Cooperative History
After an early survey indicated little interest in bringing REA into rural Swisher County in the 1930s, Swisher County agricultural agent John Palmore suggested in 1939 a meeting be called to see just how much interest there was in REA. Three hundred showed up!
Through Palmore’s efforts, H.N. Roberts of Lubbock, an REA engineer, met with the interested group and outlined the requirements of securing a government loan to finance the project. A temporary committee was organized on June 9, 1939 and on June 17, 1939 work began in earnest to sign up members.
On September 30, 1939, Swisher Electric Cooperative (then Swisher County Electric Cooperative) was officially incorporated under Texas law. Because “the REA” was so instrumental in bringing electricity across rural America, many, if not most, cooperative members referred to us, their cooperative, inaccurately as “the REA.” Bringing electricity to rural America in the 1930s and ‘40s was a feat the investor-owned utilities of the time said was impossible and unprofitable. It took the “can do” spirit of rural America, repeated in hundreds of purpose-formed electric cooperatives across the country, to prove otherwise.
Until they saw the poles going up and the lines being strung, many rural Americans never thought they’d never live to see the day they had electricity. “The day the lights came on” is often recorded as a high moment in the lives of American rural families. One Tennessee farmer in the early 1940s gave witness in his church, proclaiming: “Brothers and sisters, I want to tell you this. The greatest thing on earth is to have the love of God in your heart, and the next greatest thing is to have electricity in your house.”
Electricity rescued the farm wife from the back-breaking work of many household chores. Most were physically worn out when they were only in their 40s. The wood stove was hated by so many women partly because it was so hard to start, partly because it was so dirty, but mostly because it was so hot. Even on hot summer days, the wood stove had to be lit not just three times a day for cooking meals, but also for baking bread, which was an all-day task.
Another change for the farm wife was the convenience and cleanliness of the electric iron over the “sad iron.” Weighing up to seven pounds, this solid chunk of wedge-shaped iron had to be heated on the wood stove. It retained heat for only a few minutes and it would get dirty. Most farm wives had three or four so that, while one was in use, others could be heating.
Another convenience for the farm wife was the electric refrigerator, eliminating the need for dripping ice boxes. However, the farmer was most taken with the electric motor. His idea of a good hired hand was a steady worker, one who was healthy and didn’t loaf on the job, or wander off in the middle of harvest. With the electric motor, he had that steady worker. A one horsepower electric motor could do as much work in an hour as a man could do in a day, requiring little attention and no prodding or coaxing. An electric motor could be used for pumping water, grinding and mixing feed, as well as many other uses.
The “wired hand” quietly revolutionized farm life, leading to the adoption of “Willie Wiredhand” as the official symbol of rural electric cooperatives. Although the use of Willie has waned in popularity in recent years, he’s still incorporated in Swisher Electric’s headquarters sign, the doors of every cooperative service truck, and even on the uniform shirts worn by our linemen. He helps remind us every day where we came from: you, the cooperative members.
C.D. “Dee” Taylor served as the cooperative’s first president from 1939-1946 with the board of directors managing the cooperative in the early years. In 1940, G.L. “Buster” Sadler was named project superintendent over the construction of the first electric lines, later being named the cooperative’s first manager. He served in that capacity until 1946, with O.K. Woodall serving as manager from 1946-1959. Lyle M. Robinson took over the reigns as manager, serving thirty years from 1959-1989. Current manager Charles M. Castleberry succeeded Robinson in 1989.
In 1970, the cooperative’s members voted to drop “County” from the name, shortening it simply to Swisher Electric Cooperative. In addition to shortening the name, the change helped emphasize the reality that the cooperative provided service in six counties, not just one.
Elsewhere on this site we discuss how being aTouchstone Energy cooperative distinguishes from other power suppliers. Perhaps it was best illustrated by a story shared with cooperative members by first cooperative board president “Dee” Taylor at the 50th annual membership meeting.
“I was in Amarillo about a year after we had electricity,” Taylor said, and and related that he ran into an acquaintance.
“I hear you have electricity down on the farm,” the man said.
“I said, ‘Yes.’”
“How many poles do you have per mile?”
“I said, ‘Somewhere around 10 poles per mile.'”
“That costs a lot of money.”
“Yes,” Taylor replied.
“How many customers do you have?,” the man asked.
“‘Not a one,’ I said.”
“How are you going to run a business without customers?” the man said, stunned.
“We have all members. It belongs to all of us. Everybody worked for it to get it,” Taylor told his friend.
Taylor then drilled home his message: “If you want to get something, get it done through prayer, desire, and cooperation. That’s the way this thing [the co-op] came about.”