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Board of Trustees mid-1940s, REC Archives Co-op celebrating 75 proud years of service Clint Branham Communications Specialist T


he year 2013 marks the 75th year of business for Northeast Oklahoma Electric Cooperative and its membership. We will celebrate this landmark


occasion during our special “Diamond Anniversary REC Day” on Saturday, September 21, at the Grove Civic Center. Some of you have been with us for every one of


those 75 years. From humble beginnings, where each mile of line


built meant that freedom from the bondage of the past was that much closer to reality, to a powerful network of over 5,000 miles of line, Northeast Oklahoma Elec- tric Cooperative has come a long way over the last three-quarters of a century. Our arrival was no accident. Few today fully appre-


ciate the challenges overcome by previous generations to energize America’s heartland. It took the foresight and determination of men


like rural Adair resident Howard Freeman to see the potential for northeast Oklahoma and make a push for progress. Before him, the leadership of our nation was moved to correct the inequality that existed theretofore. President Franklin D. Roosevelt set the stage for


passage of the Rural Electrifi cation Act on May 11, 1935, when he issued an executive order that created the Rural Electrifi cation Administration (REA). T e REA was part of a relief package designed to stimulate an


economy still in the grip of the Great Depression. On May 20, 1936, Congress passed the Rural Electrifi cation Act, making the REA’s promise of long-term funding for rural electricity a reality. T e act addressed a serious need. When the REA


was created, only 10 percent of rural Americans had electricity. T is lack of power prevented farmers from modernizing their facilities. Privately-owned utility companies, which provided


power to most of the country, were not eager to serve the rural population. T ese companies argued that sup- plying rural areas with electricity was not profi table. T e lack of attention from private companies led farmers to form non-profi t cooperatives to implement electrifi ca- tion even before the REA. But, without the government’s assistance, these organizations lacked the technical and fi nancial expertise they needed to succeed. Senator George W. Norris of Nebraska, co-sponsor


of the Rural Electrifi cation Act of 1935, himself bore witness to the disparity between those with electricity and those without. “I have seen the grim drudgery and grind that has


been the common lot of eight generations of American farm women,” said Norris. “I have seen the tallow candle in my own home, followed by the coal-oil lamp. I know what it is to take care of the farm chores by the fl icker- ing, undependable light of the lantern in the mud and


See Proud Service on page 14 September 2013 - 11


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