Rural Missouri - October 2021 - 5

Missouri
RURAL
Volume 74 | OCTOBER 2021 | Number 10
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, designer
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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
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Electric Cooperatives. Call for reprint rights.
Circulation of this issue: 576,416
RM | PERSPECTIVES
Who's gonna fill their shoes?
by Caleb Jones
cjones@amec.coop
was heading south on Interstate
55 when the country music station
I tuned in played a familiar
song. It was George Jones singing
" Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes? " The
Possum's sad ballad was an appropriate
song for the event I was attending
at the request of Pemiscot-Dunklin
Electric Cooperative.
Those of us gathered at Grecian
Steak House in Kennett were there
to pay tribute to longtime director
Delbert DePriest, who is retiring after
36 years on the co-op's board. It also
honored Tim Davis, retired manager
who guided the co-op back from the
2009 ice storm. We also congratulated
Jake Fisher, who has served as the
co-op's president for more years than
I have been alive and witnessed him
passing the gavel to their new president,
Justin Rone.
We have all been to a retirement
party. As countless stories were told
about my friend Delbert, I started to
think about ol' George and what he
meant by that song. You see, events
like this are playing out around the
state as directors who have guided
their electric co-op for decades decide
it is time to turn their seat over to
younger members. It's easy to question
who's gonna fill their shoes.
In the case of Delbert, PemiscotDunklin
is losing a director who was
born the same year as the cooperative.
He farmed a large number of acres in
the Bootheel. There's no doubt Delbert
happily attended board meetings
when he probably should have been
making sure the weeds didn't take
over the cotton field.
I
Jake Fisher shares stories about fellow
Pemiscot-Dunklin director Delbert DePriest.
state representative joining them
on boards. Women helped establish
electric co-ops, and more and more
females are taking their rightful place
on the board.
They take seriously their roles by
attending classes designed to make
them better directors. In time they can
earn Credentialed Cooperative Director,
Board Leadership and Director
Gold status. A significant number of
Missouri directors have achieved Gold
status.
Heading home, I thought about
that song and the many devoted directors
who gave their all to the cooperative.
I'm happy to say there's no
shortage of energetic board members
stepping up to fill their shoes.
Among their ranks are farmers,
of course, these being " rural "
electric co-ops. But there's also
accountants, retired military, real
estate agents, teachers and even a
October is National Cooperative
Month, a time to celebrate the
contribution cooperatives have made
to the nation. During this month, I
hope you will join me in thanking the
men and women serving as directors
at Missouri's electric cooperatives.
Unlike old George, I don't have to
worry about those shoes being filled.
I'm pleased we have found the right
people willing to step up. While I will
miss Delbert's contributions to the
co-op program, I am happy for his
wife, Bennie. She says Delbert has
agreed she can now call the co-op
office when they have an outage!
Caleb is the executive vice president
and CEO of the Association of Missouri
Electric Cooperatives and a member of
Boone Electric Cooperative.
OCTOBER 2021 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 5
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Rural Missouri - October 2021

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