Font Size:
-
2026 Montgomery Youth Tour offers attendees important lessons, new connections
South Alabama Electric Cooperative’s delegates attending the 2026 Montgomery Youth Tour learned a lot about leadership, communication, history, government and how electric cooperatives serve communities.
And they had fun while learning. “We’ve talked a lot about leadership and about public speaking,” says Sarah Sanders, 16, a student at Pike Liberal Arts School. “There’s been so many fun activities with each of the speakers. We learned how to be attentive with each other and how our body language says a lot about how we present ourselves to people.”
The Montgomery Youth Tour is an annual event bringing high school juniors from around the state to the Alabama capital. Selected by local electric cooperatives, the students visit historic sites, museums, government buildings and participate in team-building and leadership activities. The statewide event is sponsored by the Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives as well as the local co-ops.
In June, electric cooperatives will send students to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Washington, D.C., Youth Tour to visit the nation’s capital.
Sanders and Hayden Duncan, 17, will represent SAEC during the 2026 Washing - ton Youth Tour.
Duncan, who attends Zion Chapel High School, says she was sad to see the Mont - gomery Youth Tour end. Those in the SAEC group, she says, managed to become friends in just three days.
“We’ve made sure to send all of our pictures to each other, and I feel like we’ll definitely keep in touch,” Duncan says.
Being around people she doesn’t know can be a bit intimidating for Duncan, but she realized she likely wasn’t the only Youth Tour attendee who felt that way and decided to just be herself.
“It was kind of like everyone wanted to get to know everybody, and there was no fear,”
Duncan says. “I had nothing to be afraid of — everyone’s here for the same things, and we just all want to get to know each other.” Duncan says she got a lot from the experience, gaining skills and tools to help her in life and at school. One guest speaker used an interactive beach ball game to teach attendees about communicating and working together to reach a goal — in this instance, keeping a beach ball in the air, a task that wasn’t as easy as it looked until those involved started talking to each other.
“You have to talk to people,” Duncan says. “You have to be OK to hear an opinion other than your own and work with people.”
Sanders says the tips on public speak - ing, which she considers one of her weaknesses, really hit home for her. Like Duncan, Sanders says she realized delegates were all there to learn.
“I have met so many new friends like from places all over that I would have never known about before this trip,” Sanders says. “And, honestly, it’s such a rewarding experience.”
Along with the speakers and leadership activities, Youth Tour attendees visited the Alabama Statehouse as well as sites like the historic Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. served as pastor from 1954-60.
Both Duncan and Sanders say their eyes were opened by the trip to The Legacy Museum, which tracks the country’s history from the days of slavery to racial lynchings, Civil Rights and racial bias.
They say the museum’s exhibits taught the students history they had not learned in school.
“It was really an eye-opening experience, and a tour I went through slowly and just read as much as I could,” Sanders says.
The students are excited to visit Wash - ington, D.C., in June and thrilled to travel together for the event that draws students from around the country. Duncan and Sanders sat with each other on the bus ride from Troy to Montgomery and got to know each other better.
Duncan says during the state trip she tried not to think about the Washington Youth Tour but just focus on the Mont - gomery trip and being herself.
“It kind of just helped me realize as long as you’re yourself, that’s all people want, and that will get you a lot further in life,” Duncan says.
-
Lieutenant governor candidate Wes Allen sees electric co-ops aspart of community foundations
Wes Allen feels connected to electric cooperatives.
Not only does he value the principles behind cooperatives, but he’s also a member of South Alabama Electric Cooperative.
“I know that South Alabama Electric is always looking to improve people’s lives and make our area more prosperous,”Allen says. “They’re looking for ways for economic growth. They’re looking for ways to serve the public and looking for ways to make sure that we have electricity and power that we can depend on.”
Allen is among the Republican candidates seeking his party’s endorsement in the May 19 primary to run for lieu-tenant governor. Alabama’s lieutenant governor — who is limited to two, four year terms — serves as the presiding officer for the state Senate as well as the success or to the governor. Governor and lieutenant governer candidates do not run on a single ticket. Rather, they are elected separately.
Allen became Alabama’s 54th secretary of state in January 2023, overseeing the state’s elections. He also served District 89 in the Alabama House of Representatives and as Pike County’s probate judge.
“The lieutenant governor’s role is very important, and it’s an important leadership position in our state,” Allen says. “We’ve got to continue with strong conservative leadership in that role, and there’s nobody better prepared with a more conservative record of accomplishments than me. My days in public service as a probate judge, as a state legislator and now serving as secretary of state have prepared me, through all of that experience, to use that experience in a very positive way and to use the relationships that I’ve been able to garner and to build through the state of Alabama to be a positive influence in the direction of our great state.
”Born and raised in Tuscaloosa County, Allen earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama and played football for the Crimson Tide.While attending the University of Alabama, he met his wife, Cae, who was captain for the Million Dollar Band’s Crimsonette line. Allen received his master’s degree from Troy University. He and Cae have two children, Davis, a graduate of Troy University, and Dee, a student at theUniversity of Alabama.
Allen and his family are members ofFirst Baptist Church of Troy, where he is an ordained deacon and Sunday School leader.Allen says his faith is important him.
“We’re actively involved in our church, and we love our local fellowship there, so that’s an important part of my life,” he says. Earlier this year, Allen was endorsed for lieutenant governor by the Electric Cooperatives of Alabama Political ActionCommittee (PAC), the political arm of the Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives. The PAC supports candidates who champion rural communities as well as sound energy policy and the mission of Alabama’s electric cooperatives.
Allen says he was honored to receive the endorsement. Electric cooperatives around the state, he says, are part of the foundations of the communities they serve, working to not only deliver electricity but improve communities in other ways, such as economic development projects.
“They’re plugged in in so many different ways,” Allen says. “All the members and the people that run these cooperatives are people we see at church, they’re people we see at Rotary and other civic groups.They’re individuals that are highly invested in their local community, and they’re one reason that our communities through out the state of Alabama are strong.”
Allen says he’s blessed to be in the position he is in to serve in state office and wants to continue serving Alabama to ensure the state is the best it can be for future generations.
“I want to be a part of the leadership team that continues to push Alabama forward,” he says. “Alabama is a great state.It is my home state where I was born and reared, and I want it to be the best it can possibly be for my kids and my grandchildren. We want to make sure Alabama is still a special place to raise a family.
”Allen says his legislative experience will give him good insight to preside over the Alabama Senate as lieutenant governor and help the legislative process move smoothly and efficiently. His focus on cutting red tape and wasteful spending as secretary of state, he says, will carry over well if he’s elected lieutenant governor.
No matter where he travels on his campaign, Allen says he meets people who are proud of their state, communities, churches and families, and he wants to help give them reasons to continue to be proud of Alabama.
“I want to make sure that I represent them in a way that will never embarrass them, and that we will just work hard each and every day to keep Alabama a great place to call home.” Allen says
-
Do you know the story of “Taps? ”The history of “Taps” goes back to the American Civil War. Union Gen. Daniel Butterfield oversaw a brigade camped at Harrison Landing,Virginia. At the time, the U.S. Army Infantry’s signal for troops to end the day was the French final call “L’Extinction des Feux,” which means “lights out.”
However, Butterfield decided the French “lights out” music was too formal. After I listened to the French version, I agree with Butterfield — just not the same feeling. One day in July1862, he hummed his version of a bugle call to an aide, who wrote down the music.
For those of you who think the music class you took in school was not important, you never know when you may be called to jot down some notes. Butterfield then asked the brigade bugler, Oliver Norton, to play the notes. After hearing his rendition, he ordered Norton to play this new call at the end of each day. The music was heard and adopted by other brigades. The piece became the officialArmy bugle call after the Civil War ended and was given the name “Taps” in 1874.
“Taps” was first played at a military funeral soon after Butterfield composed it when UnionCapt. John Tidball ordered it played for the burial of a cannoneer killed in action. By 1891, Army Infantry regulations required “Taps” to be played at military funeral ceremonies. Today it is played by the military at burials, at memorial services to company the lowering of the flag and to signal the “lights out” command at day’s end.
In 1976 my dad, Lt. Col. Joseph W. Bailey, was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas. We lived in military housing on Biggs Army Airfield. There was no air conditioning in the military housing there, but we had this cooling device called a swamp cooler. The climate in West Texas is very dry, so the swamp cooler required windows to be cracked open slightly so moisture could be added into the dry air. By morning, you would be under blankets in the West Texas summer heat.
Every evening “Taps” would be played, andI could hear it through the cracked windows.
I remember lying in bed, my heart filled with pride in our country and my eyes swelling with tears, proud of my dad and his service. You see,I’ve always heard that my dad entered the Army at 16, but he never told me when he entered theArmy. A few months ago, I saw a picture of theArmy National Guard unit in New Brockton,Alabama. The year was 1956 and there was my dad, who was born in January 1940. That puts him at 16. Also in the National Guard unit photo was his dad, Leon Bailey.
With my dad’s service and the sorrow for the lives cut short serving our great country, I still have the same reaction every time I hear “Taps”whether it’s played at Arlington National Cemetery, Normandy American Cemetery in France or on TV.
I pray we never forget the sacrifice of those lost while serving in the military.
When I write about “Taps” signaling the end of day, you may think “lights out” sends shockwaves within an electric utility, but I look at this action as energy conservation and not a power outage. We are entering the summertime season, which means summertime afternoon storms. My prayer is for your cooperative to catch a break from storms this year, but outages are going to occur. You can track outages by downloading theSAEC app from your smartphone’s app store orby visiting our website.
May is a good month to make sure yourHVAC units are functioning properly. You will have better luck getting someone to check your unit in May before HVAC companies hit their busy season.
As you spend Memorial Day with family and friends, take a moment to reflect on the number of white crosses at the various national memorial cemeteries. There are 45 sets of brothers buried at the Normandy AmericanCemetery, killed during the D-Day landings and subsequent battles.
These families made a huge sacrifice. Each cross is a life cut short. Thank them all in your heart for your freedom. God bless them all.
-
Jackson Adcock, center, helps load a utility pole at the SAEC main office in Troy. - You’re having a garage sale, and you think posting a sign on a utility pole won’t hurt. Everyone does it, right?
- It’s nearing 5 p.m. on a workday. Your boss wanted that last-minute report, and you need to pick up your kids from soccer and play practice. You jump in your car, and on the way, you approach a work zone. You don’t have time to slow down, so you rush through it and ignore the orange work zone signs.
Either of these scenarios could injure or kill 1 of our linemen.
The job of an electric lineman is not easy. Linemen take great pride in providing safe and reliable service, but their job involves working on and around live power lines in the elements. We ask you to do your part to keep them safe:
- Slow down and move over in work zones. Driving too fast or not moving over can put not only workers on the ground at risk, but it also endangers a lineman working high up in a bucket by causing it to move or sway.
- Do not post anything on a utility pole, especially with staples, nails, or tacks. These can puncture insulated gloves or other protective clothing and expose workers to high voltages.
- Never plug a generator into an indoor or outdoor wall outlet. The power that backfeeds into the electric line could electrocute a utility worker.
- Please be patient when the power goes out. Workers need to restore power efficiently and safely.
We appreciate your help in keeping our employees safe. For more information about electrical safety, visit the Safe Electricity website.
-
South Alabama Electric Cooperative's (SAEC) Newest Group of Linemen Learn the Ropes As They Gain Important Experience
Jackson Adcock, center, helps load a utility pole at the SAEC main office in Troy. New linemen still have much to learn when they join the ranks at South Alabama Electric Cooperative.
Starting with jobs on the ground, new linemen generally assist their more-experienced colleagues working in buckets or climbing poles. Responsibilities grow as linemen gain more experience.
Since 2023, SAEC has added 8 new linemen to its workforce. These newest linemen wanted careers that offered variety, and they liked the idea of a job that provided something their communities needed.
“I just wanted to do something that I could help out the community with and help give back,” lineman Jackson Adcock says.
It’s a career with risks and rewards. April 18 is National Linemen Appreciation Day — a time set aside to recognize the work linemen do to keep the power on for all of us.
Adcock joined SAEC in March 2025 after attending the electrical lineworker program at Wallace Community College in Dothan. He says he knew what he was signing up for when he chose line work as a career.
Hayes Horne holds a pole steady as he helps unload it. “I knew a couple of things — hard work, long days, working on weekends,” Adcock says.
Thomas Bodiford joined SAEC in March 2023 and is now on a construction crew. He says he enjoys the work of building lines and finally getting some time in the bucket. And he has had to climb poles a few times in areas a bucket truck cannot reach.
“It’s been pretty good,” Bodiford says. “It has good days and bad days. The only bad days are when you’re just out working all night, and you’re tired and want to go home, and you still have to go to work. That just comes with it.”
Early training is now usually done through a lineman school or program affiliated with a college rather than on the job. It’s a commitment, as tuition can start around $5,000, and some linework schools can cost up to $25,000 for 10 to 15 weeks of coursework. In many cases, the tuition covers gear such as boots, hard hats, safety glasses, and gloves.
Prospective linemen spend time in a classroom, as well as learning climbing and other skills. By the time they finish, they’ve typically earned a commercial driver’s license. Some programs also provide training and certification in Occupational Safety and Health Administration safety standards, first aid and CPR, digger truck operations, and pole-top rescue.
Adcock says the hands-on skills he learned in school were more involved than he expected.
“You use your body a lot more with the climbing and then working up high,” Adcock says. “It takes some getting used to. It’s a whole lot different than doing everything on the ground.”
Hayes Horne, who has been with SAEC since October, says he chose line work because he wanted to work with his hands. He knows people who work in the field and feels it would be a good fit for him. So far, he loves the job, especially the people.
Horne says the cooperative regularly emphasizes safety.
Thomas Bodiford, left, with his fellow linemen as they load poles onto a trailer behind the SAEC office building in Troy. “We have safety meetings once a month, and every morning we have a job briefing, and they all teach safety,” Horne says. “That’s the most important thing out here.”
Bodiford attended Elite Lineman Training Institute in Tunnel Hill, Georgia. Safety, he says, was the core of almost everything he learned.
“Safety is the main thing up there,” Bodiford says. “Everything they got is all safety-related. I learned how to keep your feet in the right places, keep your body position correct, and how to step up. Even outside of the climbing, when we had to do the CDL portion, they always made sure you were safe — checking all your mirrors, checking around the truck when you’re backing trailers.”
Students learn to climb on poles of different sizes, working up to about 60 to 65 feet in height.
When he started climbing, Bodiford says it wasn’t the heights that gave him pause but rather trusting the safety harness to work when needed. He learned the safety gear would hold him when he lost his footing a few times during his climbs. Once he learned to trust the equipment, Bodiford says his nerves settled.
“I’m a big person, so I was kind of thinking, ‘I ain’t supposed to be up off the ground this high,’” Bodiford says. “But I was never scared of the height, I was just scared of the falling part.”
-
Friendly Advice
David Bailey, General Manager This time of the year is like starting with a clean sheet of paper. Nature blossoms with new growth. Fruit trees begin to bloom with an array of colors. We start planting gardens and flowers in our yards.
People start exercising more because the weather is warmer, but not yet hot. I try to exercise throughout the year. I know the older I get, the stiffer I become. So, I know that motion is lotion to my joints.
Some days I go for a walk at the Troy Recreation Center. The outdoor track is wonderful. It’s great to see all ages out exercising, but I’ve noticed a trend among the younger people exercising. They do not speak to you — even after you speak. It’s not just the younger individuals, but the number of nonspeakers is growing.
This is Alabama. We are so Southern-friendly that we wave to individuals while traveling on our interstates. Why are we losing our Southern nature of being friendly, respectful, and our wonderful hospitality? In my opinion, it is this thing about 3 inches wide and 6 inches long called a cellphone. People are so addicted to their devices that they are willing to endanger their lives, as well as others’, to read a text that’s showing a thumbs-up emoji. It is sad to see individuals operating a vehicle while texting someone. The information is not that important, and if you deem it to be important, then stop your vehicle. Our crews have spoken many times of the near misses they experience while working on the roadways.
With all that being said, these devices can be a great asset when used to communicate with our members. It allows your cooperative to notify you when your power’s out. Before you say it — sure, I understand you know your power is out when you're at home, but our text notification also lets you know when you’re not at home. We also let you know when it’s restored. Communicating with you assures you that we are working on your outage.
With our South Alabama Electric Cooperative (SAEC) app, you can perform a long list of functions. Once you set up your account information, you can view your current statement, which looks identical to the statement you receive in the mail. You can make a payment or click on the account billing history, which stores 12 months of history. You can view the number of billing days and total kilowatt-hour usage for a particular month. Heck, you can even view the actual bill sent to you back in that month.
My favorite SAEC app tool is the usage tracker. There is a default date range of the last 7 or 30 days, or you can select a custom date range. This energy information shows our members the impact of their electric use during cold and hot weather. When we have cold weather, as we had in late January and early February, this usage tool gives you a heads-up on what to expect on your next electric bill. My least favorite tool of the SAEC app is the outage function. This function allows you to report an outage, view your account outage history, and view our current system outage status. I don’t like to see outages, but they do happen.
The SAEC app is a powerful tool for our members, but never access any apps when driving. If you need any assistance with our app, please contact 1 of our member service representatives, and they will help you on your app journey.
We are pleased that a large percentage of you appreciate the daily usage text notification on your electric account. But information is only as good as a current cellphone number. If you change your cellphone number, please let the cooperative know the new number.
Use your phone and our wonderful app, but don’t use them when driving or walking. One may cause you to lose your life or take an innocent person’s life. The other will cause you not to show off our great Southern hospitality and miss God's wonderful creations around us.
Finally, enjoy the new seasonal time because each year they get less and less. God has blessed us with life to serve Him and enjoy his creation. I hope you have a great month.
-
Rhodes Brothers Are Renowned for Philanthropy, Fun & Camp Stew
Danny, left, and Carroll Rhodes attend a local football game with Pike County Sheriff Russell Thomas. The brothers have known Thomas for decades and host a fish fry for the department every spring. Photo courtesy of Carroll Rhodes Hosting a fish fry for 100 guests might be a daunting endeavor for some folks, but not for brothers Carroll and Danny Rhodes.
They say it’s an energizing rite of spring to welcome the Pike County Sheriff’s Office staff and cook for them at their home about 4 miles east of Goshen. About 10 years ago, the Rhodes brothers started the tradition, typically held in March or April.
“We’ve known the sheriff all our lives and want him and his deputies and staff to know how much they’re appreciated,” Carroll says. “For an event this big, we count on volunteers to help us, too, and several people give us donations.”
Pike County Sheriff Russell Thomas says everyone appreciates the brothers’ generosity.
“It’s a chance for us all — staff and volunteers — to get together and enjoy good company and food. The brothers have such a true servant’s heart,” the sheriff says. “When they first suggested the fish fry, they paid for it all. They’re generous, respected, friendly, always upbeat, salt of the earth, and will help anyone. For decades, they’ve been such a big supporter of our schools and churches with cooking at events.”
The fish fry for the sheriff’s office is just one example of the countless times the brothers have prepared food, especially their signature award-winning camp stew made from a secret family recipe. They’ve grilled burgers for ballgames, fried fish for school and church fundraisers and helped with camp stew for the volleyball team.
“We’re just 2 bachelor brothers living in our family home doing what we love — cooking and helping others,” Carroll says. “It’s how we were brought up. For several years, depending on their schedule, our friends Larry Snyder and Royce Stroud helped us with our stew. Royce passed on, so we like to think he’s looking down on us, making sure we’re still doing everything just right.”
Repaying Kindness
Over the years, visitors have signed the walls inside both the cook house and cabin. Danny and Carroll Rhodes have also covered the walls with mementos and photographs, including a photo of them with their late sister, Annette. Danny says helping out is their way of giving back to their community.
“The community has been so good to us all our lives; we never forgot it,” Danny says. “This is our way to repay that kindness.”
Their father died when they were young. Their mother, Mary, and older sister, Annette, taught Danny and Carroll to cook. A 3-ring binder serves as their cookbook and holds the family recipes, some in their mother’s and sister’s handwriting.
“We still have a cookbook our sister made with our favorite family recipes,” Danny says. “Don’t ask us to make biscuits, though. We ain’t mastered that yet.”
Graduates of Goshen High School, the Rhodes brothers say they bleed purple and gold, still watch Eagles games, and are honored to have more than 5 decades of service to the school’s athletic boosters. The brothers support school events throughout Pike and Crenshaw counties.
Former Goshen football coach Bart Snyder nominated Carroll and Danny for the Troy Exchange Club’s 2025 Book of Golden Deeds Award. In June, the brothers received the award given to those who serve their community faithfully.
“They’re truly pillars of our community,” says Snyder, a board trustee for the South Alabama Electric Cooperative. “As long as I can remember, they’ve given of themselves to help others — especially the youth of the communities that make up Goshen. From church activities, youth rec league games, to anything that goes on with the schools in Goshen and the surrounding areas, they’re always there to support programs. They’re a blessing for my family and me. Honestly, anyone who crosses their path will receive a blessing. They’re great men, and our world sure needs more like them.”
Danny, left, and Carroll Rhodes stand outside their camp stew cabin, where they cook their famous dish and host an annual fish fry for the Pike County Sheriff’s Office. Donna Jones, the exchange club’s vice president, says the brothers are kind and humble.
“They always greet you with a smile,” she says. “They have big hearts, which they spread across the community. They’re fine Christian men. I’ve known them for many years and am proud to call them my friends.”
Carroll says the award was a complete surprise.
“It’s really special to us,” he says. “We don’t do our cooking to get attention.”
Sterw Secrets
When the stirring stick stands straight up on its own, the camp stew is done. Photo courtesy of Carroll Rhodes While generous with their servings of stew, the brothers concede they are protective of their complete recipe. For 3 consecutive years, they won Goshen’s Camp Stew Cookoff. They credit their uncle Roy Shaver and Earl Folmar, a neighbor and close friend, for teaching them how to make it, step by step.
“We’ve got a few secrets we can’t give away, but are glad to share the basic ingredients — beef, chicken, pork, tomatoes, onions, and ketchup,” Carroll says.
When they started, they used a cast-iron pot, but soon outgrew it.
“People wanted so much that we had to switch to a heavy-duty 25-gallon pot,” Carroll says.
They make camp stew year-round. From October to about March, they stir up a monthly batch in their cookhouse at home. Working together for decades, the brothers’ culinary choreography requires no words as they do their tasks.
“I start cooking the meat and seasonings — don’t wait till the end to put seasonings in,” Danny says. “Then Bubba starts peeling potatoes. That’s what I’ve always called him because I couldn’t pronounce his name when we were kids. Then I start tearing up the tomatoes and onions in the food processor and cook that with the meat, too. You have to start with fresh ingredients and stir constantly so it won’t scorch on the bottom.”
When the brothers are not cooking, they’re fishing the Conecuh River or hunting deer “to share with those who need the meat.”
They retired from the Alabama Department of Transportation, where Carroll worked for 36 years and Danny for 25 years.
“We done got a little age on us and are slowing down a little,” Carroll says, adding they’d like to find the right person to carry on their stew-making tradition.
“I’m 69, workin’ on 70, and Danny’s 68, so we’d like to find someone to keep on making it. As long as we can push the paddle around, we’ll keep making stew. We’ve been doing it so long, it’s hard to quit.”
