Preface: The following was written for Cobb Power’s annual report.)

Two Golden Wires

By Joe Bergeron

Martha Dozier remembers the night the lights came on in her family’s small farmhouse in Edison, Georgia. An eight-grader at the time, Dozier recalls how electricity changed her family’s life. “ From 1936 until 1941, we powered our lamps and water pump with a Delco battery my grandfather set up in the barn. My mother did her cooking and heated our bath water on a wood stove, and the local iceman would bring huge blocks of ice every few days for our refrigeration.”

On Tuesday, August 26, 1941, all that was about to change.

The Calhoun County News reported it this way: “Two Golden Wires… Monday and Tuesday two golden wires were strung up on the long awaiting line of electric poles out Bluffton Road. The residents have been anxiously awaiting for months to see electric lights coming their way, and at last light has come! All are happy now, for in a few days those two golden wires will pour a steam of light and power into many homes to brighten and make happy.”

It seems ironic that a town named “Edison” would have to wait until 1941 for “two golden wires,” when much of the country had already been enjoying the benefits of electricity for nearly 40 years. According to Dozier, it’s not as ironic as it seems. “Actually, the original name of the town was Pachitla. In 1905, the townspeople voted to change the name to Edison, with the hope that Thomas Edison would be inclined to send the town the necessary funds to bring electricity to the area. The money never came, but the name stuck,” she says.

Dozier is the matriarch of five generations of Georgia farmers. Her great-grandfather, Andrew Coleman Sanders, a Civil War veteran, settled in Edison in 1870 and began growing cotton. Her grandfather, Kenneth Norton Sanders, continued the tradition, and his daughter, Nellie, was the first female farmer in the area.

Today, the legacy continues.

“The relationship between a man and his land is like a marriage,” says Connie Dozier, Martha’s daughter-in-law. She and her husband Dave run the 3,000-acre family farm near the original Dozier homestead, growing cotton, peanuts, corn, wheat and oats.  “It’s challenging at times, but once you work the land, it becomes part of you. The land becomes a member of the family.”

The technology that first brought electricity to Edison has evolved into sophisticated, high-tech solutions that help keep electricity an even better value than it was years ago, according to Barry Satterfield, Manager of Apparatus at Cobb EMC. “In 2006, we installed an automated meter reading system (AMR), which allows us to monitor our members electricity usage remotely. From our Marietta office, we can read each customer’s meter every hour, providing a snapshot of their daily usage, helping us diagnose any problems and allowing us to connect or disconnect the power right at our laptop,” he says.

Today, there are five generations of this family who have benefited from the “two golden wires.” According to Martha, “Cobb EMC does a great job for us. Electricity is a better value today than it was in 1941. It’s one of those things that people take for granted. But when you’ve grown up without it, you appreciate the value and convenience it brings.”

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The Cobb EMC Family Legacy

By Joe Bergeron

Jean Lawson

Jean has been a member of the Cobb EMC family since 1973. “I’m a second generation employee. My mother, Lucile Turner, was a billing clerk for the company for 30 years, starting in 1945,” she says. “I wasn’t sure that I wanted to work alongside my mother, but it happened when I joined the company as a part-time employee in the bookkeeping department. She made me toe the line. But she taught me a lot.”

Jean remembers the eight-party telephone line in their Marietta home. “We got our first telephone when I was eight years old. Cobb EMC customers would sometimes call my mother at home about their bills or other issues… that was my first lesson in customer service. Mother knew her customers by name and went to great lengths to resolve their issues.”

Customer service technology has changed quite a bit since Jean’s mother’s days, according to Bob Arnett, Vice President of Technology Services.  “We evolved from a switchboard and handwritten journals to an Information Technology department. Recently, we changed the name to Technology Services – with an emphasis on services. Our customers are actually other Cobb EMC employees,” he says. “We provide the technology that helps Cobb EMC customer service, marketing and field personnel do a better job for customers. Not too long ago, it took 52 separate steps to generate a bill that included electric and gas usage. In our new system, it takes 3 clicks. This efficiency translates to faster, better service for Cobb EMC customers.”

There were 43 Cobb EMC employees when Jean joined the company. Today there are more than 400. “Over the years, I’ve known five General Managers and made the transition from handwritten journals to totally computerized operations,” she says. “One thing that hasn’t changed is the commitment we have to our customers – and to each other.”

Jean remembers going to her first annual meeting of Cobb EMC shareholders with her mother. “I wore my best Easter dress and passed out programs as people came in,” she says. Carl Hamby, Cobb EMC’s General Manager at the time, gave Jean a quarter when she came into the office with her mother. “That was a lot of money back then.”

Jenni Kemp Gross

Jenni’s family has deep roots with Cobb EMC. In addition to being a full-time dairy farmer, her grandfather, Clyde Kemp, Sr. served on the company’s Board of Directors as Secretary and Treasurer from 1939 until 1975. “He lived for this company. It was his passion – it was his love,” says Jenni.

Jenni’s dad, Clyde “Hugh” Kemp, Jr., often accompanied his father, as they drove the dusty, unpaved roads of West Cobb County, going from farm to farm, collecting the $5.00 electrical hookup fee. Later, Hugh worked in the “Right-of-Way” division, which was responsible for making preparations to bring electricity to the farms in the still-rural area.

Currently an Administrative Assistant in the executive office, Jenni joined Cobb EMC in 1994 as a Customer Relations representative. “This is not just a job for me. It’s a family. Cobb EMC appreciates its people and they show it every day.”

Jenni grew up with many of the sons and daughters of the original Board of Directors. “We share a common bond. Our families were responsible for bringing electricity to people who otherwise wouldn’t have had it – our grandfathers and fathers literally changed the lives of thousands of people for the better. Not many people can say that,” she says.

The Kemp family has left a distinctive footprint in their community. The Kemp Library, Kemp Elementary School and a Cobb EMC substation named after Clyde Kemp, Sr., are just part of their legacy.

“I wish my grandfather had been alive to see me join Cobb EMC. I think he would have been very proud,” says Jenni.

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A Leap of Faith

By Joe Bergeron

The faithful came in straw-filled wagons and horse-drawn buggies. Others walked the long, dusty roads of Powder Springs to attend the monthly service at the Lost Mountain Baptist Church in 1878. They sat on hard benches and barrels in the tiny church, illuminated only by tallow candles. During the coldest months, they dressed in heavy coats and gloves, as there was no wood stove. The baptismal pool was an icy spring, so cold in fact, that baptisms weren’t held during winter.

Still, they came.

“These founding Church members left a rich legacy,” says Mike Ford, Director of Outreach & Administration. “From the humblest of beginnings, this group of farmers and merchants banded together to create something wonderful, loving, and lasting.” 

A timeline of the Church shows how far it’s come. In 1878, the first mission offering totaled $4.05. Twenty years later, Sunday school classes began. In the 1940s, electric lighting was added. “The cost of installing electrical fixtures was $37.00, which left $6.00 in total available funds. That paid the power bill for several months,” according to Ford.

In 1952, the first Sunday school wing was built. A few years later, a well was drilled, and a basement and baptistery were added. In 1966, the Church welcomed its first full-time pastor and in the 1970s, a new sanctuary was built. In 2000, the Church purchased 32 acres from Powder Spring’s Carver family and began planning for a new facility. In July 2005, the first service was held in the new 13,000 square foot building.

Today, 1000 members of the Lost Mountain Baptist Church enjoy a state-of-the-art facility that serves as a site for numerous community events. “There are classrooms for preschool age children to senior adults,” says Ford. “We even have multimedia rooms where young members create videos and participate in stage plays.” During the Christmas season, Church members perform seasonal plays in the well-equipped theater, while other members prepare traditional southern fare for the audience and guests from local assisted living communities.

Several members of the Church are also members of the Cobb EMC Women’s Task Force, including Glenda Amason, Hazel Hutchins, Martha Jones, Carole Ocheltree and Pat Copeland. According to past president of the Task Force, Pat Copeland, it’s an active group. “We conduct several activities during the year. One of our main projects is
making a quilt that will be raffled off. The proceeds will be used to send three youth tour delegates to Washington, D.C. Task Force members also operate the concession stand at the annual meeting, selling homemade sweets and food from The Varsity.”  Throughout the year, members of the Task Force give gifts and baby supplies to the Women’s Pregnancy Center, send children to camp, and do volunteer work in local schools.

The Lost Mountain Baptist Church is an integral aspect of life in Powder Springs. “The Church plays an important role in our lives,” says Pat Copeland. “It’s a place to thank God for his many blessings. It’s a place to see our old friends and share memories. And it’s place to meet new friends and share in the bounty of our lives.”

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