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Our family was raised close. We lived in a 1,700 square foot ranch house on Maple Road in Corinth, Mississippi. Winters in north Mississippi in the 1960’s were cold – they still are, based on the ice storm damage Corinth suffered earlier this year. I still remember hating to get out from under the pile of quilts to get ready for school. The house was frigid in the winter.

Mother made some of our clothes. Today, I would be proud of homemade clothes, but at 10 years old I was ashamed of them and wanted store-bought shirts. Mom bought labels that she sewed into the shirts so they would not look homemade. She did all she could for her boys.

We didn’t eat out often. Mom cooked our meals. Breakfast was often brains and eggs. I was in junior high school before a friend told me that the brains in the eggs were pig brains. I argued it couldn’t be true, because my Mom loved me and wouldn’t feed me pig brains. After getting home, she confirmed that she did love me, but they were, in fact, pig brains.

Our Christmases were as sparse as our lives. Some years we got just a couple of things, but always socks, underwear, and a couple of navel oranges. Mom got us what she could afford. Friends didn’t get much more. We didn’t know we were poor.

Our embarrassments about clothes or complaints about cold houses, brains in our eggs, or the lack of Christmas presents were always – and I mean always – met with Mom’s lecture, “Be thankful for what you have.”

 Mom grew up in a log cabin home without an indoor bathroom or electricity. She knew many people had less than us and was truly thankful for what she had. It took me a while to realize what being thankful really meant.

Bobby Wroten gave me my first paying job at 13 at the YMCA. I mowed grass, raked and lined baseball fields, umpired or coached kids, put equipment up when the games were over, and picked up trash, all for $15 a week – cash. He gave me better jobs in later summers until I was making $50 a week. Coach Wroten looked after kids without strong father figures in their lives. I worked for him until I went to college, and then he gave my job to my younger brother.

Johnny Plummer was one of my high school coaches. He, like Coach Wroten, looked after kids lacking structure in their lives. He was a strong disciplinarian who kept us straight. He taught us responsibility, pride, and values. He taught us how to be men. He taught me how a small kid could excel at baseball. I played my heart out for him. He and his family still stay in my condo every summer.

After marrying and graduating from law school, I settled into a criminal defense practice primarily representing drug dealers and street criminals. I aspired for more and found a job with an aircraft maintenance and modification company at the Birmingham Airport. There, I worked for two good men, Olen Jinright and Mac Harworth. Jin taught me attention to detail in reading and understanding government contracts and how government contracting worked. Mac was direct and honest. He taught me to treat everyone with respect and dignity. I learned to deal straight with people, not to run from problems, and to help others whenever I could.

Coming to Alabama Electric Cooperative in 1989, I worked for Jim Vann. Jim managed with conviction and confidence. He taught me the basics of the electric utility industry and how to deal with people. I learned to stick with my values.

 I was also blessed to be mentored by Ted Jackson, our General Counsel. He is still one of the most patient and wisest people I have met. He counseled me on the legal aspects of the electric utility and life. I learned to consider others’ positions and motives and the importance of treating everyone with as much kindness and dignity as possible.

After becoming CEO in 2000, I was fortunate to have staff members who shared values and made me successful. PowerSouth has been blessed to have had many bright people working together for common goals. We have faced many challenges, and together we have achieved so much. My senior staff members have managed our business and guided our successes.

I have been blessed to have had Coach Wroten, Coach Plummer, Jin, Mac, Jim, Ted, my staff members, and especially my Mom, who all reached out and loved me. They taught me that respecting, helping, and loving others is the most important thing we can do in life. Getting to know my people, talking with them, and understanding what is important in their lives have all made my life richer. I learned to show others respect and dignity and, at the same time, demand the high standards that bring success.

PowerSouth has supported charities, community organizations, hospitals, and schools. We have helped people who needed special treatments or transportation. I pray that we have helped others have better and more successful lives.

It took me a while, but I finally learned my Mom’s lesson all those years ago – be thankful for what you have, and help others so they will have something to be thankful for, too.