QWhat motivated you to want to serve on the board?
Being from here, I’ve always known of BEMC, and to me it had a reputation as one of the best companies around. The business model is unique, with the purpose of providing a needed service to the community without a profit motive. I wanted to offer the strengths I developed over the years as a manager of human resources, safety and security for ADM. When I joined the board there was so much to learn, it was like drinking from a firehose, and I’m still learning, but it is satisfying to be contributing. I have friends all over the county, and when the power goes out, people tend to call who they know, to hold their feet to the fire, and I’m glad to answer. We’re here to serve all members, regardless of our district.

QCan you tell us a little about your priorities, what’s important to you?
When I was growing up in Supply, a bunch of us would play a game on the front porch where we’d each choose a type of car, and if your make was the next one to drive by, everyone gave you a penny. But we waved to everyone who drove by regardless, because we knew them all. It was one big community. And family was and is everything.

I was a sophomore at West Brunswick High, walking into my geometry class with my best friend, when I saw this girl talking to her classmate. I said to my friend, ‘I have to tell you this, because people aren’t going to believe me in the future – I am going to marry that girl one day.’ I had never talked to her, but I knew. It took five years, but we got married, and she’s my best friend. She works rings around me, and she makes me a better husband. We have two daughters, both married, and five grandchildren, and we see all of them every week. Our oldest and her family live next door, and at least four or five times per week one of the kids comes over to have grammy cook them pancakes, and it’s the most wonderful thing in the world.

I serve as a Deacon and Sunday School Director at Supply Baptist Church, where my parents took us, and many family members still attend. And I took up beekeeping when I retired, which has come in handy. I got a call from a friend at ADM, asking if I could come back – not to work, but to help with some bees that had swarmed there. I went over and put on a glove and slowly moved them into a box and to safety. When bees swarm, they are docile as long as you treat them with respect. Just like people, treat them with respect and they’ll respond accordingly.