In a span of a few weeks, Powell Valley Electric Cooperative lost two great leaders, and each will be profoundly missed. The passing of one leader in the co-op family is difficult, so losing these two following the passing of Director Mike Sharp a few months earlier was hard to comprehend, almost unthinkable.

The cooperative was deeply saddened by the passing of former General Manager Randell Meyers and Director John Short since the last magazine. They  were different individuals, each unique, but shined in their fields, and the cooperative is very fortunate to have benefited from their combined gifts and contributions. They created a balance of personalities and talents. These individuals had tremendous effects on the lives of the people in the communities in the cooperative’s service area.

A “tribute” honors or acknowledges or shows respect for someone’s accomplishments, and we feel it is fitting to use this space that is designated for my comments in tribute to them. You can read about Randell and Dr. Short on pages 20 and 21, two short pages about their lives and work. We wish to honor them by celebrating their memory and their legacies, their positive influences and the genuine good they did.

We appreciate everything Sharp, Meyers and Short did. They were a lot alike in many ways and still very different with diverse talents and perspectives, each contributing in a very special way but all working for the common good of the members of the co-op.

These men worked tirelessly for the cooperative, and from my perspective as general manager, I would have them know that we at the cooperative will continue with their work and will also do all we can to fulfill their legacy and the legacy and work of those before them. In
tribute not only to them but because we, too, are dedicated to the mission of the co‑op, we will work toward fulfilling their visions for the co-op. One promise we can make to them is that we will work toward completing the projects they were involved in, especially the broadband project. They shared a commitment of service to the community, and rest assured, we share that same commitment.

— Brad Coppock