Rural Missouri - April 2020 - 5

Missouri
RURAL

Volume 73 | APRIL 2020 | Number 4
EDITORIAL STAFF:
Jim McCarty, editor
jmccarty@ruralmissouri.coop
Paul Newton, managing editor
pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop
Heather Berry, associate editor
hberry@ruralmissouri.coop
Megan Backes, creative director
mbackes@ruralmissouri.coop
Zach Smith, field editor
zsmith@ruralmissouri.coop
Angie Jones-Wheeler, co-op page designer
ADVERTISING:
Mary Davis, production manager
mdavis@ruralmissouri.coop
Editorial:
Rural Missouri
P.O. Box 1645, Jefferson City, MO 65102
573-659-3423
info@ruralmissouri.coop
www.ruralmissouri.coop
Advertising:
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573-659-3400
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American MainStreet Publications;
611 S. Congress St., Suite 504; Austin, TX 78704
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Postmasters: Send address changes to Rural Missouri, P.O. Box 1645, Jefferson City, MO 65102.
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Rural Missouri is accepted on the premise that
the merchandise and services offered are accurately described and sold to customers at the advertised price. Rural Missouri and Missouri's electric cooperatives do not endorse any products or
services advertised herein. Advertising that does
not conform to these standards or that is deceptive or misleading is never knowingly accepted by
this publication.
Rural Missouri (ISSN 0164-8578) (USPS 473000) is published monthly by the Association
of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, 2722 E.
McCarty Street, Jefferson City, MO 65101, Caleb
Jones, CEO/executive vice president. Individual
subscription rate: $10 per year or $22 for three
years, taxes and postage included. Group rate for
members of participating RECs $2.22, plus taxes
and postage, paid from equity accruing to the
member. Delivery as specified by subscriber. If not
specified, delivery will be by periodical class mail
at subscriber's expense. Periodical Class postage
paid at Jefferson City, MO, and additional mailing
offices. Copyright 2020, Association of Missouri
Electric Cooperatives. Call for reprint rights.

Circulation of this issue: 563,937

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RM | PERSPECTIVES

Got power? Thank a lineman
by Caleb Jones
cjones@amec.coop

've often
envied folks
who work with
their hands. I
remember coming
home from college
feeling like I hadn't
yet achieved anything and looking
forward to hauling
some hay or working on one of the
Gov. Parson and wife, Teresa, joined me in thanking lineworkers who
farm trucks. I often worked the Jefferson City tornado outage last summer.
say that I spent the
enter the fray.
first 20 years of my life trying to get
When hurricanes, tornadoes and
away from the farm and the last 20
floods hit, we always see footage of
years trying to find a way back.
cars leaving the area in hopes of findIt was always great coming home
ing safe refuge. What you don't see is
from school and catching up with my
the other lane of the highway with a
buddies. One of my friends, Lance
long line of bucket trucks headed into
Martin, had already bought some
the disaster full of linemen ready to
farmland and was well on his way
restore power.
to a career as a lineman for Co-Mo
Their motto: When the lights go
Electric Cooperative. I knew I had a
out, so do we.
future ahead of me but felt like it was
Linemen have always been unsung
years away. Yet my friend Lance was
heroes who work tirelessly without
already doing something he loved.
regard to their own personal comfort
There's a lot of talk about the
benefits of a technical education these in order to make sure the rest of
us have electricity. Recognizing
days, and lineworker training is one
the contributions linemen make to
of the top technical fields. The monthe state, Missouri's legislature set
ey is good, but the real satisfaction
aside the second Monday in April as
comes from knowing you are provid"Lineworker Appreciation Day."
ing a valuable community service.
It's a day to thank those who put
It takes a certain type of person to
their lives on the line on a daily basis.
be a lineworker. It helps if they don't
Please join me in thanking these
mind sweltering heat or freezing cold.
They also need to be able to work high everyday heroes who turn disaster
into triumph.
in the sky, balanced on tiny sharpWhile I don't have the requisites to
ened spikes stuck into a pole. It also
be one of these linemen, my buddy
doesn't hurt if you like the outdoors
Lance passed these on to his son,
- including snakes, wasps, spiders,
Tyler. I'm pleased to welcome him as
mosquitoes and more.
the newest employee of the Missouri
We've all seen our favorite TV
Electric Cooperatives. He will be using
program interrupted by a grim anhis degree from State Technical Colnouncer saying a storm is approachlege of Missouri to keep linemen safe
ing and we need to head to an inside
through our testing program.
room with no windows. While many
of us are cowering in our basements,
Jones is the executive vice president
there's another group of people who
and CEO of the Association of Missouri
are lacing up their boots, kissing their
Electric Cooperatives.
kids goodbye and getting ready to
APRIL 2020 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP

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Rural Missouri - April 2020

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