assistance from Wiregrass Electric Cooperative, Clay Electric Cooperative, Harper Construction, Richards and Associates, and Eastern Utility Contractors, and all outages were restored by November 25—just four days after the storm.

In 1986, the cooperative purchased the old Chattahoochee Motor Company for the site of a new Sneads district office and in an effort to continue expanding the services available to WFEC members. Renovations on the old Chattahoochee Motor Company were completed, and the new Sneads office building opened on December 5, 1988. The addition of this office along with a twenty-four-hour, seven-day service center in the Graceville office eliminated the need for WFEC members to call the home of the lineman on duty to report an outage or other problem.

This is a practice that continues today.

Top: The Sneads office as it looks today after renovations on the Old Chattahoochee Motor Company were completed.

Above: Hurricane Kate caused tremendous damage to the WFEC service area.

Chapter 6: Growth Inspires Additional Services  43

This commemorative logo was used during WFEC’s fiftieth anniversary celebration.

The cooperative hired meter readers like Tracey Crutchfield to take over meter reading from the members.

General Manager Charles Thibos tendered his resignation in early 1986; subsequently, Jerry Smith, who had served as the Bonifay district manager for several years, was chosen as his successor. During Smith’s tenure as general manager, the cooperative celebrated its golden anniversary. The anniversary celebrated the creation of West Florida Electric Cooperative and the dawning of rural electrification in Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington Counties. The co-op fêted this monumental occasion throughout the year with a string of activities. The first was a “celebration of service” for all members held on May 9, 1987, at the Graceville Civic Center. At this celebration, many state and community leaders spoke, and refreshments, door prizes, and entertainment were enjoyed by all. The co-op also presented “Pioneer Awards” to members who had a hand in the creation and organization of the cooperative.

Seven West Florida Electric Cooperative members were presented with these awards: Luther Pittman in honor of J. H. Pittman; Gussie Peel in honor of her late husband, Dock Peel; Arthur L. Williams, Jr., in honor of his father, Arthur L. Williams, Sr.; Elizabeth Smith in honor of Claude Smith, first general manager of the cooperative; Louise Roper in honor of her cousin, J. L. Vickery; and Mrs. W. W. Henley in honor of Bill Henley and Mrs. Florence Adams. Local newspapers published an extensive series of articles about the history of the cooperative and rural electrification during the year. A special logo was also adopted by the cooperative to use during 1987 to commemorate the anniversary.

As was the case with the lack of electrical service in rural areas, the lack of telecommunications services would soon create a “digital divide.”

The cooperative recognized the need for satellite and other services in the communities it served and soon joined the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC). Membership in NRTC allowed the cooperative to begin providing satellite dishes with programming packages that included movie channels, sports, news, and more. Cooperative members could purchase the equipment (large, round satellite dishes often attached to tall poles in a customer’s yard) and programming packages through West Florida Electric for far less than other companies. This Rural TV program was made available in 1987.

In 1988, co-op staff conducted a study on meter reading practices and discovered that, if the cooperative took over the reading of meters, it could provide better service, avoid personal injuries to customers, and reduce costs. Up until this time, members read their own meters, a fifty-year tradition. After hearing the results of this study, the Board of Trustees decided to implement a meter reading program and hire five

44  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

new employees to get it started. At the annual meeting that year, the Board put the matter up for discussion and an unofficial vote, and the change was endorsed by the membership two-to-one after some debate.

WFEC was one of the last co-ops in the state to convert to the practice of employee-read meters.

Throughout the whole of the eighties, cooperative employees worked diligently to maintain a safe working environment, and in 1981, learned that they had the best safety record in the state, according to the Florida Electric Cooperative Association (FECA). In 1982, WFEC was presented with the President’s Safety Award from FECA. By July 1986, co-op employees had worked 1,000,117 hours without a loss time accident. This meant the employees had worked the equivalent of 5.5 years without a loss time accident. The cooperative won the President’s Safety Award again in 1986 and 1988. 

This plaque was kept on display to remind employees to continue safe work practices.

Gulf Power discontinued supplying power to the Chipley and Graceville substations in 1981.

129 million kilowatt hours were sold in 1985 versus 126 million in 1984. This was an increase of 2.1 percent.

The co-op opened an in-house printing facility to print the newsletter, forms, letterhead, and other documents in an effort to reduce printing costs in 1987. This facility has the same capability as small commercial print shops and continues to meet the publishing needs of the cooperative today.

Employees worked 1,270,000 hours or 1,810 days without a loss time accident in December 1987. There were also no automobile accidents with 1,500,000 miles driven.

In 1988, employees continued to work accident free and received the Florida Rural Electric Cooperative Associations President’s Safety Award, an award given Terry Mullen prints the monthly member to the cooperative with the best overall safety record newsletter on the co-op’s new press. among all fifteen in the state. The employees worked a total of 249,927 hours and drove 977,271 miles with only one lost time accident. This was the third time in seven years that the co-op won the award.

The co-op participated in a one-time promotional project—a coffee-table book—with the Florida Rural Electric Cooperative Association to educate legislators about rural electric cooperatives since over 60 percent of the state was served by co-ops, according to the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

Chapter 6: Growth Inspires Additional Services  45

This commemorative logo was used during WFEC’s fiftieth anniversary celebration.

The cooperative hired meter readers like Tracey Crutchfield to take over meter reading from the members.

General Manager Charles Thibos tendered his resignation in early 1986; subsequently, Jerry Smith, who had served as the Bonifay district manager for several years, was chosen as his successor. During Smith’s tenure as general manager, the cooperative celebrated its golden anniversary. The anniversary celebrated the creation of West Florida Electric Cooperative and the dawning of rural electrification in Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington Counties. The co-op fêted this monumental occasion throughout the year with a string of activities. The first was a “celebration of service” for all members held on May 9, 1987, at the Graceville Civic Center. At this celebration, many state and community leaders spoke, and refreshments, door prizes, and entertainment were enjoyed by all. The co-op also presented “Pioneer Awards” to members who had a hand in the creation and organization of the cooperative.

Seven West Florida Electric Cooperative members were presented with these awards: Luther Pittman in honor of J. H. Pittman; Gussie Peel in honor of her late husband, Dock Peel; Arthur L. Williams, Jr., in honor of his father, Arthur L. Williams, Sr.; Elizabeth Smith in honor of Claude Smith, first general manager of the cooperative; Louise Roper in honor of her cousin, J. L. Vickery; and Mrs. W. W. Henley in honor of Bill Henley and Mrs. Florence Adams. Local newspapers published an extensive series of articles about the history of the cooperative and rural electrification during the year. A special logo was also adopted by the cooperative to use during 1987 to commemorate the anniversary.

As was the case with the lack of electrical service in rural areas, the lack of telecommunications services would soon create a “digital divide.”

The cooperative recognized the need for satellite and other services in the communities it served and soon joined the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC). Membership in NRTC allowed the cooperative to begin providing satellite dishes with programming packages that included movie channels, sports, news, and more. Cooperative members could purchase the equipment (large, round satellite dishes often attached to tall poles in a customer’s yard) and programming packages through West Florida Electric for far less than other companies. This Rural TV program was made available in 1987.

In 1988, co-op staff conducted a study on meter reading practices and discovered that, if the cooperative took over the reading of meters, it could provide better service, avoid personal injuries to customers, and reduce costs. Up until this time, members read their own meters, a fifty-year tradition. After hearing the results of this study, the Board of Trustees decided to implement a meter reading program and hire five

44  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

new employees to get it started. At the annual meeting that year, the Board put the matter up for discussion and an unofficial vote, and the change was endorsed by the membership two-to-one after some debate.

WFEC was one of the last co-ops in the state to convert to the practice of employee-read meters.

Throughout the whole of the eighties, cooperative employees worked diligently to maintain a safe working environment, and in 1981, learned that they had the best safety record in the state, according to the Florida Electric Cooperative Association (FECA). In 1982, WFEC was presented with the President’s Safety Award from FECA. By July 1986, co-op employees had worked 1,000,117 hours without a loss time accident. This meant the employees had worked the equivalent of 5.5 years without a loss time accident. The cooperative won the President’s Safety Award again in 1986 and 1988. 

This plaque was kept on display to remind employees to continue safe work practices.

Gulf Power discontinued supplying power to the Chipley and Graceville substations in 1981.

129 million kilowatt hours were sold in 1985 versus 126 million in 1984. This was an increase of 2.1 percent.

The co-op opened an in-house printing facility to print the newsletter, forms, letterhead, and other documents in an effort to reduce printing costs in 1987. This facility has the same capability as small commercial print shops and continues to meet the publishing needs of the cooperative today.

Employees worked 1,270,000 hours or 1,810 days without a loss time accident in December 1987. There were also no automobile accidents with 1,500,000 miles driven.

In 1988, employees continued to work accident free and received the Florida Rural Electric Cooperative Associations President’s Safety Award, an award given Terry Mullen prints the monthly member to the cooperative with the best overall safety record newsletter on the co-op’s new press. among all fifteen in the state. The employees worked a total of 249,927 hours and drove 977,271 miles with only one lost time accident. This was the third time in seven years that the co-op won the award.

The co-op participated in a one-time promotional project—a coffee-table book—with the Florida Rural Electric Cooperative Association to educate legislators about rural electric cooperatives since over 60 percent of the state was served by co-ops, according to the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

Chapter 6: Growth Inspires Additional Services  45

D

7

Programs and Services Inspire Success Success means doing the best we can with what we have.

Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph.

Zig Ziglar

uring the 1990s, many new programs and services were put in place to assist the needs of the co-op’s growing membership. The cooperative continued to play an active role in the communities it served by initiating and assisting with various disaster relief efforts and becoming even more involved in economic development and industrial recruitment. Cooperative staff and Board members were interested not only with ensuring the cooperative’s continued success but also that of the surrounding area.

In 1990, some areas of Holmes and Calhoun Counties experienced flooding, and WFEC personnel disconnected power to several homes.

Employees of the cooperative helped residents move themselves and their possessions out of flood-prone areas. The river crested on March 20, 1990, at 21.8 feet. Many of the major highways including Interstate 10 were closed, and all of Caryville was flooded. No cooperative equipment was damaged, so personnel were sent to the area for disaster relief.

Office staff worked with the Red Cross to assist victims in filling out financial aid paperwork, and other employees helped move debris, remove damaged property from homes and reconnect electric service once the floodwaters receded.

That same year, WFEC began a Good Cents Manufactured Home Pilot Program with Alabama Electric Cooperative (AEC) to help homeowners save money. These manufactured homes were built to meet specific standards and included many energy-saving features. Some of these features included certified heat pumps, R-28 ceiling insulation, R-11 wall insulation, R-22 floor insulation, double-pane windows, attic ventilation, skirting, and more. Once the owner of a manufactured home met the program requirements and signed up for the program, a rebate was paid to the member and participating manufactured home dealer. The co-op also monitored the home’s electric usage, and the data was used to improve manufactured housing features. In 1991, the co-op even moved a Good Cents demo home onto the cooperative grounds in Graceville. This home served two purposes: to show customers interested in participating in the program how the built-in features and quality of construction could

Floodwaters in WFEC’s service area.

Chapter 7: Programs and Services Inspire Success  47

D

7

Programs and Services Inspire Success Success means doing the best we can with what we have.

Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph.

Zig Ziglar

uring the 1990s, many new programs and services were put in place to assist the needs of the co-op’s growing membership. The cooperative continued to play an active role in the communities it served by initiating and assisting with various disaster relief efforts and becoming even more involved in economic development and industrial recruitment. Cooperative staff and Board members were interested not only with ensuring the cooperative’s continued success but also that of the surrounding area.

In 1990, some areas of Holmes and Calhoun Counties experienced flooding, and WFEC personnel disconnected power to several homes.

Employees of the cooperative helped residents move themselves and their possessions out of flood-prone areas. The river crested on March 20, 1990, at 21.8 feet. Many of the major highways including Interstate 10 were closed, and all of Caryville was flooded. No cooperative equipment was damaged, so personnel were sent to the area for disaster relief.

Office staff worked with the Red Cross to assist victims in filling out financial aid paperwork, and other employees helped move debris, remove damaged property from homes and reconnect electric service once the floodwaters receded.

That same year, WFEC began a Good Cents Manufactured Home Pilot Program with Alabama Electric Cooperative (AEC) to help homeowners save money. These manufactured homes were built to meet specific standards and included many energy-saving features. Some of these features included certified heat pumps, R-28 ceiling insulation, R-11 wall insulation, R-22 floor insulation, double-pane windows, attic ventilation, skirting, and more. Once the owner of a manufactured home met the program requirements and signed up for the program, a rebate was paid to the member and participating manufactured home dealer. The co-op also monitored the home’s electric usage, and the data was used to improve manufactured housing features. In 1991, the co-op even moved a Good Cents demo home onto the cooperative grounds in Graceville. This home served two purposes: to show customers interested in participating in the program how the built-in features and quality of construction could

Floodwaters in WFEC’s service area.

Chapter 7: Programs and Services Inspire Success  47

Top: This manufactured home was utilized to demonstrate the Good Cents program’s energy efficiency features and currently houses the cooperative’s Accounting and Human Resources Departments.

Above: Good Cents logo.

benefit them and to be utilized as additional office space for the Marketing Department to relieve an overcrowding problem in the main office building.

The Good Cents New Home Program was also implemented in the early 1990s.

Requirements included R-38 attic insulation; R-19 insulation in walls and floors; double-pane windows; metal insulated doors; continuous ridge and soffit vents; properly sized, high-efficiency heat pumps; and more. Marketing staff members reviewed house plans and performed heat gain/loss calculations, then recommended solutions to problems they found. They would also evaluate HVAC systems and periodically inspect homes during construction. A final inspection of the entire house, as well as the heating and cooling system was conducted once construction was complete. The co-op paid rebates to qualifying members and gave them a free energy efficient electric water heater.

A new outage response system was also implemented in the office. The Automated Response System (ARS) could answer up to eight phone calls at a time and log the caller’s name, location, and problem. This system gave service center clerks the ability to dispatch crews quickly to fix problems.

In April 1991, WFEC personnel again had the opportunity to assist their community. A fire destroyed Sneads High School during a severe thunderstorm. After the fire, the school needed three-phase service and fifteen meter hookups to serve the portable classrooms being moved on site. The problem was that the school needed that electric service in just a few days. Not only did linemen from the Sneads office build the necessary lines and meter hookups in just three days, but the company also

48  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

offered the use of the Sneads office building for additional classrooms. Service to the library (one of the only buildings left on campus) was restored within a day and a half, and the school’s deadline was met with time to spare.

Project Share was another program co-op leaders implemented to help the community.

Member-owners were given the opportunity to voluntarily contribute a monthly sum to help needy members pay their electric bills. The project, administered by the Salvation Army, was tailored to West Florida Electric’s specific needs and regulations. Monthly contributions to Project Share can still be made today if a member chooses to participate in the program.

A new work plan was also designed to meet increasing demand for electrical service and improve service for existing customers. As demand increased, most of the older, single-phase lines on the system became

Donna Pittman, Service Center clerk, Sneads.

Chapter 7: Programs and Services Inspire Success  49

Top: This manufactured home was utilized to demonstrate the Good Cents program’s energy efficiency features and currently houses the cooperative’s Accounting and Human Resources Departments.

Above: Good Cents logo.

benefit them and to be utilized as additional office space for the Marketing Department to relieve an overcrowding problem in the main office building.

The Good Cents New Home Program was also implemented in the early 1990s.

Requirements included R-38 attic insulation; R-19 insulation in walls and floors; double-pane windows; metal insulated doors; continuous ridge and soffit vents; properly sized, high-efficiency heat pumps; and more. Marketing staff members reviewed house plans and performed heat gain/loss calculations, then recommended solutions to problems they found. They would also evaluate HVAC systems and periodically inspect homes during construction. A final inspection of the entire house, as well as the heating and cooling system was conducted once construction was complete. The co-op paid rebates to qualifying members and gave them a free energy efficient electric water heater.

A new outage response system was also implemented in the office. The Automated Response System (ARS) could answer up to eight phone calls at a time and log the caller’s name, location, and problem. This system gave service center clerks the ability to dispatch crews quickly to fix problems.

In April 1991, WFEC personnel again had the opportunity to assist their community. A fire destroyed Sneads High School during a severe thunderstorm. After the fire, the school needed three-phase service and fifteen meter hookups to serve the portable classrooms being moved on site. The problem was that the school needed that electric service in just a few days. Not only did linemen from the Sneads office build the necessary lines and meter hookups in just three days, but the company also

48  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

offered the use of the Sneads office building for additional classrooms. Service to the library (one of the only buildings left on campus) was restored within a day and a half, and the school’s deadline was met with time to spare.

Project Share was another program co-op leaders implemented to help the community.

Member-owners were given the opportunity to voluntarily contribute a monthly sum to help needy members pay their electric bills. The project, administered by the Salvation Army, was tailored to West Florida Electric’s specific needs and regulations. Monthly contributions to Project Share can still be made today if a member chooses to participate in the program.

A new work plan was also designed to meet increasing demand for electrical service and improve service for existing customers. As demand increased, most of the older, single-phase lines on the system became

Donna Pittman, Service Center clerk, Sneads.

Chapter 7: Programs and Services Inspire Success  49

overloaded during peaks (the greatest demand placed on an electric system). To correct the problems, the work plan included a conversion of heavily loaded single-phase lines to two or three phases. This rebuilding project was designed to meet projected growth in the future and distribute the existing load more evenly over the new multiphase lines. Dividing members equally on different phases also lessened the chance for all members to be out of power at the same time.

WFEC began selling direct broadcast satellites (DBS). These satellites were much smaller than the Rural TV satellites previously sold to members and had 50  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

many advantages. Since they were much smaller, they could be installed almost anywhere. The sound and picture quality were also much improved from the previous equipment, and up to 150 channels were available for members to enjoy. Sixty-five percent of customers surveyed said they’d like to see WFEC sell appliances and home electronics, so they were soon added to the growing list of products available. Most products could be financed through the cooperative and added to a member’s monthly bill or leased.

Tropical Storm Alberto made an appearance in 1994 causing major power outages from high winds and downed trees. Over three thousand members were without power.

Flooding in Caryville and other areas was extensive. The co-op opened a flood victims’ trust fund at local banks with the assistance of local government officials, civic clubs, organizations, and local businesses. Employees were also sent to work in disaster relief centers during the natural disaster. Hurricane Opal followed the next year making landfall in Pensacola Beach as a Category 3 storm. Opal was the fourth costliest storm to make landfall from 1990 to 1996.25 The storm spawned many tornadoes and caused over nineteen thousand outages in West Florida’s service area. Ten of WFEC’s thirteen substations were out of service due to storm damage. Opal was the most destructive storm to hit West Florida’s service area since Eloise in 1975.

In 1995, the cooperative became involved in another economic development project that would benefit Jackson and its surrounding counties.

The Department of Corrections was interested in locating a work camp in Northwest Florida. The cooperative formed an entity called the West Jackson County Development Authority with the City of Graceville and Jackson County. The co-op then applied for a USDA REDLG loan and in turn loaned the money to the West Jackson County Development Authority who purchased land that is now the Graceville Industrial Park. A portion of the land was then donated to the Department of

Top: Storm damage in WFEC’s service area.

Bottom: Gary Clark demonstrates the benefits of DBS systems.

Chapter 7: Programs and Services Inspire Success  51

overloaded during peaks (the greatest demand placed on an electric system). To correct the problems, the work plan included a conversion of heavily loaded single-phase lines to two or three phases. This rebuilding project was designed to meet projected growth in the future and distribute the existing load more evenly over the new multiphase lines. Dividing members equally on different phases also lessened the chance for all members to be out of power at the same time.

WFEC began selling direct broadcast satellites (DBS). These satellites were much smaller than the Rural TV satellites previously sold to members and had 50  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

many advantages. Since they were much smaller, they could be installed almost anywhere. The sound and picture quality were also much improved from the previous equipment, and up to 150 channels were available for members to enjoy. Sixty-five percent of customers surveyed said they’d like to see WFEC sell appliances and home electronics, so they were soon added to the growing list of products available. Most products could be financed through the cooperative and added to a member’s monthly bill or leased.

Tropical Storm Alberto made an appearance in 1994 causing major power outages from high winds and downed trees. Over three thousand members were without power.

Flooding in Caryville and other areas was extensive. The co-op opened a flood victims’ trust fund at local banks with the assistance of local government officials, civic clubs, organizations, and local businesses. Employees were also sent to work in disaster relief centers during the natural disaster. Hurricane Opal followed the next year making landfall in Pensacola Beach as a Category 3 storm. Opal was the fourth costliest storm to make landfall from 1990 to 1996.25 The storm spawned many tornadoes and caused over nineteen thousand outages in West Florida’s service area. Ten of WFEC’s thirteen substations were out of service due to storm damage. Opal was the most destructive storm to hit West Florida’s service area since Eloise in 1975.

In 1995, the cooperative became involved in another economic development project that would benefit Jackson and its surrounding counties.

The Department of Corrections was interested in locating a work camp in Northwest Florida. The cooperative formed an entity called the West Jackson County Development Authority with the City of Graceville and Jackson County. The co-op then applied for a USDA REDLG loan and in turn loaned the money to the West Jackson County Development Authority who purchased land that is now the Graceville Industrial Park. A portion of the land was then donated to the Department of

Top: Storm damage in WFEC’s service area.

Bottom: Gary Clark demonstrates the benefits of DBS systems.

Chapter 7: Programs and Services Inspire Success  51

William S. Rimes was hired as president and CEO in 1997.

WFEC joined Touchstone Energy® in 1998.

Corrections for a work camp that later became a boys’ program and is now a prison.

Jerry Smith left the cooperative, and William S. Rimes was chosen as Executive Vice President and CEO in 1997. Rimes played an active role in the community before he took the helm at WFEC. He was executive director of the Jackson County Development Council and Graceville City Manager, playing a key role in several economic development projects. Before overseeing local community and governmental affairs, Rimes demonstrated leadership skills throughout a distinguished military career. He retired as an Air Force colonel, having served his country at locations all over the globe including the Pentagon and Eglin Air Force Base.

He also accumulated fifty-four combat missions in the Vietnam War. His numerous military decorations and awards include the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with palm. Rimes continues to lead the cooperative through the continual challenges facing the electric utility industry today.

Under his leadership, the Board of Trustees made the decision to join Touchstone Energy®, a national brand for electric co-ops in 1998. Being a member of Touchstone Energy® afforded West Florida Electric with many benefits like the pooling of resources for research, marketing, and advertising. The cooperative also began the Energy Conservation Improvement loan program that year.

This new loan program replaced the ERC loans previously available. In addition to changing the terms of the loan, more money was available to homeowners for energy efficiency improvements. Home mortgages were no longer required as collateral, and a member could borrow up to $15,000 instead of the previous limit of $3,000.

Additional improvements to the way the cooperative handled outages were instituted in 1999 with the installation of a new call management

52  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

program that could answer up to ten calls at a time. The new call management program was called the Power Outage Response Call Handling Equipment (PORCHE) system. The PORCHE was easy-to-use and guided users through an outage reporting process that allowed them to enter information using a touch-tone phone or by speaking answers to the system prompts. If circumstances permitted, a live operator could also be accessed by staying on the line. The PORCHE system enabled dispatchers to pinpoint damaged equipment such as faulty breakers. PORCHE also enabled co-op employees to accurately determine outage locations. Since

the system had the ability to answer ten telephone lines simultaneously, a heavy call load could be handled efficiently. At the same time, the system generated an outage report used to direct linemen to specific problem areas so they could begin working to restore electric service within minutes.

At the close of the decade, Rimes also led the charge in making a change to the voting procedure used to elect trustees to represent the membership. Instead of voting at the annual meeting, trustees considered sending a ballot in the mail so that members who couldn’t attend the annual meeting could still vote. A survey was sent to the cooperative’s

Outage management system.

Chapter 7: Programs and Services Inspire Success  53

William S. Rimes was hired as president and CEO in 1997.

WFEC joined Touchstone Energy® in 1998.

Corrections for a work camp that later became a boys’ program and is now a prison.

Jerry Smith left the cooperative, and William S. Rimes was chosen as Executive Vice President and CEO in 1997. Rimes played an active role in the community before he took the helm at WFEC. He was executive director of the Jackson County Development Council and Graceville City Manager, playing a key role in several economic development projects. Before overseeing local community and governmental affairs, Rimes demonstrated leadership skills throughout a distinguished military career. He retired as an Air Force colonel, having served his country at locations all over the globe including the Pentagon and Eglin Air Force Base.

He also accumulated fifty-four combat missions in the Vietnam War. His numerous military decorations and awards include the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with palm. Rimes continues to lead the cooperative through the continual challenges facing the electric utility industry today.

Under his leadership, the Board of Trustees made the decision to join Touchstone Energy®, a national brand for electric co-ops in 1998. Being a member of Touchstone Energy® afforded West Florida Electric with many benefits like the pooling of resources for research, marketing, and advertising. The cooperative also began the Energy Conservation Improvement loan program that year.

This new loan program replaced the ERC loans previously available. In addition to changing the terms of the loan, more money was available to homeowners for energy efficiency improvements. Home mortgages were no longer required as collateral, and a member could borrow up to $15,000 instead of the previous limit of $3,000.

Additional improvements to the way the cooperative handled outages were instituted in 1999 with the installation of a new call management

52  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

program that could answer up to ten calls at a time. The new call management program was called the Power Outage Response Call Handling Equipment (PORCHE) system. The PORCHE was easy-to-use and guided users through an outage reporting process that allowed them to enter information using a touch-tone phone or by speaking answers to the system prompts. If circumstances permitted, a live operator could also be accessed by staying on the line. The PORCHE system enabled dispatchers to pinpoint damaged equipment such as faulty breakers. PORCHE also enabled co-op employees to accurately determine outage locations. Since

the system had the ability to answer ten telephone lines simultaneously, a heavy call load could be handled efficiently. At the same time, the system generated an outage report used to direct linemen to specific problem areas so they could begin working to restore electric service within minutes.

At the close of the decade, Rimes also led the charge in making a change to the voting procedure used to elect trustees to represent the membership. Instead of voting at the annual meeting, trustees considered sending a ballot in the mail so that members who couldn’t attend the annual meeting could still vote. A survey was sent to the cooperative’s

Outage management system.

Chapter 7: Programs and Services Inspire Success  53

Members voted to begin using a mail ballot system in 1999.

membership in 1988, and 70 percent indicated their preference was to change to a mail ballot voting procedure. Another survey was conducted in 1993, and again a majority of the members expressed interest in a mail ballot election. However, the required changes in the bylaws necessary to institute the new voting procedure were defeated both years. Under Rimes’ leadership, another survey was sent to the members in 1999, and 94 percent were in favor of implementing a mail ballot voting procedure. The bylaw amendment was put up for a vote at the annual meeting that year, and it finally passed. WFEC has been using this procedure for trustee elections ever since. The cooperative also honored World War II veterans at the 1999 annual meeting festivities.

In late 1997 and early 1998, the cooperative was again on the forefront of emerging technologies and instituted a dial-up Internet program in partnership with the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative. By providing local access, the co-op prevented members from having to pay twenty cents or more each time their computer dialed into the Internet. Three types of subscriptions were offered by the co-op, and with those subscriptions members could receive email addresses.

Changes on the political scene kept cooperatives across the country on their toes during the nineties. Worries about President Clinton’s plans to aggressively cut REA in his budget were at the forefront of the minds of cooperative leaders. If program funding was cut, then operating costs would increase and co-ops would have to pass those increases along to their members to make ends meet. A proposal to privatize the Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs), federal agencies within the Department of Energy, with responsibility for marketing electric power (primarily hydroelectric) was of great concern for electric co-ops.

This privatization suggested by both the Clinton and Bush administrations would allow PMAs to raise their rates, eventually charging market rates for the power they generated. However, many legislators believed that these budget cuts went too far and would hurt their constituents in the long run, so they were reluctant to support such sweeping changes, and the efforts of both administrations failed. Talk of deregulating the electric industry would soon follow these privatization attempts and plague cooperatives and the utility industry as a whole into the next decade. 

54  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

1990—Cooperative began surge suppression program, and there were nine new certified Good Cents homes and four improved Good Cents Homes in the cooperative’s service area. There were also six manufactured homes in the program and 332 Rural TV subscribers. The Bonifay district office won the Farm City banquet Local Business Award for outstanding service to the community.

1991—System conversion project in Calhoun County was completed—a conversion that changed the voltage from 7.2 KV to 14.4 KV or 25 KV on three phase lines to provide better quality and more reliable service.

1992—Cooperative won the Presidential Safety Award for the fourth time. The Marketing Department also received an award from NRTC for best marketing program during 1992. The co-op also Surge suppression equipment provided by WFEC. completed a line upgrade east of Campbellton from single-phase to three-phase. The singlephase lines had been there since the 1930s and had simply become inadequate to provide reliable service to the area as it grew. The cooperative also adopted a new logo in 1992. It included a circle with a line design inside—three jagged lines represented electric bolts meaning that the co-op’s primary focus is to provide ® power and that it’s consistent, stable, and dedicated. The curved lines portrayed farmland or the countryside while the circle exhibited unity. A new substation was energized in Malone during the early nineties to accommodate existing load in that area and allow the cooperative to convert the entire distribution system to a higher voltage by 1998.

1993—The addition to Graceville district office was begun. Rural TV program is rated No. 13 in the country and has the highest percentage of growth in new subscribers. Marketing staff received 1993 NRTC Marketing Distinction Award for Rural TV sales for the third year. The co-op also won the Statewide President’s Safety Award for the second year in a row. In 1993, the employees worked 250,000 hours with only three accidents and drove over 1 million miles without an accident.

1994—The Graceville addition and remodel continued with a drive-through window and new customer parking area with better handicap access. The co-op also hosted child safety days where parents could have their children fingerprinted and videotaped free of charge by local law enforcement agencies. This would aid in search efforts if a child was ever abducted. A new substation in Altha was energized and additional pages were added to the CLF for commercial ad sales in order to reduce publication costs. Construction on a seven-thousand-square-foot building for warehousing purposes was also begun.

1995—Co-op began offering appliances and electronics and satellite system sales. Members could finance these items on their monthly electric bill. WFEC also donated land for a DOC facility and industrial park in Graceville.

1997—William S. Rimes became executive vice president and CEO and celebrated its sixtieth anniversary soon after he came on board. Local dial-up Internet access was also offered by the cooperative that year.

Chapter 7: Programs and Services Inspire Success  55

Members voted to begin using a mail ballot system in 1999.

membership in 1988, and 70 percent indicated their preference was to change to a mail ballot voting procedure. Another survey was conducted in 1993, and again a majority of the members expressed interest in a mail ballot election. However, the required changes in the bylaws necessary to institute the new voting procedure were defeated both years. Under Rimes’ leadership, another survey was sent to the members in 1999, and 94 percent were in favor of implementing a mail ballot voting procedure. The bylaw amendment was put up for a vote at the annual meeting that year, and it finally passed. WFEC has been using this procedure for trustee elections ever since. The cooperative also honored World War II veterans at the 1999 annual meeting festivities.

In late 1997 and early 1998, the cooperative was again on the forefront of emerging technologies and instituted a dial-up Internet program in partnership with the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative. By providing local access, the co-op prevented members from having to pay twenty cents or more each time their computer dialed into the Internet. Three types of subscriptions were offered by the co-op, and with those subscriptions members could receive email addresses.

Changes on the political scene kept cooperatives across the country on their toes during the nineties. Worries about President Clinton’s plans to aggressively cut REA in his budget were at the forefront of the minds of cooperative leaders. If program funding was cut, then operating costs would increase and co-ops would have to pass those increases along to their members to make ends meet. A proposal to privatize the Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs), federal agencies within the Department of Energy, with responsibility for marketing electric power (primarily hydroelectric) was of great concern for electric co-ops.

This privatization suggested by both the Clinton and Bush administrations would allow PMAs to raise their rates, eventually charging market rates for the power they generated. However, many legislators believed that these budget cuts went too far and would hurt their constituents in the long run, so they were reluctant to support such sweeping changes, and the efforts of both administrations failed. Talk of deregulating the electric industry would soon follow these privatization attempts and plague cooperatives and the utility industry as a whole into the next decade. 

54  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

1990—Cooperative began surge suppression program, and there were nine new certified Good Cents homes and four improved Good Cents Homes in the cooperative’s service area. There were also six manufactured homes in the program and 332 Rural TV subscribers. The Bonifay district office won the Farm City banquet Local Business Award for outstanding service to the community.

1991—System conversion project in Calhoun County was completed—a conversion that changed the voltage from 7.2 KV to 14.4 KV or 25 KV on three phase lines to provide better quality and more reliable service.

1992—Cooperative won the Presidential Safety Award for the fourth time. The Marketing Department also received an award from NRTC for best marketing program during 1992. The co-op also Surge suppression equipment provided by WFEC. completed a line upgrade east of Campbellton from single-phase to three-phase. The singlephase lines had been there since the 1930s and had simply become inadequate to provide reliable service to the area as it grew. The cooperative also adopted a new logo in 1992. It included a circle with a line design inside—three jagged lines represented electric bolts meaning that the co-op’s primary focus is to provide ® power and that it’s consistent, stable, and dedicated. The curved lines portrayed farmland or the countryside while the circle exhibited unity. A new substation was energized in Malone during the early nineties to accommodate existing load in that area and allow the cooperative to convert the entire distribution system to a higher voltage by 1998.

1993—The addition to Graceville district office was begun. Rural TV program is rated No. 13 in the country and has the highest percentage of growth in new subscribers. Marketing staff received 1993 NRTC Marketing Distinction Award for Rural TV sales for the third year. The co-op also won the Statewide President’s Safety Award for the second year in a row. In 1993, the employees worked 250,000 hours with only three accidents and drove over 1 million miles without an accident.

1994—The Graceville addition and remodel continued with a drive-through window and new customer parking area with better handicap access. The co-op also hosted child safety days where parents could have their children fingerprinted and videotaped free of charge by local law enforcement agencies. This would aid in search efforts if a child was ever abducted. A new substation in Altha was energized and additional pages were added to the CLF for commercial ad sales in order to reduce publication costs. Construction on a seven-thousand-square-foot building for warehousing purposes was also begun.

1995—Co-op began offering appliances and electronics and satellite system sales. Members could finance these items on their monthly electric bill. WFEC also donated land for a DOC facility and industrial park in Graceville.

1997—William S. Rimes became executive vice president and CEO and celebrated its sixtieth anniversary soon after he came on board. Local dial-up Internet access was also offered by the cooperative that year.

Chapter 7: Programs and Services Inspire Success  55

W

8

Technology and Opportunity Breed Success for the New Millennium The ladder of success is best climbed by stepping on the rungs of opportunity.

Ayn Rand

hen the new millennium began, the co-op continued to implement and adapt new programs, services, and technologies. WFEC also remained active in economic development throughout its service area. One such economic development endeavor was the creation of Opportunity Florida. By joining with eight counties and other business partners the co-op hoped to improve the quality of life for Panhandle residents in Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson, Washington, Liberty, Franklin, Gulf, and Gadsden Counties. Opportunity Florida’s job was to coordinate the counties’ endeavors to take advantage of the Rural Area of Critical Economic Concern designations received from Governor Bush. This designation allowed the waiver of certain development requirements and ensured projects benefiting the eight counties would receive first consideration for state support.26 Deregulation continued to be a hot topic on the political scene during the early 2000s. During 2001, Florida lawmakers considered a proposal to restructure the state’s wholesale electricity market. The governor appointed a seventeen-member panel of politicians, academics, and business people who had no direct ties to the industry and asked them to submit an initial deregulation proposal for the legislative session. The following steps were recommended: 1) that out-of-state independent power companies be allowed to build “merchant plants” in Florida that would generate electricity to be sold on the open market; 2) after a phase-in period, in-state utilities would be required to sell off their existing power plants or transfer them to subsidiaries that could compete with merchants in selling electricity to investorowned and public utilities; and 3) that retail rates be frozen for three years, although increases in fuel costs and power purchases from other generators would be passed along to customers. The three-part proposal addressed only the wholesale electricity market—the power that is generated and sold to utilities, not the retail energy market. 27 However, in 2002, the committee was expected to deliver Chapter 8: Technology and Opportunity Breed Success for the New Millennium  57

W

8

Technology and Opportunity Breed Success for the New Millennium The ladder of success is best climbed by stepping on the rungs of opportunity.

Ayn Rand

hen the new millennium began, the co-op continued to implement and adapt new programs, services, and technologies. WFEC also remained active in economic development throughout its service area. One such economic development endeavor was the creation of Opportunity Florida. By joining with eight counties and other business partners the co-op hoped to improve the quality of life for Panhandle residents in Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson, Washington, Liberty, Franklin, Gulf, and Gadsden Counties. Opportunity Florida’s job was to coordinate the counties’ endeavors to take advantage of the Rural Area of Critical Economic Concern designations received from Governor Bush. This designation allowed the waiver of certain development requirements and ensured projects benefiting the eight counties would receive first consideration for state support.26 Deregulation continued to be a hot topic on the political scene during the early 2000s. During 2001, Florida lawmakers considered a proposal to restructure the state’s wholesale electricity market. The governor appointed a seventeen-member panel of politicians, academics, and business people who had no direct ties to the industry and asked them to submit an initial deregulation proposal for the legislative session. The following steps were recommended: 1) that out-of-state independent power companies be allowed to build “merchant plants” in Florida that would generate electricity to be sold on the open market; 2) after a phase-in period, in-state utilities would be required to sell off their existing power plants or transfer them to subsidiaries that could compete with merchants in selling electricity to investorowned and public utilities; and 3) that retail rates be frozen for three years, although increases in fuel costs and power purchases from other generators would be passed along to customers. The three-part proposal addressed only the wholesale electricity market—the power that is generated and sold to utilities, not the retail energy market. 27 However, in 2002, the committee was expected to deliver Chapter 8: Technology and Opportunity Breed Success for the New Millennium  57

recommendations for retail deregulation. The energy shortage in California and rolling blackouts caused lawmakers in Florida to have a tepid reaction to the suggestions made by the governor’s committee, and they took a cautious approach to deregulation. Governor Bush later stated that deregulation in Florida could wait until lawmakers, utilities, and outside power providers could agree on how it should work.

In 2001, the co-op helped Northwest Florida Community Hospital obtain funding for an expansion project to add additional doctors’ office space and an in-house physical therapy unit. By applying for a USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant, the cooperative was able to obtain the funds for the hospital expansion at no interest. As the hospital repaid the funds, WFEC could place the money into a revolving loan fund (RLF) to be reloaned to finance start-up and growth of other businesses in the WFEC service area. This was the second grant WFEC acquired and loaned to an area business for repayment into the RLF, which would be used to support ongoing economic development efforts.28 The cooperative Board of Trustees also made the decision to begin contracting meter-reading services to Sun State Controls, LLC, a local company, who could read them more cost effectively than the cooperative.29 Generator sales and high-speed Internet services were offered by the co-op in 2001 as well. Online bill payment, long distance service, and more upgrades to the distribution system to improve efficiency soon followed in 2002 and 2003. The EZ Pay Power, prepaid metering system was implemented during 2003. This is an innovative method of providing electricity on demand to customers. EZ Pay Power offered WFEC members an opportunity to pay in advance for their electricity while offering real time energy usage information to assist them in conserving energy. Prepaid members could purchase electricity in any dollar amount in any office or over the telephone using a credit card, debit card, or e-check. The EZ Pay Power program continues to be one of the cooperative’s landmark programs today.

During the sixty-seventh annual meeting in 2004, a historic marker commemorating WFEC’s formation in 1937 was unveiled. The marker titled 58  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

“When the Lights Came On” was issued by the Florida Department of State Division of Historical Resources and erected at the Graceville headquarters office.30 The Graceville Industrial Park continued experiencing growth in 2004 when it was announced as the new location of a $54 million facility that would become the state’s sixth privately run prison. The prison was expected to house 1,280 inmates. WFEC played a key role in the prison’s location process since the mid-1990s when the cooperative approached the City of Graceville with the idea of promoting Graceville’s economic development by requesting a DOC facility be built there. The work camp subsequently opened in 1998 and a privately owned juvenile justice facility in 2001 followed by the new prison facility in 2004.31 Hurricane Ivan hit the area hard on September 16 and 17, 2004, spawning tornadoes and causing damage to WFEC’s distribution system. For the next four days, crews worked sixteen- to eighteen-hour days to repair the storm-ravaged system, and on September 20, the co-op had processed approximately fifteen thousand

Chapter 8: Technology and Opportunity Breed Success for the New Millennium  59

recommendations for retail deregulation. The energy shortage in California and rolling blackouts caused lawmakers in Florida to have a tepid reaction to the suggestions made by the governor’s committee, and they took a cautious approach to deregulation. Governor Bush later stated that deregulation in Florida could wait until lawmakers, utilities, and outside power providers could agree on how it should work.

In 2001, the co-op helped Northwest Florida Community Hospital obtain funding for an expansion project to add additional doctors’ office space and an in-house physical therapy unit. By applying for a USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant, the cooperative was able to obtain the funds for the hospital expansion at no interest. As the hospital repaid the funds, WFEC could place the money into a revolving loan fund (RLF) to be reloaned to finance start-up and growth of other businesses in the WFEC service area. This was the second grant WFEC acquired and loaned to an area business for repayment into the RLF, which would be used to support ongoing economic development efforts.28 The cooperative Board of Trustees also made the decision to begin contracting meter-reading services to Sun State Controls, LLC, a local company, who could read them more cost effectively than the cooperative.29 Generator sales and high-speed Internet services were offered by the co-op in 2001 as well. Online bill payment, long distance service, and more upgrades to the distribution system to improve efficiency soon followed in 2002 and 2003. The EZ Pay Power, prepaid metering system was implemented during 2003. This is an innovative method of providing electricity on demand to customers. EZ Pay Power offered WFEC members an opportunity to pay in advance for their electricity while offering real time energy usage information to assist them in conserving energy. Prepaid members could purchase electricity in any dollar amount in any office or over the telephone using a credit card, debit card, or e-check. The EZ Pay Power program continues to be one of the cooperative’s landmark programs today.

During the sixty-seventh annual meeting in 2004, a historic marker commemorating WFEC’s formation in 1937 was unveiled. The marker titled 58  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

“When the Lights Came On” was issued by the Florida Department of State Division of Historical Resources and erected at the Graceville headquarters office.30 The Graceville Industrial Park continued experiencing growth in 2004 when it was announced as the new location of a $54 million facility that would become the state’s sixth privately run prison. The prison was expected to house 1,280 inmates. WFEC played a key role in the prison’s location process since the mid-1990s when the cooperative approached the City of Graceville with the idea of promoting Graceville’s economic development by requesting a DOC facility be built there. The work camp subsequently opened in 1998 and a privately owned juvenile justice facility in 2001 followed by the new prison facility in 2004.31 Hurricane Ivan hit the area hard on September 16 and 17, 2004, spawning tornadoes and causing damage to WFEC’s distribution system. For the next four days, crews worked sixteen- to eighteen-hour days to repair the storm-ravaged system, and on September 20, the co-op had processed approximately fifteen thousand

Chapter 8: Technology and Opportunity Breed Success for the New Millennium  59

outage reports through the PORCHE system. More than twenty-five thousand feet of wire, seventy-five transformers, and one hundred poles were replaced over the course of restoration efforts. The heaviest concentration of damage to the system was to our power supplier’s transmission lines feeding into the Westville and Pittman substations, impacting around thirty-six hundred members. The average service interruption time during the storm was thirty-one hours per member. WFEC line crews received assistance with restoration efforts from Withlacoochee Electric Cooperative and Peace River Electric Cooperative. Within days of restoring power to WFEC members, linemen left for Jay, Florida, on September 24, to help Escambia River Electric Cooperative repair their system.32 The cooperative introduced a new and improved high-speed satellite Internet option in 2005 called WildBlue. Talk of launching the new product began in 2004, and in 2005 the company began beta testing the product. The cooperative also encouraged customers to come in and take the new technology for a test drive using demo equipment.

Installation in members’ homes began in the spring of 2005. WildBlue allowed customers to surf the web up to thirty times faster than standard dial-up connections without tying up phone lines with a continuous online connection, saving time and money.33 Hurricane Dennis came along in July causing outages as bands of severe weather impacted the majority of the cooperative’s substations. Loss of transmission lines leading from the substations led to interruptions of service for fifteen thousand of the cooperative’s twenty-six thousand members during the height of the storm. Crews worked throughout the day and into the night to repair the damage and less than six hundred members remained without power after the storm passed through. Many storms hit the southeastern United States that year, and crews again assisted other cooperatives with restoration efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Wilma.34 Because of all of the storms that passed through the service area generator sales hit an all-time high of $300,000.

The cooperative continued adapting new technologies into 2006, partnering with Waste Management, Inc., and PowerSouth Energy Cooperative to open a landfill gas-to-energy facility at Springhill Regional Landfill. At this facility, methane gas from the landfill is collected and converted to generate electricity that is delivered to the PowerSouth transmission grid via WFEC distribution lines. The energy produced at this facility is enough to power four thousand homes each year. Landfill gas is an alternative fuel resource that is produced naturally as waste decomposes in a landfill. It is a flexible resource that 60  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

can be converted to generate electricity at small power plants at landfills, like Springhill.35 “Participation in green power programs [like this one] continues to rise nation-wide,” the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said. Renewable resources accounted for about 8.2 percent of total U.S. energy consumption and 10.3 percent of electricity generation in 2011. In addition, most states and the federal government are looking to enact laws requiring utilities to obtain certain percentages of their total power supply through green power in the future. The landfill gas-to-energy facility at Springhill began production in early April 2006 and became the one-hundredth facility put on-line by Waste Management. Also beginning in April of that year, utilities in the PowerSouth system began offering the Green Power Choice program giving customers the option of voluntarily purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from the Springhill Regional Landfill Biomass Project. This opportunity allows interested members to join their electric cooperatives by actively caring for the environment while supporting the environmental benefits of using renewable energy. The facility built in Campbellton is the first of its nature in the Florida Panhandle.

Chapter 8: Technology and Opportunity Breed Success for the New Millennium  61

outage reports through the PORCHE system. More than twenty-five thousand feet of wire, seventy-five transformers, and one hundred poles were replaced over the course of restoration efforts. The heaviest concentration of damage to the system was to our power supplier’s transmission lines feeding into the Westville and Pittman substations, impacting around thirty-six hundred members. The average service interruption time during the storm was thirty-one hours per member. WFEC line crews received assistance with restoration efforts from Withlacoochee Electric Cooperative and Peace River Electric Cooperative. Within days of restoring power to WFEC members, linemen left for Jay, Florida, on September 24, to help Escambia River Electric Cooperative repair their system.32 The cooperative introduced a new and improved high-speed satellite Internet option in 2005 called WildBlue. Talk of launching the new product began in 2004, and in 2005 the company began beta testing the product. The cooperative also encouraged customers to come in and take the new technology for a test drive using demo equipment.

Installation in members’ homes began in the spring of 2005. WildBlue allowed customers to surf the web up to thirty times faster than standard dial-up connections without tying up phone lines with a continuous online connection, saving time and money.33 Hurricane Dennis came along in July causing outages as bands of severe weather impacted the majority of the cooperative’s substations. Loss of transmission lines leading from the substations led to interruptions of service for fifteen thousand of the cooperative’s twenty-six thousand members during the height of the storm. Crews worked throughout the day and into the night to repair the damage and less than six hundred members remained without power after the storm passed through. Many storms hit the southeastern United States that year, and crews again assisted other cooperatives with restoration efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Wilma.34 Because of all of the storms that passed through the service area generator sales hit an all-time high of $300,000.

The cooperative continued adapting new technologies into 2006, partnering with Waste Management, Inc., and PowerSouth Energy Cooperative to open a landfill gas-to-energy facility at Springhill Regional Landfill. At this facility, methane gas from the landfill is collected and converted to generate electricity that is delivered to the PowerSouth transmission grid via WFEC distribution lines. The energy produced at this facility is enough to power four thousand homes each year. Landfill gas is an alternative fuel resource that is produced naturally as waste decomposes in a landfill. It is a flexible resource that 60  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

can be converted to generate electricity at small power plants at landfills, like Springhill.35 “Participation in green power programs [like this one] continues to rise nation-wide,” the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said. Renewable resources accounted for about 8.2 percent of total U.S. energy consumption and 10.3 percent of electricity generation in 2011. In addition, most states and the federal government are looking to enact laws requiring utilities to obtain certain percentages of their total power supply through green power in the future. The landfill gas-to-energy facility at Springhill began production in early April 2006 and became the one-hundredth facility put on-line by Waste Management. Also beginning in April of that year, utilities in the PowerSouth system began offering the Green Power Choice program giving customers the option of voluntarily purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from the Springhill Regional Landfill Biomass Project. This opportunity allows interested members to join their electric cooperatives by actively caring for the environment while supporting the environmental benefits of using renewable energy. The facility built in Campbellton is the first of its nature in the Florida Panhandle.

Chapter 8: Technology and Opportunity Breed Success for the New Millennium  61

Also during 2006, some cooperative line workers became unexpected heroes after assisting local emergency personnel with a treetop rescue. On May 23, Engineering and Operations employees, David Brannon, the late David Register, Tracey Crutchfield, Brent Miller, Chad Mitchell, and Jerry West reported for work as usual, having no idea they would be heroes by the end of the day. That Tuesday began just as many others, with the men receiving their assignments and departing from the Graceville office to begin their workday. However, that afternoon a simple phone call set in motion a chain of events none of them would forget.

William “Pug” Morris, of Kynesville, decided to take his two-monthold ultralight airplane for a spin to show friends and family. This was Morris’ third flight since receiving it as a gift from his daughter and sonin-law. According to Morris, he was in the air about thirty minutes when he hit a thermal that began pushing him up and pulling him down. After making two attempts to land on his runway, he flew over some trees where the air was cooler and was sucked down into the treetops “like a vacuum cleaner.”

“We were watching him flying around and getting ready to land when we heard a loud boom over the trees,” said Maxine Morris, Pug’s wife of forty-six years. After rushing to the scene, Maxine and friends discovered Pug suspended between two trees fifty to sixty feet in the air. He was positioned with one wing of the aircraft in one tree, the other wing in the other and calling out that he was unhurt. “A little bit of movement would cause the two limbs I was suspended between to break,” said Morris.

Several Jackson County emergency rescue services arrived on the scene very quickly but did not have the appropriate equipment to extract Morris from the treetops. That’s when WFEC got a phone call from Jackson County requesting the use of a bucket truck. The service center contacted linemen in the field who traveled to the accident scene. A course of action was decided and the wings of the ultra light were tied to the trees to keep the plane from falling, but another bucket truck was needed for the rescue. That is when Brannon saw another company’s bucket truck, manned by Marcus Shaw, traveling down the road and suggested deputies flag it down for assistance. Now the rescue could begin. A bulldozer cleared the ground below so the crews in the bucket trucks could go to work. Morris was secured and lifted from the ultralight and lowered safely to the ground by David Register, Brent Miller, and Marcus Shaw. Once Morris was safe, Register went high into the trees 62  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

to hook onto the plane’s D-ring, the sturdiest part on top. The plane was then lifted free of the branches and brought down. The ultralight sustained one broken wing and one punctured wing, about $3,000 in damage. The Morrises were very grateful and appreciative of the response they received from the community when they were in need.36 In 2007, growth in WFEC’s service area continued with the opening of Green Circle Bio Energy, Inc. (GCBE), the world’s largest energy wood pellet manufacturing plant. Energy pellets are supplied to the power generating industry for co-firing in coal-based power plants. Central heating companies are another sector supplied by the company.

“This is an exciting time for West Florida Electric. We were fortunate to have been a part of the team that represented Jackson County in this endeavor. We look forward to a great relationship with GCBE and are extremely proud to be their local energy provider,” said Rimes at their grand opening.

The $100-million plant produces approximately 560,000 tons of energy wood pellets each year and requires a full-time staff of fiftyone, from engineers to wood procurers. The facility has had a major impact on the transportation, logging, pulpwood, and tourism industry since it opened. 37 Chapter 8: Technology and Opportunity Breed Success for the New Millennium  63

Also during 2006, some cooperative line workers became unexpected heroes after assisting local emergency personnel with a treetop rescue. On May 23, Engineering and Operations employees, David Brannon, the late David Register, Tracey Crutchfield, Brent Miller, Chad Mitchell, and Jerry West reported for work as usual, having no idea they would be heroes by the end of the day. That Tuesday began just as many others, with the men receiving their assignments and departing from the Graceville office to begin their workday. However, that afternoon a simple phone call set in motion a chain of events none of them would forget.

William “Pug” Morris, of Kynesville, decided to take his two-monthold ultralight airplane for a spin to show friends and family. This was Morris’ third flight since receiving it as a gift from his daughter and sonin-law. According to Morris, he was in the air about thirty minutes when he hit a thermal that began pushing him up and pulling him down. After making two attempts to land on his runway, he flew over some trees where the air was cooler and was sucked down into the treetops “like a vacuum cleaner.”

“We were watching him flying around and getting ready to land when we heard a loud boom over the trees,” said Maxine Morris, Pug’s wife of forty-six years. After rushing to the scene, Maxine and friends discovered Pug suspended between two trees fifty to sixty feet in the air. He was positioned with one wing of the aircraft in one tree, the other wing in the other and calling out that he was unhurt. “A little bit of movement would cause the two limbs I was suspended between to break,” said Morris.

Several Jackson County emergency rescue services arrived on the scene very quickly but did not have the appropriate equipment to extract Morris from the treetops. That’s when WFEC got a phone call from Jackson County requesting the use of a bucket truck. The service center contacted linemen in the field who traveled to the accident scene. A course of action was decided and the wings of the ultra light were tied to the trees to keep the plane from falling, but another bucket truck was needed for the rescue. That is when Brannon saw another company’s bucket truck, manned by Marcus Shaw, traveling down the road and suggested deputies flag it down for assistance. Now the rescue could begin. A bulldozer cleared the ground below so the crews in the bucket trucks could go to work. Morris was secured and lifted from the ultralight and lowered safely to the ground by David Register, Brent Miller, and Marcus Shaw. Once Morris was safe, Register went high into the trees 62  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

to hook onto the plane’s D-ring, the sturdiest part on top. The plane was then lifted free of the branches and brought down. The ultralight sustained one broken wing and one punctured wing, about $3,000 in damage. The Morrises were very grateful and appreciative of the response they received from the community when they were in need.36 In 2007, growth in WFEC’s service area continued with the opening of Green Circle Bio Energy, Inc. (GCBE), the world’s largest energy wood pellet manufacturing plant. Energy pellets are supplied to the power generating industry for co-firing in coal-based power plants. Central heating companies are another sector supplied by the company.

“This is an exciting time for West Florida Electric. We were fortunate to have been a part of the team that represented Jackson County in this endeavor. We look forward to a great relationship with GCBE and are extremely proud to be their local energy provider,” said Rimes at their grand opening.

The $100-million plant produces approximately 560,000 tons of energy wood pellets each year and requires a full-time staff of fiftyone, from engineers to wood procurers. The facility has had a major impact on the transportation, logging, pulpwood, and tourism industry since it opened. 37 Chapter 8: Technology and Opportunity Breed Success for the New Millennium  63

WFEC began implementing and installing new technology called advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) technology in 2007. AMI technology allowed the cooperative to begin reading meters from the office using a signal transmitted over existing power lines. The new system benefited members in many ways including enhancing reliability, lowering costs, reducing the co-op’s access to meters and property, decreasing human error, helping the cooperative restore outages in a more efficient manner, and pinpointing exactly where outages or other problems occur on the system. Response times for outage calls were also improved with the installation of AMI. On-demand readings and timely data on usage patterns also became more easily available to help increase energy efficiency and pinpoint problems on an individual’s bill.

During the later part of the decade, legislation that would adversely impact the electric utility industry was again being discussed in Washington, D.C., so NRECA and other cooperatives like WFEC started a grassroots campaign called Our Energy, Our Future to bring attention to the issues and to encourage members to become involved with lobbying legislators. The premise at the center of the campaign encouraged members to contact their elected officials and urge them to work together with co-ops to find the right answers to America’s energy challenges.

The campaign also educated lawmakers about the looming capacity crisis facing the industry and technological gaps that existed before clean coal technology could be made affordable and feasible for cooperatives to implement. Postcards addressed to Florida’s legislators were created with a customized message. WFEC members were asked to sign these cards, and 612 cards were mailed on their behalf. Rimes stated that he believed the nationwide efforts of the Our Energy, Our Future campaign slowed the legislative process, giving cooperatives more time to state their case.

Because of the proposed legislation enacting cap and trade and rising transportation and fuel costs, the cooperative began a campaign 64  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

emphasizing the importance of energy efficiency and conservation called Conserve 101. The program offered easy-to-follow conservation tips that required little effort or expense such as turning off lights, changing bulbs from incandescent to compact fluorescent, sealing leaks, and adding insulation. Its goal was to help members reduce their usage by at least 101 kilowatt hours per month—a savings of more than 1,200 kilowatt hours per year.

In addition to Conserve 101, the co-op also implemented a load control program called H2O Plus. When a qualified member enrolled in the program, West Florida Electric sent a certified electrician to his home (at no cost to the member) to install a cycling device on his water heater. A signal that instructs the device to cycle the water heater on and off during times of peak energy demand can then be sent. When the water heater cycles off, the elements power down for a short period of time, usually between two and four hours, and restart in time to maintain plenty of hot water in the tank. The program is designed to encourage wiser energy use during peak demand times, increasing the efficiency and reliability of WFEC’s power system. Just two years later, the H2O Plus program has over one thousand members and continues to grow each day.

Chapter 8: Technology and Opportunity Breed Success for the New Millennium  65

WFEC began implementing and installing new technology called advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) technology in 2007. AMI technology allowed the cooperative to begin reading meters from the office using a signal transmitted over existing power lines. The new system benefited members in many ways including enhancing reliability, lowering costs, reducing the co-op’s access to meters and property, decreasing human error, helping the cooperative restore outages in a more efficient manner, and pinpointing exactly where outages or other problems occur on the system. Response times for outage calls were also improved with the installation of AMI. On-demand readings and timely data on usage patterns also became more easily available to help increase energy efficiency and pinpoint problems on an individual’s bill.

During the later part of the decade, legislation that would adversely impact the electric utility industry was again being discussed in Washington, D.C., so NRECA and other cooperatives like WFEC started a grassroots campaign called Our Energy, Our Future to bring attention to the issues and to encourage members to become involved with lobbying legislators. The premise at the center of the campaign encouraged members to contact their elected officials and urge them to work together with co-ops to find the right answers to America’s energy challenges.

The campaign also educated lawmakers about the looming capacity crisis facing the industry and technological gaps that existed before clean coal technology could be made affordable and feasible for cooperatives to implement. Postcards addressed to Florida’s legislators were created with a customized message. WFEC members were asked to sign these cards, and 612 cards were mailed on their behalf. Rimes stated that he believed the nationwide efforts of the Our Energy, Our Future campaign slowed the legislative process, giving cooperatives more time to state their case.

Because of the proposed legislation enacting cap and trade and rising transportation and fuel costs, the cooperative began a campaign 64  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

emphasizing the importance of energy efficiency and conservation called Conserve 101. The program offered easy-to-follow conservation tips that required little effort or expense such as turning off lights, changing bulbs from incandescent to compact fluorescent, sealing leaks, and adding insulation. Its goal was to help members reduce their usage by at least 101 kilowatt hours per month—a savings of more than 1,200 kilowatt hours per year.

In addition to Conserve 101, the co-op also implemented a load control program called H2O Plus. When a qualified member enrolled in the program, West Florida Electric sent a certified electrician to his home (at no cost to the member) to install a cycling device on his water heater. A signal that instructs the device to cycle the water heater on and off during times of peak energy demand can then be sent. When the water heater cycles off, the elements power down for a short period of time, usually between two and four hours, and restart in time to maintain plenty of hot water in the tank. The program is designed to encourage wiser energy use during peak demand times, increasing the efficiency and reliability of WFEC’s power system. Just two years later, the H2O Plus program has over one thousand members and continues to grow each day.

Chapter 8: Technology and Opportunity Breed Success for the New Millennium  65

Throughout 2010 and 2011, the co-op continued to implement new technologies and strive to serve members in a more efficient manner.

Offering e-billing is one way the cooperative did this. Members could choose to go completely paperless and receive only electronic bill notification, choose to receive their standard bill in the mail, and opt to also receive electronic bill notification or continue with standard billing via the U.S. Postal Service. This billing option is a great time saver and is available 24/7. Electronic payments post immediately to the account, reducing delays associated with traditional payment processes.

The cooperative also remains active in legislative activities to ensure that new energy regulations are fair and equitable for members in its service area. NRECA and cooperatives across the nation have endorsed the “25 x ’25 Action Plan: Charting America’s Energy Future,” which aims to have America’s farms, ranches, and forests provide 25 percent of America’s power needs by 2025. Many electric co-ops are also meeting new renewable energy requirements, but meeting renewable goals requires access to capital. Cooperatives across the nation will need an estimate $42 billion in infrastructure upgrades over the next ten years. It is very important that Congress continues to support cooperatives in their mission to provide safe, reliable, and affordable power to over 40 million Americans.38 

2000—First mail-in ballot election conducted for trustees. Participation in the election process increased by 500 percent—six thousand out of twenty thousand members voted.

2001—Trueband e-stores were begun to help local businesses expand into the digital marketplace.

The co-op also began offering high-speed Internet via satellite.

2002—WFEC celebrated its sixty-fifth anniversary and recognized Lawrence P. “Hap” Felton as Veteran of the Year. Gertha Simpson was also recognized as the oldest WFEC member present at the meeting. The Townsquare section of the cooperative’s website was begun, and individuals, businesses, and organizations could upload information about events free of charge.

2003—By January, WFEC served over fifty-one hundred subscribers and had five local access numbers for dial-up Internet service.

2004—A line conversion to improve the distribution system was begun. Voltage was doubled on the line two miles north of Dogwood Lakes over to Poplar Springs to improve reliability and efficiency. Approximately five hundred members were impacted. “Making Accidents Disappear” magic and safety show by Scott Davis was first utilized by the co-op. Davis uses comedy and illusion to convey important safety tips to elementary school children.

66  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

2005—WildBlue, high-speed satellite Internet service, was launched by the cooperative.

2006—Grand opening of the Waste Management Landfill gas-to-energy facility, allowing PowerSouth distribution systems to begin offering Green Power Choice, generating 4.8 megawatts of energy that could be sold. Consumers may participate in Green Power Choice for as little as $2 per month in addition to their normal energy bill. Members purchase green power in 100-kilowatthour blocks—the equivalent of about 8 percent of a typical household’s monthly energy usage.

Members may purchase as many blocks as they wish, and the minimum participation period is one year. Buying two blocks of green power per month for a year equals recycling 480 pounds of aluminum or recycling 1,766 pounds of newspaper.

2007—AMI conversion began. Converting the entire distribution system to AMI took approximately eighteen months.

2008—Co-op began focusing on energy efficiency programs like Conserve 101 and H2O Plus, and urging members to become more energy aware.

2009—The Sneads office building was dedicated and named in honor of Adell Miles, longtime cooperative employee. Henry Prescott, beloved member of the cooperative’s Board of Trustees and lifelong Holmes County resident, passed away on September 12, 2009. “Mr. Henry,” as he was affectionately known at the co-op and in the community he loved, served on the cooperative’s Board for twenty-nine years. During his tenure on the Board, Prescott played a key role in many major accomplishments that have benefited WFEC’s member owners. Some of these accomplishments include the passage of the mail ballot proposal, approval to install and implement the prepaid metering system, approval and implementation of the automated meter reading upgrade, approval of the bio-fuel electricity production process in partnership with Waste Management Corporation, and approval of the Graceville Industrial Park land sale for the construction of the Graceville Prison Work Camp. He believed that through hard work, dedication, team spirit, and education that challenges looming ahead for the utility industry could be met and overcome.

2010—Worthington retires. Longtime member of the West Florida Electric Board of Trustees, John Worthington, announced his retirement in 2010. Worthington, a lifelong resident of Washington County, was born in 1943 to Iris (Lee) and Amos Worthington in the Hinson’s Crossroads community. He graduated from Vernon High School in 1963, where he played football. Worthington was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 1983. During his tenure, he acted as chairman of the Board for many years and also represented WFEC by serving on the Board of PowerSouth Energy Cooperative. Worthington was honored upon his retirement with a party at the Hinson Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department. Hundreds of friends, family, and colleagues attended to wish him well.

Chapter 8: Technology and Opportunity Breed Success for the New Millennium  67

Throughout 2010 and 2011, the co-op continued to implement new technologies and strive to serve members in a more efficient manner.

Offering e-billing is one way the cooperative did this. Members could choose to go completely paperless and receive only electronic bill notification, choose to receive their standard bill in the mail, and opt to also receive electronic bill notification or continue with standard billing via the U.S. Postal Service. This billing option is a great time saver and is available 24/7. Electronic payments post immediately to the account, reducing delays associated with traditional payment processes.

The cooperative also remains active in legislative activities to ensure that new energy regulations are fair and equitable for members in its service area. NRECA and cooperatives across the nation have endorsed the “25 x ’25 Action Plan: Charting America’s Energy Future,” which aims to have America’s farms, ranches, and forests provide 25 percent of America’s power needs by 2025. Many electric co-ops are also meeting new renewable energy requirements, but meeting renewable goals requires access to capital. Cooperatives across the nation will need an estimate $42 billion in infrastructure upgrades over the next ten years. It is very important that Congress continues to support cooperatives in their mission to provide safe, reliable, and affordable power to over 40 million Americans.38 

2000—First mail-in ballot election conducted for trustees. Participation in the election process increased by 500 percent—six thousand out of twenty thousand members voted.

2001—Trueband e-stores were begun to help local businesses expand into the digital marketplace.

The co-op also began offering high-speed Internet via satellite.

2002—WFEC celebrated its sixty-fifth anniversary and recognized Lawrence P. “Hap” Felton as Veteran of the Year. Gertha Simpson was also recognized as the oldest WFEC member present at the meeting. The Townsquare section of the cooperative’s website was begun, and individuals, businesses, and organizations could upload information about events free of charge.

2003—By January, WFEC served over fifty-one hundred subscribers and had five local access numbers for dial-up Internet service.

2004—A line conversion to improve the distribution system was begun. Voltage was doubled on the line two miles north of Dogwood Lakes over to Poplar Springs to improve reliability and efficiency. Approximately five hundred members were impacted. “Making Accidents Disappear” magic and safety show by Scott Davis was first utilized by the co-op. Davis uses comedy and illusion to convey important safety tips to elementary school children.

66  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

2005—WildBlue, high-speed satellite Internet service, was launched by the cooperative.

2006—Grand opening of the Waste Management Landfill gas-to-energy facility, allowing PowerSouth distribution systems to begin offering Green Power Choice, generating 4.8 megawatts of energy that could be sold. Consumers may participate in Green Power Choice for as little as $2 per month in addition to their normal energy bill. Members purchase green power in 100-kilowatthour blocks—the equivalent of about 8 percent of a typical household’s monthly energy usage.

Members may purchase as many blocks as they wish, and the minimum participation period is one year. Buying two blocks of green power per month for a year equals recycling 480 pounds of aluminum or recycling 1,766 pounds of newspaper.

2007—AMI conversion began. Converting the entire distribution system to AMI took approximately eighteen months.

2008—Co-op began focusing on energy efficiency programs like Conserve 101 and H2O Plus, and urging members to become more energy aware.

2009—The Sneads office building was dedicated and named in honor of Adell Miles, longtime cooperative employee. Henry Prescott, beloved member of the cooperative’s Board of Trustees and lifelong Holmes County resident, passed away on September 12, 2009. “Mr. Henry,” as he was affectionately known at the co-op and in the community he loved, served on the cooperative’s Board for twenty-nine years. During his tenure on the Board, Prescott played a key role in many major accomplishments that have benefited WFEC’s member owners. Some of these accomplishments include the passage of the mail ballot proposal, approval to install and implement the prepaid metering system, approval and implementation of the automated meter reading upgrade, approval of the bio-fuel electricity production process in partnership with Waste Management Corporation, and approval of the Graceville Industrial Park land sale for the construction of the Graceville Prison Work Camp. He believed that through hard work, dedication, team spirit, and education that challenges looming ahead for the utility industry could be met and overcome.

2010—Worthington retires. Longtime member of the West Florida Electric Board of Trustees, John Worthington, announced his retirement in 2010. Worthington, a lifelong resident of Washington County, was born in 1943 to Iris (Lee) and Amos Worthington in the Hinson’s Crossroads community. He graduated from Vernon High School in 1963, where he played football. Worthington was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 1983. During his tenure, he acted as chairman of the Board for many years and also represented WFEC by serving on the Board of PowerSouth Energy Cooperative. Worthington was honored upon his retirement with a party at the Hinson Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department. Hundreds of friends, family, and colleagues attended to wish him well.

Chapter 8: Technology and Opportunity Breed Success for the New Millennium  67

S

9

eventy-five years ago a group of pioneers saw the need for rural electrification and with toil and strife began building the foundation of West Florida Electric Cooperative Association, Inc. This cooperative began with individuals who had a vision and were determined to see the rural electrification movement through to the end. Claude R. Wickard, REA administrator, in a letter to WFEC members in 1946, stated: But the goal is not yet reached—not until low cost electricity is available to every rural establishment in your area, and not until your members have fully learned to use electric power wherever possible for better rural living and for the social, economic and cultural advancement of the communities your cooperative serves. To achieve this goal will require still more of the vision, the spirit of cooperation, and determined effort to which this program and your cooperative owe their existence. We in REA will continue to work with you and to help you all we can, but the final outcome will depend largely on your own local efforts and your ability to plan and work together for the common good.39

Our Promise: To Continue Working Together for the Common Good

Wickard’s advice to the members of WFEC remains true today. Working together for the common good to maintain affordable, reliable electric service has been WFEC’s mission for the past seventy-five years and will continue to be its mission well into the future. WFEC will continue to provide innovative technologies that improve the electric distribution system, customer service methods, programs and services.

As the cooperative moves into the future it will continue to work diligently with local government and economic development officials to bring industry and innovation to the communities it serves. The cooperative will maintain a commitment to the community by supporting events and organizations, and striving to uphold a level of accountability to the membership who owns it, and maintaining integrity that inspires confidence in those members. 

The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined efforts of each individual.

Vince Lombardi Chapter 9: Our Promise: To Continue Working Together for the Common Good  69

S

9

eventy-five years ago a group of pioneers saw the need for rural electrification and with toil and strife began building the foundation of West Florida Electric Cooperative Association, Inc. This cooperative began with individuals who had a vision and were determined to see the rural electrification movement through to the end. Claude R. Wickard, REA administrator, in a letter to WFEC members in 1946, stated: But the goal is not yet reached—not until low cost electricity is available to every rural establishment in your area, and not until your members have fully learned to use electric power wherever possible for better rural living and for the social, economic and cultural advancement of the communities your cooperative serves. To achieve this goal will require still more of the vision, the spirit of cooperation, and determined effort to which this program and your cooperative owe their existence. We in REA will continue to work with you and to help you all we can, but the final outcome will depend largely on your own local efforts and your ability to plan and work together for the common good.39

Our Promise: To Continue Working Together for the Common Good

Wickard’s advice to the members of WFEC remains true today. Working together for the common good to maintain affordable, reliable electric service has been WFEC’s mission for the past seventy-five years and will continue to be its mission well into the future. WFEC will continue to provide innovative technologies that improve the electric distribution system, customer service methods, programs and services.

As the cooperative moves into the future it will continue to work diligently with local government and economic development officials to bring industry and innovation to the communities it serves. The cooperative will maintain a commitment to the community by supporting events and organizations, and striving to uphold a level of accountability to the membership who owns it, and maintaining integrity that inspires confidence in those members. 

The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined efforts of each individual.

Vince Lombardi Chapter 9: Our Promise: To Continue Working Together for the Common Good  69

10

Claude Smith (1938–1952): The cooperative’s first general manager, Smith, of Milton, Florida, was hired in 1938 and served the co-op in this capacity for fourteen years. He returned and spoke at the 1978 annual meeting relating some of his experiences at the fledgling cooperative including some of the problems members had adjusting to their new electrical appliances.

J. B. Rutherford (1952–1963): Rutherford was unanimously accepted by the Board of Trustees and began employment with the co-op on August 29, 1952.

Elbert Franklin (1964–1975): Franklin served the cooperative for a total of fifty-one years in many capacities: as an employee, general manager, and as a member of the Board of Trustees. Franklin was active in many clubs and service organizations within the community including the Graceville Lions Club and the Graceville Masonic Lodge.

George Barfield (1976–1977): Barfield was president of the Board of Trustees and appointed to serve as general manager by the Board of Trustees. He was later selected to continue in this position after submitting his application and taking part in the interview process.

General Managers

Adell Miles (1977–1978; 1979): Miles served as interim manager on two occasions. He began working at the cooperative in 1947 after serving in the Army. During his time at WFEC, Miles served in virtually every department. He is credited with starting the Sneads District office to better serve the needs of co-op members in East Jackson County. He even worked outages while his wife dispatched from their home before construction on the office building was complete. Miles was Sneads District office manager until his retirement in 1990. Throughout his retirement, Miles continued to play an active role in the community he loved, and after his death in 2009, cooperative officials dedicated the Sneads office building in his honor, dubbing it the Adell Miles Building.

Samuel Chaney (1978–1979): A twentyeight-year veteran of the electric utility industry, Chaney came to WFEC after

Adell Miles

Elbert Franklin

Samuel Chaney Chapter 10: General Managers  71

10

Claude Smith (1938–1952): The cooperative’s first general manager, Smith, of Milton, Florida, was hired in 1938 and served the co-op in this capacity for fourteen years. He returned and spoke at the 1978 annual meeting relating some of his experiences at the fledgling cooperative including some of the problems members had adjusting to their new electrical appliances.

J. B. Rutherford (1952–1963): Rutherford was unanimously accepted by the Board of Trustees and began employment with the co-op on August 29, 1952.

Elbert Franklin (1964–1975): Franklin served the cooperative for a total of fifty-one years in many capacities: as an employee, general manager, and as a member of the Board of Trustees. Franklin was active in many clubs and service organizations within the community including the Graceville Lions Club and the Graceville Masonic Lodge.

George Barfield (1976–1977): Barfield was president of the Board of Trustees and appointed to serve as general manager by the Board of Trustees. He was later selected to continue in this position after submitting his application and taking part in the interview process.

General Managers

Adell Miles (1977–1978; 1979): Miles served as interim manager on two occasions. He began working at the cooperative in 1947 after serving in the Army. During his time at WFEC, Miles served in virtually every department. He is credited with starting the Sneads District office to better serve the needs of co-op members in East Jackson County. He even worked outages while his wife dispatched from their home before construction on the office building was complete. Miles was Sneads District office manager until his retirement in 1990. Throughout his retirement, Miles continued to play an active role in the community he loved, and after his death in 2009, cooperative officials dedicated the Sneads office building in his honor, dubbing it the Adell Miles Building.

Samuel Chaney (1978–1979): A twentyeight-year veteran of the electric utility industry, Chaney came to WFEC after

Adell Miles

Elbert Franklin

Samuel Chaney Chapter 10: General Managers  71

serving in management at several investorowned and municipal utilities, including serving as general manager at Ozark Border Electric Cooperative in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

Charles Thibos

Russell Dunaway

Charles Thibos (1979–1985): Thibos worked as business manager at the cooperative before being selected as general manager. During Thibos’ time as GM, the cooperative built and opened the Bonifay district office and also went to cycle billing.

Russell Dunaway (1985; 1996­–1997): Dunaway served as interim manager twice. He began working at the cooperative in 1977 and was responsible for installing the co-op’s first computer system in 1978. Dunaway developed the yearly operating budget and supervised both the implementation of cycle billing and the meter reading program. A graduate of University of West Florida with a bachelor of arts degree in accounting, Dunaway had previous computer experience in the banking industry and was an agent with the State of Florida Office of the Auditor General prior to beginning his career with WFEC. He was promoted to business manager in 1979 and is currently Executive Vice President and CFO. Jerry Wayne Smith

William S. Rimes

Jerry Wayne Smith (1986–1996): Smith was chosen from over forty candidates for the general manager’s position. A graduate of Auburn University with a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering, Smith had fourteen years of experience in the utility industry. He was formerly the Bonifay District manager and worked for AEC, WFEC’s generation and transmission cooperative prior to beginning his career at WFEC. William S. Rimes (1997–Present): Rimes played an active role in the community before he took the helm at WFEC. He was executive director of the Jackson County Development Council, and as Graceville City Manager, played a key role in several economic development projects.

Before overseeing local community and governmental affairs, Rimes demonstrated leadership skills throughout a distinguished military career.

He retired as an Air Force colonel, having served his country at locations

72  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

all over the globe including the Pentagon and Eglin Air Force Base. He also accumulated fifty-four combat missions in the Vietnam War. His numerous military decorations and awards include the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with palm. Rimes continues to lead the cooperative through the continual challenges facing the electric utility industry today.

From its humble beginnings in 1937, West Florida Electric Cooperative has grown to serve over twenty-five thousand members in four counties and has become a leader of innovation and technology in the cooperative industry. Under the leadership of a progressive and forward-thinking Board of Trustees and Executive Staff, the cooperative continues to provide dependable electricity and other services to its members through the implementation of new technologies and sound business practices. The Board of Trustees also leads economic development and industrial recruitment efforts in Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington Counties. WFEC Trustees are active in their communities in many ways and support community involvement by the co-op and its employees. This governing body has provided policies and procedures and empowered the cooperative’s Executive Staff members to make important decisions impacting members daily. It is because of their leadership that we are able to present this historic book documenting seventy-five years of service to our members. 

Top: Executive Staff: Pictured (left to right) are attorney Frank Bondurant; Executive Vice President and CFO Russell Dunaway; Vice President of Member Services Gary Clark; Vice President of Engineering and Operations Ty Peel; and President and CEO Bill Rimes.

Above: Board of Trustees: Front row (left to right) are Charles Holman, A. C. Miles, Eugene Alford, Ellis Nichols, and Randy Bush. Back row (left to right) are John Patrick, Joe Rone, Myron Hudson, and George Clayton Owens.

Chapter 10: General Managers  73

serving in management at several investorowned and municipal utilities, including serving as general manager at Ozark Border Electric Cooperative in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

Charles Thibos

Russell Dunaway

Charles Thibos (1979–1985): Thibos worked as business manager at the cooperative before being selected as general manager. During Thibos’ time as GM, the cooperative built and opened the Bonifay district office and also went to cycle billing.

Russell Dunaway (1985; 1996­–1997): Dunaway served as interim manager twice. He began working at the cooperative in 1977 and was responsible for installing the co-op’s first computer system in 1978. Dunaway developed the yearly operating budget and supervised both the implementation of cycle billing and the meter reading program. A graduate of University of West Florida with a bachelor of arts degree in accounting, Dunaway had previous computer experience in the banking industry and was an agent with the State of Florida Office of the Auditor General prior to beginning his career with WFEC. He was promoted to business manager in 1979 and is currently Executive Vice President and CFO. Jerry Wayne Smith

William S. Rimes

Jerry Wayne Smith (1986–1996): Smith was chosen from over forty candidates for the general manager’s position. A graduate of Auburn University with a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering, Smith had fourteen years of experience in the utility industry. He was formerly the Bonifay District manager and worked for AEC, WFEC’s generation and transmission cooperative prior to beginning his career at WFEC. William S. Rimes (1997–Present): Rimes played an active role in the community before he took the helm at WFEC. He was executive director of the Jackson County Development Council, and as Graceville City Manager, played a key role in several economic development projects.

Before overseeing local community and governmental affairs, Rimes demonstrated leadership skills throughout a distinguished military career.

He retired as an Air Force colonel, having served his country at locations

72  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

all over the globe including the Pentagon and Eglin Air Force Base. He also accumulated fifty-four combat missions in the Vietnam War. His numerous military decorations and awards include the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with palm. Rimes continues to lead the cooperative through the continual challenges facing the electric utility industry today.

From its humble beginnings in 1937, West Florida Electric Cooperative has grown to serve over twenty-five thousand members in four counties and has become a leader of innovation and technology in the cooperative industry. Under the leadership of a progressive and forward-thinking Board of Trustees and Executive Staff, the cooperative continues to provide dependable electricity and other services to its members through the implementation of new technologies and sound business practices. The Board of Trustees also leads economic development and industrial recruitment efforts in Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington Counties. WFEC Trustees are active in their communities in many ways and support community involvement by the co-op and its employees. This governing body has provided policies and procedures and empowered the cooperative’s Executive Staff members to make important decisions impacting members daily. It is because of their leadership that we are able to present this historic book documenting seventy-five years of service to our members. 

Top: Executive Staff: Pictured (left to right) are attorney Frank Bondurant; Executive Vice President and CFO Russell Dunaway; Vice President of Member Services Gary Clark; Vice President of Engineering and Operations Ty Peel; and President and CEO Bill Rimes.

Above: Board of Trustees: Front row (left to right) are Charles Holman, A. C. Miles, Eugene Alford, Ellis Nichols, and Randy Bush. Back row (left to right) are John Patrick, Joe Rone, Myron Hudson, and George Clayton Owens.

Chapter 10: General Managers  73

18. Current Light Flashes, “Letters from Consumers,” May 1951, 2.

Endnotes 1. University of Georgia, Address of the President, http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/FDRspeeches/ FDRspeech38-6.htm, (accessed August 15, 2011).

2. Current Light Flashes, “Remembering the First Lights,” August 1987, 4.

3. National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), The Next Greatest Thing (Silver Spring, Maryland: McArdle Printing Company, 1985), 107.

4. Ibid., 110–117.

5. Ibid., 100.

6. Ibid., 82.

7. Ibid., 82.

8. West Florida Electric Annual Meeting Minutes, May 2, 1938, 60, 67, 68.

9. NRECA, 95.

10. NRECA, 90.

11. NRECA, 99.

12. Washington County News, “Six Miles REA Line Being Extended to Rural Section Here,” August 15, 1940, sec. A. 13. Washington County News, “REA Approves New Sum to Build 261 Miles Power Lines,” November 1941.

14. Becky Bradley, “1950–1959,” American Cultural History, Lone Star College-Kingwood Library.

Last modified July 2010. http://wwwappskc.lonestar.edu/popculture/decade50.html.

19. Current Light Flashes, “Shooting of Insulators,” February 1954, 1.

20. Susan Goodwin, and Becky Bradley, “1960–1969,” American Cultural History.

Lone Star College-Kingwood Library. Last modified July 2010. http://wwwappskc.lonestar.edu/popculture/decade60.html.

21. Current Light Flashes, “How Much Power Is Used by the U.S. Worker?” December 1965, 1, 3.

22. Current Light Flashes, “Non-Cooled Homes Becoming Obsolete,” June 1966, 1.

23. Graceville News, “Baseball Success Gets Attention,” October 7, 1954, 1.

24. Ibid.

25. Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois, About Hurricane Opal, http://redrock. ncsa.illinois.edu/CMG/People/romine/facts.html.

26. Current Light Flashes, “One Voice, Countless Opportunities,” July 2000, 1.

27. Current Light Flashes, “Florida Eyes Deregulated Energy Market,” February 2001, 4.

28. Current Light Flashes, “WFEC Funds Hospital Expansion,” March 2001, 3.

29. Current Light Flashes, “A Matter of Meters,” May 2001, 1.

30. Current Light Flashes, “WFEC Annual Meeting Celebrates History,” May 2004, 4.

31. Current Light Flashes, “Prison Jobs to Boost Local Economy,” June 2004, 8.

32. Current Light Flashes, “Survivin’ Ivan,” October 2004, 1.

33. Current Light Flashes, “The Sky’s the Limit with WildBlue,” February 2005, 6.

34. Current Light Flashes, “The Menacing Dennis,” August 2005, 1.

35. Current Light Flashes, “Three Companies Partner to Bring Green Power to Area,” May 2006, 1.

36. Current Light Flashes, “Unexpected Heroes,” July 2006, 4.

15. Current Light Flashes, “Down the Drain,” May 1951, 1.

37. Current Light Flashes, “100 Years in the Making,” April 2007, 4.

16. Current Light Flashes, “Shooting of Insulators,” February 1954, 1.

38. Cooperative Connections, “Co-ops Offer Testimony,” July 2007, 11.

17. Washington County News, “More Than Half of Farms in Florida Electrified, Extension Service Says,” July 1947.

74  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

39. Claude R. Wickard to Members and Friends of the West Florida Electric Cooperative Association, Inc., April 17, 1946.

Endnotes  75

18. Current Light Flashes, “Letters from Consumers,” May 1951, 2.

Endnotes 1. University of Georgia, Address of the President, http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/FDRspeeches/ FDRspeech38-6.htm, (accessed August 15, 2011).

2. Current Light Flashes, “Remembering the First Lights,” August 1987, 4.

3. National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), The Next Greatest Thing (Silver Spring, Maryland: McArdle Printing Company, 1985), 107.

4. Ibid., 110–117.

5. Ibid., 100.

6. Ibid., 82.

7. Ibid., 82.

8. West Florida Electric Annual Meeting Minutes, May 2, 1938, 60, 67, 68.

9. NRECA, 95.

10. NRECA, 90.

11. NRECA, 99.

12. Washington County News, “Six Miles REA Line Being Extended to Rural Section Here,” August 15, 1940, sec. A. 13. Washington County News, “REA Approves New Sum to Build 261 Miles Power Lines,” November 1941.

14. Becky Bradley, “1950–1959,” American Cultural History, Lone Star College-Kingwood Library.

Last modified July 2010. http://wwwappskc.lonestar.edu/popculture/decade50.html.

19. Current Light Flashes, “Shooting of Insulators,” February 1954, 1.

20. Susan Goodwin, and Becky Bradley, “1960–1969,” American Cultural History.

Lone Star College-Kingwood Library. Last modified July 2010. http://wwwappskc.lonestar.edu/popculture/decade60.html.

21. Current Light Flashes, “How Much Power Is Used by the U.S. Worker?” December 1965, 1, 3.

22. Current Light Flashes, “Non-Cooled Homes Becoming Obsolete,” June 1966, 1.

23. Graceville News, “Baseball Success Gets Attention,” October 7, 1954, 1.

24. Ibid.

25. Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois, About Hurricane Opal, http://redrock. ncsa.illinois.edu/CMG/People/romine/facts.html.

26. Current Light Flashes, “One Voice, Countless Opportunities,” July 2000, 1.

27. Current Light Flashes, “Florida Eyes Deregulated Energy Market,” February 2001, 4.

28. Current Light Flashes, “WFEC Funds Hospital Expansion,” March 2001, 3.

29. Current Light Flashes, “A Matter of Meters,” May 2001, 1.

30. Current Light Flashes, “WFEC Annual Meeting Celebrates History,” May 2004, 4.

31. Current Light Flashes, “Prison Jobs to Boost Local Economy,” June 2004, 8.

32. Current Light Flashes, “Survivin’ Ivan,” October 2004, 1.

33. Current Light Flashes, “The Sky’s the Limit with WildBlue,” February 2005, 6.

34. Current Light Flashes, “The Menacing Dennis,” August 2005, 1.

35. Current Light Flashes, “Three Companies Partner to Bring Green Power to Area,” May 2006, 1.

36. Current Light Flashes, “Unexpected Heroes,” July 2006, 4.

15. Current Light Flashes, “Down the Drain,” May 1951, 1.

37. Current Light Flashes, “100 Years in the Making,” April 2007, 4.

16. Current Light Flashes, “Shooting of Insulators,” February 1954, 1.

38. Cooperative Connections, “Co-ops Offer Testimony,” July 2007, 11.

17. Washington County News, “More Than Half of Farms in Florida Electrified, Extension Service Says,” July 1947.

74  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

39. Claude R. Wickard to Members and Friends of the West Florida Electric Cooperative Association, Inc., April 17, 1946.

Endnotes  75

–––. “The Sky’s the Limit with WildBlue.” February 2005, 6.

Bibliography Bradley, Becky. “1950–1959.” American Cultural History. Lone Star College-Kingwood Library. Last modified July 2010. http://wwwappskc.lonestar.edu/popculture/decade50.html.

Cooperative Connections. “Co-ops Offer Testimony.” July 2007, 11.

–––. “WFEC Annual Meeting Celebrates History.” May 2004, 4.

–––. “WFEC Funds Hospital Expansion.” March 2001, 3.

–––. “Unexpected Heroes.” July 2006, 4.

Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois. About Hurricane Opal. http://redrock.ncsa.illinois.edu/CMG/People/romine/facts.html.

Current Light Flashes. “100 Years in the Making.” April 2007, 4.

Goodwin, Susan and Becky Bradley. “1960–1969.” American Cultural History. Lone Star College Kingwood Library. Last modified July 2010. http://wwwappskc.lonestar.edu/popculture/decade60.html.

–––. “A Matter of Meters.” May 2001, 1.

Graceville News. “Baseball Success Gets Attention.” October 7, 1954, 1.

–––. “Down the Drain.” May 1951, 1.

National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). The Next Greatest Thing. Silver Spring, Maryland: McArdle Printing Company, 1985.

–––. “Florida Eyes Deregulated Energy Market.” February 2001, 4.

–––. “How Much Power Is Used by the U.S. Worker?” December 1965, 1, 3.

University of Georgia, Address of the President. http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/FDRspeeches/ FDRspeech38-6.htm, (accessed August 15, 2011).

–––.“Letters from Consumers.” May 1951, 2.

Washington County News. “More Than Half of Farms in Florida Electrified, Extension Service Says.” July 1947.

–––. “Non-Cooled Homes Becoming Obsolete.” June 1966, 1.

–––. “REA Approves New Sum to Build 261 Miles Power Lines.” November 1941.

–––. “One Voice, Countless Opportunities.” July 2000, 1.

–––. “Six Miles REA Line Being Extended to Rural Section Here.” August 15, 1940, sec. A.

–––. “Prison Jobs to Boost Local Economy,” June 2004, 8.

West Florida Electric Annual Meeting Minutes. May 2, 1938, 60, 67, 68.

–––. “Remembering the First Lights.” August 1987, 4.

Wickard, Claude R. Letter to Members and Friends of the West Florida Electric Cooperative Association, Inc., April 17, 1946.

–––. “Shooting of Insulators.” February 1954, 1.

–––. “Survivin’ Ivan.” October 2004, 1.

–––. “Three Companies Partner to Bring Green Power to Area,” May 2006.

–––. “The Menacing Dennis.” August 2005, 1.

76  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

Bibliography  77

–––. “The Sky’s the Limit with WildBlue.” February 2005, 6.

Bibliography Bradley, Becky. “1950–1959.” American Cultural History. Lone Star College-Kingwood Library. Last modified July 2010. http://wwwappskc.lonestar.edu/popculture/decade50.html.

Cooperative Connections. “Co-ops Offer Testimony.” July 2007, 11.

–––. “WFEC Annual Meeting Celebrates History.” May 2004, 4.

–––. “WFEC Funds Hospital Expansion.” March 2001, 3.

–––. “Unexpected Heroes.” July 2006, 4.

Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois. About Hurricane Opal. http://redrock.ncsa.illinois.edu/CMG/People/romine/facts.html.

Current Light Flashes. “100 Years in the Making.” April 2007, 4.

Goodwin, Susan and Becky Bradley. “1960–1969.” American Cultural History. Lone Star College Kingwood Library. Last modified July 2010. http://wwwappskc.lonestar.edu/popculture/decade60.html.

–––. “A Matter of Meters.” May 2001, 1.

Graceville News. “Baseball Success Gets Attention.” October 7, 1954, 1.

–––. “Down the Drain.” May 1951, 1.

National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). The Next Greatest Thing. Silver Spring, Maryland: McArdle Printing Company, 1985.

–––. “Florida Eyes Deregulated Energy Market.” February 2001, 4.

–––. “How Much Power Is Used by the U.S. Worker?” December 1965, 1, 3.

University of Georgia, Address of the President. http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/FDRspeeches/ FDRspeech38-6.htm, (accessed August 15, 2011).

–––.“Letters from Consumers.” May 1951, 2.

Washington County News. “More Than Half of Farms in Florida Electrified, Extension Service Says.” July 1947.

–––. “Non-Cooled Homes Becoming Obsolete.” June 1966, 1.

–––. “REA Approves New Sum to Build 261 Miles Power Lines.” November 1941.

–––. “One Voice, Countless Opportunities.” July 2000, 1.

–––. “Six Miles REA Line Being Extended to Rural Section Here.” August 15, 1940, sec. A.

–––. “Prison Jobs to Boost Local Economy,” June 2004, 8.

West Florida Electric Annual Meeting Minutes. May 2, 1938, 60, 67, 68.

–––. “Remembering the First Lights.” August 1987, 4.

Wickard, Claude R. Letter to Members and Friends of the West Florida Electric Cooperative Association, Inc., April 17, 1946.

–––. “Shooting of Insulators.” February 1954, 1.

–––. “Survivin’ Ivan.” October 2004, 1.

–––. “Three Companies Partner to Bring Green Power to Area,” May 2006.

–––. “The Menacing Dennis.” August 2005, 1.

76  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

Bibliography  77

King, W. T., 12 Kowalsky, Ed, 37

Index A Adair, Pete, 37 Adams, Florence, 44 Adams, R. G., 13 Adams, T. J., 13 Adams, Winford, 12 Alabama Electric Cooperative Association, 35, 38, 39, 47 Alford, Eugene, 73 Allen, L. C., Mr. and Mrs., 27 Alsop, Jerry, 37 AMI, 64, 67 Anderson, Melissa, 42 Andreason, A. M., 12, 13, 16 Avery, L. A., 13 B Barber, Amanda, 42 Barfield, A. B., 12, 13 Barfield, E. C., 13 Barfield, George, 35, 38, 71 Barton, Sarah, 42 Basford, Jennifer, 42 Baxley, Grady, 12 Baxley, G. B., 13 Benefield, Frank, Mrs., 13 Berbesia, Nick, 37 Bernabe, Daniel, 42 Bernard, Travis, 37 Berry, Gabriel, 42 Bishop, Amalie, 42 Bondurant, Frank, 73 Borst, Kyle, 42 Bowden, Walter, 13 Bowers, A. H., 35, 36 Bozeman, Haley, 42 Bracewell, Niki, 42 Branch, Jeremy, 42 Brannon, David, 62 Braxton, E. L., 13 Brinks, W. J., 13 Britt, Genette, 42 Brooks, Molsie Watford, 13 Brown, Joseph, 42 Broxton, M. C., 13

Broxton, W. S., 13 Bruner, Frank, 12 Bruner, Joe, 12 Bush, Randy, 73 Byrd-Lee, Rhonda, 41 C Camp, Bob, 37 Campbell, Tierra, 42 Carswell, E. W., 37 Carter, Brown, 12 Carter, Brown, Mrs., 12 Carter, John, 12, 17 Cassidy, Floyd, 13 Central Florida Electric Cooperative, 26 Chaney, Samuel, 39, 71 Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative, 26 Christmas, W. L., 13 Church, A. E., 13 Cintron, Briggitto, 42 Clark, Gary, 50, 51, 73 Clay Electric Cooperative, 26, 43 Coley, Jordan, 42 Cook, Will, 12 Cook, W. T., 13 Cooley, David, 12 Cooper, J. M., 13 Courtney, G. W., 12 Creel, Audra, 42 Crisp, Stephanie, 42 Croft, Candace, 80 Crutchfield, A. J., 12, 13, 14, 16, 21 Crutchfield, Allen, 13 Crutchfield, Eddie, 13 Crutchfield, Isaac, 13 Crutchfield, Lela, 12 Crutchfield, Robert, 12 Crutchfield, Robert, Mrs., 12 Crutchfield, Susie, 12 Crutchfield, Tracey, 44, 62 Culliver, Loy, Mrs., 27

78  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

Current Light Flashes, 25, 27, 32 D Dacus, Joe, 37 Davis, Marcus, 37 Deal, Bill, 17 Dees, Angelanell, 42 Dunaway, Russell, 72, 73 E Eastern Utility Contractors, 43 Ellis, Clyde T., 19 Escambia River Electric Cooperative, 26, 60 Evans, J. S., 13 Everett, Carson, 13 F Fincher, Marion, 37 Florida Caverns, 13 Florida Electric Cooperative Association, 32, 45, 69 Florida Keys Electric Cooperative, 26 Florida Power Corporation, 26 Floyd, Kacee, 42 Ford, G. W., 13 Fowler, F. L., 13 Franklin, Benjamin, 34 Franklin, Carlton, 17 Franklin, Elbert, 31, 35, 71 Franklin, Jim, 42 G Galilee Church, 13 Garner, C. G., 13 Garner, W. M., 13 Garner, Bob, 13 Glades Electric Cooperative, 26 Glass, Jean, 5 Good Cents Manufactured Home Pilot Program, 47, 48 Graceville News, 24, 37

Graceville Oilers, 37 Green Circle Bio Energy, 63 Griffin, J. H., 13 Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative, 26, 29 Gulf Power, 14 Gulu, Melissa, 42 Gurganus, Casey, 42 H H2O Plus, 65, 67 Hagan, Penny, 11 Hall, J. E., 13 Harper Construction, 43 Hart, J. W. B., 13 Hart, N. L., 13 Hatcher, Melody, 42 Heisler, J. M. (Bill), 12, 13, 17 Henley, W. W. (Bill), 12, 13, 16, 29, 44 Henley, W. W., Mrs., 44 Hines, S. B., 13 Holman, Charles, 14, 15, 73 Horne, Johnny, 37 Horton, Kelly, 42 Houston, C. D., 13 Howell, Johnna, 42 Hudson, Myron, 73 Hyde, Sarah, 42 I Ingram, W. F., 13 Ivey, Willis, 13 J Jinkins, W. J., 13 Johnson Merchandise Company, 13 Johnson, George, 42 Johnson, Lyndon, 30 Jones, J. J., 13 K Kellum, Ladonna, 42 Kent, Kathy, 42

L Lee County Electric Cooperative, 26 Leonard, W. H., 13, 17 Locke, Lindsey, 42 Lombardi, Vince, 68 Lopez, Humberto, 37 M MacMillan, Harold, 22 Mann, Marlene, 42 Mathews, L. F., 12, 13 Mathews, Lee, 17 McClain, E. P., 17 McCoy, Cleve, 12 McCoy, Cleve, Mrs, 12 McCoy, G. C., 13 McDaniel, I. C., 13 McKinnie, Randolph, 42 Miles, A. C., 73 Miles, Adell, 38, 39, 67, 71 Miller, Brent, 62 Milner, Holt (Cat), 38 Mitchell, Bell, 12 Mitchell, Chad, 62 Mitchell, J. A., 12 Mitchell, Otis, 12 Mitchell, Williams, 12 Morris, Albert, 12 Morris, Fonnie, 12 Morris, Maxine, 62 Morris, William (Pug), 62 Mullen, Terry, 45 N National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), 10, 19, 32, 64, 66 Nealy, G. D., 12 Next Greatest Thing, The, 10, 11, 19 Nichols, Coone, 12 Nichols, A. J., 13 Nichols, Ellis, 73 O Owens, George Clayton, 73 P Parish and Cook, 13 Patrick, John, 73 Patterson, E. D., 13

Paulk, Harvey, 12 Paulk, Joel, 12, 13 Peace River Electric Cooperative, 26, 60 Peacock, R. C., 13 Peavy, Jo-Elyn, 42 Peel, Gussie W., 13 Peel, D. W., 13 Peel, Gussie, 13, 44 Peel, Ty, 73 Peel, Dock, 13, 17, 44 Pelt, Warren, 13 Pelt, Rachel, 42 Pepler, E. E., Mrs., 13 Perkins, Mary, 42 Pettis, J., 13 Pierce, M. B., 13 Pierce, Ray, 37 Pittman, A. F., Mrs., 13 Pittman, Donna, 49 Pittman, J. H., 44 Pittman, Luther, 44 Pittman, Stacey, 42 Powell, W. R., 12, 13, 16 Powell, William, 16 PowerSouth, 35, 38, 39, 60, 61, 67 Prescott, Henry, 67 Price, R. L., 13 Price, Stewart, 42 Project Share, 49 R Ramsey, Michell, 42 Rand, Ayn, 56 Reagan, Ronald, 40 Register, Glenn O., 13 Register, David, 62 Rehberg, R. O., Mrs., 27 Rex Lumber Company, 13 Richards and Associates, 43 Ricks, J. L., 13 Riley, Jennifer, 42 Rimes, William S., 52, 53, 54, 55, 63, 72, 73 Rivenbark, Al, 37 Robinson, Shana, 42 Rodriguez, Annie, 42 Rone, Joe, 73 Roosevelt, Eleanor, 6, 7 Roosevelt, Franklin D., 7, 10, 11 Roosevelt, Theodore, 18 Roper, Louise, 44

Rural Electrification Administration (REA), 7, 10, 11, 14 Rutherford, J. B., 28, 31, 71 S Salem Church, 13 Sapp, J. T., 13 Sapp, Jim, 42 Sawyer, C. W., 27 Schwinn, M. D., 13 Sconiers, Carmen, 42 Seay, W. E. (Bill), 11 Sellers, R. D., 13 Sharon, Henry, 17 Shaw, Marcus, 62 Sheffield, Pete, 12 Sherer, Bobby, 37 Shiver, C. G., 13 Sills, I. L., 13 Simpson, A. D., 14, 15, 32 Simpson, Gertha, 14, 15 Sloan, Jessica, 42 Sloan, Melanie, 42 Smith, Claude, 12, 14, 17, 20, 21, 28, 29, 39, 44, 71 Smith, Elizabeth, 17, 44 Smith, Jerry Wayne, 44, 52, 72 Smith, Nell, 12, 17 Smith, Perry Lee, Mrs., 8 Smith, Seth, 42 Smith, Vanessa, 42 Smith, Womble, Mrs., 12 Snell, Wilmer, 12 Spence, Wendell, 12, 13, 16 Spooner, Jody, 42 Stevens, W. C., 13 Still, J. J. ( Jim), 12 Stokes, Fred, 13 Sumter Electric Cooperative, 26 Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative, 26 T Talquin Electric Cooperative, 26 Tanner, Brett, 42 Tarlton, Van, 37 Taylor, W. W. (Bill), 13 Taylor, Reta, 42 Thibos, Charles, 39, 44, 72 Thomas, B. H., 13 Thompson, Jennifer, 42 Tidwell, G. E., Mrs., 13

Tindall, Claude, 13 Tool, R. L., 13 Toole, Chap, 12 Touchstone Energy, 52 Tri-County Electric Cooperative, 26 Truman, President, 11 Tyus, Starla, 42 U Union School, 13 V Vickery, J. L., 44 W Warfel, F. W., 28 Washington County News, 20 Waste Management, 60, 61, 67 Weems Desiree, 42 Wells, Theresa, 42 West, D. W., 13 West, Jerry, 62 Whiddon, W. E., 13 White, B. W., 13 Wickard, Claude R., 69 Williams, A. C., 13 Williams, A. L., Jr., 16 Williams, A. L., Sr., A. L., 12, 13, 16, 17 Williams, Bud, Mrs., 12 Williams, H. H., 13 Williams, J. Wilson, 13 Willis, J. C., 13 Wilson, Preston, 42 Winslett, J. C., 37 Wiregrass Electric Cooperative, 43 Wistron, C. H., 13 Withlacoochee Electric Cooperative, 26, 60 Womble, Lonnie, 12 Worthington, John, 67 Wright, Dick, 37 Wyzykowski, Bob, 37 Y Young, Brittney, 42 Z Ziglar, Zig, 46

Index  79

King, W. T., 12 Kowalsky, Ed, 37

Index A Adair, Pete, 37 Adams, Florence, 44 Adams, R. G., 13 Adams, T. J., 13 Adams, Winford, 12 Alabama Electric Cooperative Association, 35, 38, 39, 47 Alford, Eugene, 73 Allen, L. C., Mr. and Mrs., 27 Alsop, Jerry, 37 AMI, 64, 67 Anderson, Melissa, 42 Andreason, A. M., 12, 13, 16 Avery, L. A., 13 B Barber, Amanda, 42 Barfield, A. B., 12, 13 Barfield, E. C., 13 Barfield, George, 35, 38, 71 Barton, Sarah, 42 Basford, Jennifer, 42 Baxley, Grady, 12 Baxley, G. B., 13 Benefield, Frank, Mrs., 13 Berbesia, Nick, 37 Bernabe, Daniel, 42 Bernard, Travis, 37 Berry, Gabriel, 42 Bishop, Amalie, 42 Bondurant, Frank, 73 Borst, Kyle, 42 Bowden, Walter, 13 Bowers, A. H., 35, 36 Bozeman, Haley, 42 Bracewell, Niki, 42 Branch, Jeremy, 42 Brannon, David, 62 Braxton, E. L., 13 Brinks, W. J., 13 Britt, Genette, 42 Brooks, Molsie Watford, 13 Brown, Joseph, 42 Broxton, M. C., 13

Broxton, W. S., 13 Bruner, Frank, 12 Bruner, Joe, 12 Bush, Randy, 73 Byrd-Lee, Rhonda, 41 C Camp, Bob, 37 Campbell, Tierra, 42 Carswell, E. W., 37 Carter, Brown, 12 Carter, Brown, Mrs., 12 Carter, John, 12, 17 Cassidy, Floyd, 13 Central Florida Electric Cooperative, 26 Chaney, Samuel, 39, 71 Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative, 26 Christmas, W. L., 13 Church, A. E., 13 Cintron, Briggitto, 42 Clark, Gary, 50, 51, 73 Clay Electric Cooperative, 26, 43 Coley, Jordan, 42 Cook, Will, 12 Cook, W. T., 13 Cooley, David, 12 Cooper, J. M., 13 Courtney, G. W., 12 Creel, Audra, 42 Crisp, Stephanie, 42 Croft, Candace, 80 Crutchfield, A. J., 12, 13, 14, 16, 21 Crutchfield, Allen, 13 Crutchfield, Eddie, 13 Crutchfield, Isaac, 13 Crutchfield, Lela, 12 Crutchfield, Robert, 12 Crutchfield, Robert, Mrs., 12 Crutchfield, Susie, 12 Crutchfield, Tracey, 44, 62 Culliver, Loy, Mrs., 27

78  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On

Current Light Flashes, 25, 27, 32 D Dacus, Joe, 37 Davis, Marcus, 37 Deal, Bill, 17 Dees, Angelanell, 42 Dunaway, Russell, 72, 73 E Eastern Utility Contractors, 43 Ellis, Clyde T., 19 Escambia River Electric Cooperative, 26, 60 Evans, J. S., 13 Everett, Carson, 13 F Fincher, Marion, 37 Florida Caverns, 13 Florida Electric Cooperative Association, 32, 45, 69 Florida Keys Electric Cooperative, 26 Florida Power Corporation, 26 Floyd, Kacee, 42 Ford, G. W., 13 Fowler, F. L., 13 Franklin, Benjamin, 34 Franklin, Carlton, 17 Franklin, Elbert, 31, 35, 71 Franklin, Jim, 42 G Galilee Church, 13 Garner, C. G., 13 Garner, W. M., 13 Garner, Bob, 13 Glades Electric Cooperative, 26 Glass, Jean, 5 Good Cents Manufactured Home Pilot Program, 47, 48 Graceville News, 24, 37

Graceville Oilers, 37 Green Circle Bio Energy, 63 Griffin, J. H., 13 Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative, 26, 29 Gulf Power, 14 Gulu, Melissa, 42 Gurganus, Casey, 42 H H2O Plus, 65, 67 Hagan, Penny, 11 Hall, J. E., 13 Harper Construction, 43 Hart, J. W. B., 13 Hart, N. L., 13 Hatcher, Melody, 42 Heisler, J. M. (Bill), 12, 13, 17 Henley, W. W. (Bill), 12, 13, 16, 29, 44 Henley, W. W., Mrs., 44 Hines, S. B., 13 Holman, Charles, 14, 15, 73 Horne, Johnny, 37 Horton, Kelly, 42 Houston, C. D., 13 Howell, Johnna, 42 Hudson, Myron, 73 Hyde, Sarah, 42 I Ingram, W. F., 13 Ivey, Willis, 13 J Jinkins, W. J., 13 Johnson Merchandise Company, 13 Johnson, George, 42 Johnson, Lyndon, 30 Jones, J. J., 13 K Kellum, Ladonna, 42 Kent, Kathy, 42

L Lee County Electric Cooperative, 26 Leonard, W. H., 13, 17 Locke, Lindsey, 42 Lombardi, Vince, 68 Lopez, Humberto, 37 M MacMillan, Harold, 22 Mann, Marlene, 42 Mathews, L. F., 12, 13 Mathews, Lee, 17 McClain, E. P., 17 McCoy, Cleve, 12 McCoy, Cleve, Mrs, 12 McCoy, G. C., 13 McDaniel, I. C., 13 McKinnie, Randolph, 42 Miles, A. C., 73 Miles, Adell, 38, 39, 67, 71 Miller, Brent, 62 Milner, Holt (Cat), 38 Mitchell, Bell, 12 Mitchell, Chad, 62 Mitchell, J. A., 12 Mitchell, Otis, 12 Mitchell, Williams, 12 Morris, Albert, 12 Morris, Fonnie, 12 Morris, Maxine, 62 Morris, William (Pug), 62 Mullen, Terry, 45 N National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), 10, 19, 32, 64, 66 Nealy, G. D., 12 Next Greatest Thing, The, 10, 11, 19 Nichols, Coone, 12 Nichols, A. J., 13 Nichols, Ellis, 73 O Owens, George Clayton, 73 P Parish and Cook, 13 Patrick, John, 73 Patterson, E. D., 13

Paulk, Harvey, 12 Paulk, Joel, 12, 13 Peace River Electric Cooperative, 26, 60 Peacock, R. C., 13 Peavy, Jo-Elyn, 42 Peel, Gussie W., 13 Peel, D. W., 13 Peel, Gussie, 13, 44 Peel, Ty, 73 Peel, Dock, 13, 17, 44 Pelt, Warren, 13 Pelt, Rachel, 42 Pepler, E. E., Mrs., 13 Perkins, Mary, 42 Pettis, J., 13 Pierce, M. B., 13 Pierce, Ray, 37 Pittman, A. F., Mrs., 13 Pittman, Donna, 49 Pittman, J. H., 44 Pittman, Luther, 44 Pittman, Stacey, 42 Powell, W. R., 12, 13, 16 Powell, William, 16 PowerSouth, 35, 38, 39, 60, 61, 67 Prescott, Henry, 67 Price, R. L., 13 Price, Stewart, 42 Project Share, 49 R Ramsey, Michell, 42 Rand, Ayn, 56 Reagan, Ronald, 40 Register, Glenn O., 13 Register, David, 62 Rehberg, R. O., Mrs., 27 Rex Lumber Company, 13 Richards and Associates, 43 Ricks, J. L., 13 Riley, Jennifer, 42 Rimes, William S., 52, 53, 54, 55, 63, 72, 73 Rivenbark, Al, 37 Robinson, Shana, 42 Rodriguez, Annie, 42 Rone, Joe, 73 Roosevelt, Eleanor, 6, 7 Roosevelt, Franklin D., 7, 10, 11 Roosevelt, Theodore, 18 Roper, Louise, 44

Rural Electrification Administration (REA), 7, 10, 11, 14 Rutherford, J. B., 28, 31, 71 S Salem Church, 13 Sapp, J. T., 13 Sapp, Jim, 42 Sawyer, C. W., 27 Schwinn, M. D., 13 Sconiers, Carmen, 42 Seay, W. E. (Bill), 11 Sellers, R. D., 13 Sharon, Henry, 17 Shaw, Marcus, 62 Sheffield, Pete, 12 Sherer, Bobby, 37 Shiver, C. G., 13 Sills, I. L., 13 Simpson, A. D., 14, 15, 32 Simpson, Gertha, 14, 15 Sloan, Jessica, 42 Sloan, Melanie, 42 Smith, Claude, 12, 14, 17, 20, 21, 28, 29, 39, 44, 71 Smith, Elizabeth, 17, 44 Smith, Jerry Wayne, 44, 52, 72 Smith, Nell, 12, 17 Smith, Perry Lee, Mrs., 8 Smith, Seth, 42 Smith, Vanessa, 42 Smith, Womble, Mrs., 12 Snell, Wilmer, 12 Spence, Wendell, 12, 13, 16 Spooner, Jody, 42 Stevens, W. C., 13 Still, J. J. ( Jim), 12 Stokes, Fred, 13 Sumter Electric Cooperative, 26 Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative, 26 T Talquin Electric Cooperative, 26 Tanner, Brett, 42 Tarlton, Van, 37 Taylor, W. W. (Bill), 13 Taylor, Reta, 42 Thibos, Charles, 39, 44, 72 Thomas, B. H., 13 Thompson, Jennifer, 42 Tidwell, G. E., Mrs., 13

Tindall, Claude, 13 Tool, R. L., 13 Toole, Chap, 12 Touchstone Energy, 52 Tri-County Electric Cooperative, 26 Truman, President, 11 Tyus, Starla, 42 U Union School, 13 V Vickery, J. L., 44 W Warfel, F. W., 28 Washington County News, 20 Waste Management, 60, 61, 67 Weems Desiree, 42 Wells, Theresa, 42 West, D. W., 13 West, Jerry, 62 Whiddon, W. E., 13 White, B. W., 13 Wickard, Claude R., 69 Williams, A. C., 13 Williams, A. L., Jr., 16 Williams, A. L., Sr., A. L., 12, 13, 16, 17 Williams, Bud, Mrs., 12 Williams, H. H., 13 Williams, J. Wilson, 13 Willis, J. C., 13 Wilson, Preston, 42 Winslett, J. C., 37 Wiregrass Electric Cooperative, 43 Wistron, C. H., 13 Withlacoochee Electric Cooperative, 26, 60 Womble, Lonnie, 12 Worthington, John, 67 Wright, Dick, 37 Wyzykowski, Bob, 37 Y Young, Brittney, 42 Z Ziglar, Zig, 46

Index  79

About the Author

C

andace Croft, CCC, has been communications specialist at West Florida Electric Cooperative (WFEC) since 2005. She serves as the editor of the cooperative’s monthly member newsletter, Current Light Flashes, is the co-op’s Youth Tour program coordinator and works directly with the department manager in facilitating the cooperative’s advertising, community, and mediarelations efforts. Croft has been a certified cooperative communicator (CCC) through the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association since 2007.

Prior to WFEC, she was employed at the Washington County Chamber of Commerce from 2002 to 2005 as the community and member relations manager.

She grew up in the Orange Hill Community of Washington County and has lived in WFEC’s service area the majority of her life. A graduate of Chipley High School, Croft has a bachelor’s degree in public relations from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. She is very proud to be a part of the Gator Nation and enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, reading, and attending concerts. 

80  West Florida Electric: When the Lights Came On