Bill wrote:
....

Thank you for filling me in regarding many of the details of my "electrical
cooperative"!
I understood the intent, but I didn't have the perspective. ...

I'll try to make it to the annual meeting of my electrical cooperative: the
"premier social event" --O'boy!

Glad to...as you can easily tell, I've a very close connection w/ the
concept in general and particular local co-op in particular. While in
general I think much of what "gummit" does is an absolute failure or
totally misguided, the establishment of the Rural Electrification
Administration (REA) by FDR was pivotal and successful mostly because it
only provided opportunity for locals to accomplish something rather than
trying to decide and do it for them.

Here's a link to the NRECA (the national association of REC's) that has
a brief history...

http://www.nreca.org/AboutUs/Co-op101/CoopHistory.htm

I hope you do go and have an enjoyable evening as well as learn and
participate in your co-op's business as well as get to meet a at least
some of what remain of the old codgers who must have been instrumental
in getting yours to where it is currently...they'll undoubtedly be a lot
of comparing of weather, crops, cattle prices, etc., etc., etc., ...

There are quite a number that we only see at these meetings any longer
as they don't get around as much any longer and since the service area
is nearly 175 miles from one end to another and our place is well
towards the western end, it's quite far enough that just don't "drop in
while passing by"...

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