Cooperative Living May 2021 - 4

ViewPoint | by Richard G. Johnstone Jr., Executive Editor
Vol. 75, No. 5
ISSN 1529-4579
RICHARD G.JOHNSTONEJR.
Executive Editor
STEVENJOHNSON
Editor
LAURA EMERY
Deputy Editor
GREGG MACDONALD
Senior Writer/Editor
JOHN GROTT
Creative Services Coordinator
JIM ROBERTSON
Creative Services Specialist
TOMMY CAMPBELL
Digital Producer
AMANDA S. CUNNINGHAM
Marketing Coordinator
NINAJACOBS
Administrative Coordinator
To change your subscription,
contact your electric cooperative.
For editorial inquiries, contact
the magazine at (804) 346-3344
or editor@co-opliving.com.
Published by the VA, MD & DE
Association of Electric Cooperatives
PATRICIA S. DOREY
Chair
RUSSELL G. BROWN
Vice Chair
WADE C. HOUSE
Secretary/Treasurer
RICHARD G.JOHNSTONEJR.
President & CEO
Board of Directors: Christopher D. Bott, Belvin Williamson Jr.,
A&N; C. Michael Sandridge, Michael J. Keyser, 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. Huffman, Jeff M.Ahearn,
Craig-Botetourt; Patricia S. Dorey, J. William Andrew, Delaware;
Fletcher B. Jones, John C. Lee Jr., Mecklenburg; Russell
G. Brown, Brad H. Hicks, Northern Neck; Wade C. House,
Stan C. Feuerberg, Northern Virginia; David T. Kindle, Brad
Coppock, Powell Valley; Herbert R. Patrick, Casey J. Logan,
Prince George; Sanford Reaves Jr., John D. Hewa, Rappahannock;
G. Todd Van Horn, Greg S. Rogers, Shenandoah Valley; Frank
W. Bacon, Jeffrey S. Edwards, Southside.
To advertise inCooperative Living, contact:
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611 South Congress Ave., Suite 504,
Austin, Texas 78704 * 800-626-1181
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9 million homes and businesses.
COOPERATIVE LIVING (USPS 473-300) is
published 10 times a year, monthly except for
combined March/April and November/December
issues, by the Va., Md. &Del. 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
offices. Subscription: $4.99 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 offered
are accurately described and willingly sold to
customers at the advertised price. Neither this
magazine nor the electric cooperatives in Virginia,
Maryland, and Delaware endorses any products
or services advertised herein. If any readers
encounter noncompliance with these standards,
they are asked to inform the Editor.
With a Heart Full of Gratitude,
a Storehouse Full of Memories
Farewell and thanks for 36 incredible years
ife is filled with seasons. Seasons of
listening and learning. Of hard work
and growth. Of finding your place
in the world. Of challenges, of setbacks,
of successes, of transitions.
It is now time for me to move into the
next season of my life after a tremendously
rewarding 36-year career with the trade
association that publishes this magazine,
and also provides training, advocacy and
other services to the 15 member-owned
electric cooperatives in Virginia,
Maryland and Delaware.
I have been blessed to do what I
love, with and for people I respect
and admire, in a business model
focused on helping others. As the late
folk singer John Prine asked in one of
his classic songs, " How lucky can one
man get? "
My career has been like a long, glorious
summertime, days on end of sunshine
and warmth, collaboration and
accomplishment. And, of course, a few
summer squalls, too, with claps of thunder
and cracks of lightning. But those storms
were few and passed quickly from the
landscape.
A lot has changed since I became editor
in April 1985. During the last few decades,
as more people have moved to the
countryside - to areas served by electric
cooperatives - the magazine's circulation
has grown tremendously, from just over
200,000 when I started to almost 600,000
today, giving Cooperative Living by far the
largest reach of any publication in Virginia
or the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
We have added flourishes to improve
the reading experience: more color photos
and graphics, more features on interesting
people and places, more interactive quizzes
and contests, more content contributed
by readers.
Our magazine website, co-opliving.com,
has added a rich array of options for
2
L
Thanks!
readers, including a digital edition of
the magazine and content only available
online. We have also developed a
dynamic social media presence at
facebook.com/cooperativeliving. And
we plan to add more online resources
moving forward.
I feel fortunate to have been part of
such an incredible enterprise, doing work
that I enjoy. While a 36-year tenure with
one organization may seem impressive
in its span, my love for writing and
publishing dates back much farther,
to childhood.
As preschoolers, my younger
brother and I would sit beside our
mother, listening as she read to us.
Children's magazines. Classic books. Bible
stories. A few years later, in elementary
school, my brother and I published our
own neighborhood newsletter, using our
mother's manual typewriter, proudly
selling the messy carbon copies to family
members and friends.
Once whetted, albeit modestly, this
passion to publish has continued unabated
since. Through work on my high school
newspaper and literary magazine. As
an editor of my college newspaper. After
college, as editor for seven years of the
Virginia State Bar's monthly magazine.
And for 36 years, tending to this gem
of a magazine that is small in size, but
large in the loving care our staff gives
to every issue.
For me, writing has always been an act
of faith, extending an earnest hand into
the darkness. Over and over, you the reader
have given me a warm handshake in return.
So, as I conclude my long career, my
heart is full of gratitude, and my mind's
storehouse is full of wonderful memories.
How lucky can one man get? 
Richard welcomes emails at
richardgjohnstonejr@gmail.com
co-opliving.com
http://www.facebook.com/cooperativeliving http://www.co-opliving.com http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living May 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living May 2021
