Cooperative Living May 2024 - 4

OUR COMMUNITIES
Cooperative Living
ISSN 1529-4579
VOL. 79, NO. 5 ●
OUR MISSION
To inform you about your cooperative and
its eff orts to serve your energy needs; how to
use electricity safely and effi ciently; and the
people who defi ne and enhance the quality of
life in communities served by electric co-ops.
GREGG MACDONALD * Executive Editor
LAURA EMERY * Deputy Editor
JOHN GROTT * Creative Services Coordinator
SONJA KINNEY * Advertising Account Representative
JIM ROBERTSON * Manager of Member Services
TOMMY CAMPBELL * Digital Producer
NINA JACOBS * Production Coordinator
Published by the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware
Association of Electric Cooperatives
C. MICHAEL SANDRIDGE * Chair
GEORGE N. GOIN * Vice Chair
FRANK W. BACON * Secretary/Treasurer
BRIAN S. MOSIER* President & CEO
Board of Directors: Christopher D. Bott, Belvin Williamson Jr., A&N;
C. Michael Sandridge, Bill Buchanan, BARC; George N. Goin,
Gary E. Wood, Central Virginia; Robert E. Arnold, Micheal E. Malandro,
Choptank; Jeannette S. Everett, Steven A. Harmon, Community;
James E. Huff man, Jeff M. Ahearn, Craig-Botetourt; Patricia S. Dorey,
Rob A. Book, Delaware; Fletcher B. Jones, John C. Lee Jr., Mecklenburg;
Russell G. Brown, Brad H. Hicks, Northern Neck; Wade C. House,
David E. Schleicher, Northern Virginia; David T. Kindle, M. Brad Coppock,
Powell Valley; Herbert R. Patrick, Sarat K. Yellepeddi, Prince George;
Sanford Reaves Jr., John D. Hewa, Rappahannock; G. Todd Van Horn,
Greg S. Rogers, Shenandoah Valley; Frank W. Bacon, Jason C. Loehr,
Southside.
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COOPERATIVE LIVING (USPS 473-300) is published
10 times a year, monthly except for combined JanuaryFebruary
and November-December issues, by the VMD
Association of Electric Cooperatives. POSTMASTER,
address changes should be sent to: Cooperative Living,
4201 Dominion Boulevard, Suite 101, Glen Allen, VA 23060,
(804) 346-3344. Periodicals Postage paid at Glen Allen, VA,
and additional mailing offi ces. Subscription: $5.69 per year
for members of subscribing co-ops; $10 per year for all others.
ADVERTISING published is accepted on the premise that
the merchandise and services off ered are accurately described
and willingly sold to customers at the advertised price.
Neither this magazine nor the electric cooperatives in Virginia,
Maryland and Delaware endorse any products or services
advertised herein. If any readers encounter noncompliance
with these standards, they are asked to inform the Association.
From left, Kristen Nickerson, Amy Brandt,
Donna West, Cal Ripken, Clarice Mathies
Hometown Hero
Choptank co-op directors meet MLB legend
by Gregg MacDonald, Staff Writer
IT ALL BEGAN WITH A PLAN. Three Choptank Electric Cooperative board directors,
and one director's wife, were going to meet baseball legend Cal Ripken.
" We are all big Orioles fans who spent lots of time at Memorial Stadium and
Camden Yards watching Cal play through the years, " says Choptank director Donna
Richardson West. " When we heard he would be a speaker at PowerXchange,
we were all very excited. "
PowerXchange is an annual convention sponsored by the National Rural Electric
Cooperative Association that gathers electric cooperative members and leaders from
across the country to discuss the challenges of the electric cooperative industry.
This year's convention took place in San Antonio, Texas.
On March 5, Ripken addressed attendees and answered a few pre-submitted
questions, including one from West, who asked him if he ever had to play injured.
Ripken answered that he did.
Later, Choptank board members Amy Brandt, Kristen Nickerson, West, and Clarice
Mathies, wife of Choptank board member Craig N. Mathies Sr., were able to go backstage
to meet and pose for a photo with Ripken. All four wore Orioles apparel for the photo.
" We wanted to wear jerseys to show how proud we were, being Orioles fans from
Maryland, our home and his home state, where he made history, " says West.
" He was very tall in person, much bigger than I expected, " adds Brandt.
For all four homegrown Orioles fans, meeting Ripken in person was a dream come true.
" I grew up attending 20-plus Orioles games a year because my parents had season
tickets, " says Nickerson. " I saw him play his rookie year at Memorial Stadium and
throughout his career. "
" He was very down to earth, " adds Clarice Mathies. " For a superstar, it is nice
Please recycle.
2 * Cooperative Living * May 2024
to see he is also a people person. "
" Getting to go backstage to meet him was super exciting, " concludes West.
" That opportunity was unbelievable. Thank you to NRECA for allowing us this
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! "
*
co-opliving.com
2,632 CONSECUTIVE GAMES PLAYED
PHOTO COURTESY CHOPTANK ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living May 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living May 2024
