Rural Missouri - January 2023 - 5

Missouri
RURAL
Volume 76 | JANUARY 2023 | Number 1
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
ajones@ruralmissouri.coop
ADVERTISING:
Mary Davis, production manager
mdavis@ruralmissouri.coop
Editorial:
Rural Missouri
2722 E. McCarty St., Jefferson City, MO 65101
573-659-3423 info@ruralmissouri.coop
Advertising:
mdavis@ruralmissouri.coop
573-659-3400
National Advertising Representative:
American MainStreet Publications;
611 S. Congress St., Suite 504; Austin, TX 78704
573-659-3400
Postmasters: Send address changes to Rural Missouri,
2722 E. McCarty St., Jefferson City, MO
65101. Subscribers: Report change of address to
your local cooperative. Do not send change of address
to Rural Missouri.
Advertising standards: Advertising published in
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. The acceptance of all advertising
shall be in the sole discretion of the editor.
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: $12 per year or $25 for three
years, taxes and postage included. Group rate for
members of participating RECs $3.24, 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 2023, Association of Missouri
Electric Cooperatives. Call for reprint rights.
Circulation of this issue: 580,495
RM | PERSPECTIVES
Shave and a haircut
by Caleb Jones | cjones@amec.coop
've always thought the best
place to get a haircut is on
the courthouse square in
just about any small town in
Missouri. While I haven't quite
figured out how they do it, every
downtown barber is well-versed
on topics as varied as when to
plant your corn, who has the
best pie in town and whether or
not it's going to rain.
I
Such a person is my barber,
Roy Dean Simpson, owner of
Simpson's Barber Shop in California,
Missouri. Roy gave me
my first haircut, watched me get
my first fat lip from my brother
and always managed to find me
a dime or two for his gumball
machine. As I became a young
man, Roy gave me one of my
first pocketknives.
No matter what kind of day
My barber, Roy Dean Simpson, is as much an icon of
Moniteau County as the courthouse.
you were having, you always left
his shop with a smile on your
face and ears a little lower.
A lot has changed and a lot has
stayed the same in the 70 years since
Roy bought the business and started
snipping sideburns. What hasn't
changed is Roy, who is still cutting
hair at 90, along with plenty of his
clients who say they won't get their
hair cut anywhere else.
This anniversary issue of Rural
Missouri got me thinking how certain
things become a fixture when
they are around for a long time. For
75 years, electric cooperatives in
Missouri have used these pages to
communicate with their members.
Rural Missouri and the electric co-ops
that provide it have become trusted
friends. I'm talking about the kind
of friend who doesn't need to knock
when they pay you a visit.
Rural Missouri - and communications
in general - are such a cooperative
thing it's hard to separate the
two. Co-ops exist to provide a service,
not a profit, and are owned by those
they serve. For that to work, there
has to be constant communication
between the co-op and its members.
This publication has played a vital
role in that effort for 75 years.
Times have changed, and electric
cooperative communications have
too. Today we use social media to
relay news that can't wait, and you
can read these words online as well
as in print.
Our focus is no longer on teaching
members how to use electricity -
we're pretty sure you know what it
can do. But we do want you to stay
safe and we want you to know all the
things your electric cooperative can
do for you.
People get scared of change, but
the reality is that it's inevitable. I say
as long as it is change for the better
it's fine by me. I won't try to predict
the future, but I can tell you two
things for sure.
One is that you will get a great
haircut at Simpson's Barber Shop.
The other is that your electric co-op
will always be there for you.
Caleb is the executive vice president
and CEO of the Association of Missouri
Electric Cooperatives and a member of
Boone Electric Cooperative.
JANUARY 2023 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 5
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Rural Missouri - January 2023

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