The Enlightener
July 2001
Blue Ridge Electric Awards Scholarships
This year marks the 42nd year Blue Ridge Electric has awarded scholarships to local students seeking a college education. Investing in the youth of our communities is an important part of our commitment to our members. At the 2001 annual meeting, Blue Ridge Electric awarded nine Goodman-Hurt scholarships and two memorial scholarships totaling $12,800.
Winners of $2,000 Goodman-Hurt scholarships:
Leah Spicer, daughter of Vickie and Mike Spicer of Lenoir, graduated from Hibriten High School and will attend Appalachian State University to study Music Education.
Jessica Cook, daughter of Ruth and David Cook of Boone, graduated from Watauga High School and will attend Appalachian State University to study Exercise Science.
Peyton Hale, son of Linda and Robert Hale of Jefferson, graduated from Ashe County High School and will attend N.C. State University to study Wildlife Management.
Chris Sexton, son of Pat and Cliff Sexton of Sparta, graduated from Alleghany High School and will attend N.C. State University to study Computer Science.
Winners of $800 Goodman-Hurt scholarships:
Vanessa Fox, daughter of Lois and James Fox of Granite Falls, graduated from South Caldwell High School and will attend Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute to study Medical Sonography.
Josh Roten, son of Roxann and Tim Roten of Lansing, graduated from Ashe County High School and will attend Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science.
Donna Crouse, daughter of Judy and Donald Crouse of Glade Valley will attend Surry Community College for a degree in Childcare Education.
Jamey Ellison and Andromeda Raindance will share an $800 Goodman-Hurt scholarship. They attend Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute where they are pursuing a degree in nursing.
Winner of the $800 Charles Suddreth Memorial Scholarship:
J.P. King, son of Leigh and Fred King of Lenoir was home schooled and will attend Caldwell Community College and transfer to N.C. State University to study Forestry. This scholarship was established by friends and family to honor the memory of longtime Blue Ridge Electric board member, Charles Suddreth.
Winner of the $800 Tom Cockerham Memorial Scholarship:
Allison Neaves of Jefferson will continue her studies at Wilkes Community College for a degree in Criminal Justice. She plans to attend Appalachian State University next year. This scholarship is awarded annually to an Ashe County High School senior seeking a degree from a community college. It was established by friends and family to honor the memory of Tom Cockerham, a dedicated board member of Blue Ridge Electric.
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The Perspective
An Editorial by Chief Executive Officer Doug Johnson
Commitment to Safety
The employees of Blue Ridge Electric are working hard to continue a tradition of providing reliable electric service in a safe manner. This accomplishes two objectives: it provides a safe work environment for our employees and helps contain costs for the cooperative, which benefits our members.
In addition to working over one million hours without a lost-time accident last year, your cooperative recently received safety accreditation for the 34th consecutive year. Our employees are to be commended for these accomplishments.
This achievement is especially noteworthy when you consider that every day, line and field crews work in high-voltage areas. Our employees also travel long distances to serve over 63,000 members and maintain nearly 7,000 miles of line.
The key to our safety accomplishments is an employee-led safety program, with employee-leaders stationed in each of our locations. We also have a safety manager who coordinates training in areas such as CPR and first aid all year long for all employees.
Our safety commitment to members and employees extends to our right-of-way program. We use a combination of methods to maintain the beauty of our landscape while keeping the area around or lines clear of trees and large brush that can be potentially dangerous to line technicians working on our system as well as to the system itself. Keeping these areas clear helps ensure reliable power for you and all members.
Focusing on safety helps us control costs by preventing the lost productivity of an injured employee and by contributing to contain our insurance costs. This, in turn, produces a stronger cooperative for you - our members. I hope you'll join me in recognizing all our employees who work daily to contribute to the excellent safety record enjoyed by your cooperative.
Directors Named at 2001 Annual Meeting
Blue Ridge CEO Doug Johnson, at podium, and President Jonnie Austin, right, addressed the membership during the annual meeting held June 9 at Ashe County High School. Reelected to the Board of Directors were: Johnnie Austin, Watauga district; John Woodruff, Alleghany district; Charles Edwards, Ashe district; and Jeff Joines, Caldwell district.
Winner of the grand prize - a 1994 Chrysler Town and Country van - was John R. Jones of Piney Creek. Mary Jones is shown in the vehicle with Blue Ridge employees who presented the prize: Tom Mash, line technician, Ashe district, and Gwynita Yates Steele, customer services director. Steele was Miss Ashe County in 1968.
Published monthly by Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation for its 50,498 members.
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