Cooperative Living November/December 2023 - 4

OURCOMMUNITIES
Cooperative Living
OUR MISSION
Vol. 79, No. 1 ●
ISSN 1529-4579
To inform you about your cooperative and
its efforts to serve your energy needs; how to
use electricity safely and efficiently; and the
people who define and enhance the quality of
life in communities served by electric co-ops.
GREGGMACDONALD * Executive Editor
LAURAEMERY * Deputy Editor
JOHNGROTT * Creative Services Coordinator
SONJAKINNEY * Advertising Account Representative
JIMROBERTSON *Manager ofMember Services
TOMMYCAMPBELL * Digital Producer
NINAJACOBS * Production Coordinator
Published by the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware
Association of Electric Cooperatives
C.MICHAEL SANDRIDGE * Chair
GEORGEN. GOIN * Vice Chair
FRANKW. BACON * Secretary/Treasurer
BRIANS.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. Huffman, 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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COOPERATIVELIVING (USPS 473-300) is published
10 times a year, monthly except for combinedJanuaryFebruary
andNovember-December issues, by the VMD
Association of Electric Cooperatives. POSTMASTER,
address changes should be sent to: Cooperative Living,
4201Dominion Boulevard, Suite 101, GlenAllen, VA 23060,
(804) 346-3344. Periodicals Postage paid at GlenAllen, VA,
and additional mailing offices. Subscription: $5.69 per year
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ADVERTISING published is accepted on the premise that
themerchandise and services offered are accurately described
andwillingly sold to customers at the advertised price.
Neither thismagazine nor the electric cooperatives inVirginia,
Maryland andDelaware endorse anyproducts or services
advertised herein. Ifany readers encounter noncompliance
with these standards, they are asked to informtheAssociation.
The Brightest Star in the Sky
Roanoke landmark lights up the holidays
MANY PEOPLE - NATIVE VIRGINIANS ESPECIALLY - HAVE FOND MEMORIES TIED
TO ROANOKE'S MILL MOUNTAIN STAR, but Glenda Booth's ties to the Southwest Virginia
landmark are special. Her father, William Booth, was the lead electrician when the iconic
structure was constructed in 1949. " My father was born in 1911 in Franklin County, Va.,
and took electrical classes through the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. He
then went to work for Jefferson Electric in Roanoke, which was contracted to work on
the star, " she says. " He actually was the one who flipped the switch for the first time once
it was completed. "
At the base of the Mill Mountain Star, which has come to also be known as the Roanoke
Star, is a plaque commemorating Mr. William Booth, surrounded by boxwoods from his
home in Vinton, Va. " Those boxwoods, planted at the Vinton home in 1955, were grown
from grafts of the original ones on my father's family farm, " says Glenda Booth.
Her son, Virginia Sen. Scott Surovell, also has special memories of his grandfather
and the star. " I can remember him driving me around in his Volkswagen Bug, pointing
it out, " Surovell says. " Both my grandparents were very proud of their connection to it. "
The star's construction was initially commissioned by a local Roanoke merchants
association in an effort to draw traffic and trade into the city. Today, the beloved structure
is said to be the world's largest freestanding illuminated man-made star and continues
to draw visitors.
Resting nearly 850 feet above the city of Roanoke and visible for 60 miles from the
Please recycle.
2 ●
November-December 2023
air, it was originally intended to be illuminated only during the holiday season, but it
eventually became so popular with Roanoke residents and visitors alike, that it is now
illuminated every night, 365 nights a year. Its 2,000 feet of neon tubing can light up in
three colors: red, white or blue. Standing nearly 90 feet tall and weighing in at 30 tons,
it is responsible for Roanoke's nickname as the " Star City of the South " and is visited
by thousands each year. 
co-opliving.com
PHOTO BY DARYL WATKINS/CREATIVE DOG MEDIA

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Cooperative Living November/December 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living November/December 2023