Tri-County EMC Earns Safety Award

Rarely do you meet someone truly inspiring, an individual so unique and so driven that you are stirred to stop to reassess your own life—where you’ve come from or where you are going. Miss Jane Haddock is one of those people. For nearly a century, this amazing lady has kept her eyes on her dream—her farm and her cows.

Miss Jane was born in 1917, the year the United States entered World War I. Her family lived in rural Jones County and raised cotton, corn, and watermelons on their farm. They had cows to milk and vegetables to feed the family. By the time she was twelve, the country had entered the Great Depression. "The only cash my brother Alonza and I had came from making sour cream from the milk from the cows. We sent it on the train to be sold in Macon." The cream was separated from the milk by hand—there was no electricity. There was also no running water, no indoor plumbing or bathrooms, and no refrigeration. "We dropped the fresh milk into the well on a rope to keep it cool. Once food was cooked, it didn’t last long with no way to keep it."

Asked about the hardest part of life before electricity, Miss Jane said simply, "staying warm." The family heated with a fireplace. "We would back up to the fire and our skin would turn purple on one side from the heat while the other side froze. Before bed, we warmed irons or bricks to put under the quilts."

Despite the challenges, Miss Jane does not think of those years as bad times. "Those who lived out in the country were better off. We were able to farm and to provide for ourselves. The Depression taught me two things... how to work and how to save." Unfortunately, the Haddock family lost much of their land, all but the eight acres which included the family home, during the Depression.

Fortunate to attend college, thanks to a scholarship from the National Youth Administration, a New Deal agency, Miss Jane graduating from the Georgia State College for Women with a degree in health and physical education. In 1942, while living in Savannah and working at her first job, electricity reached the farm back home. When a friend in Savannah purchased a new refrigerator, Miss Jane bought the old one for fifty dollars and had it shipped back to Haddock. Electricity also brought in the outside world. "Every Saturday night, we went to Uncle Joey’s house to listen to the Grand Ole Opry. We also got fascinated with boxing during that time. I remember renting a radio so that we could hear a boxing match."

In 1953, Miss Jane returned to the farm for good. After eleven years with the American Red Cross, she began what was to be a thirty-year career with Central State Hospital, serving as the coordinator of volunteer services for most of these years. And she started purchasing back the land around her childhood home. "I never got over being homesick. Coming back home and building this farm was a dream."

Since her retirement from Central State Hospital, Miss Jane has fulfilled that dream. She now owns 220 acres and maintains a herd of 66 cows. At the age of 93, she mends fences, drives tractors, moves bales of hay, and cares for the cows and dog that also call this idyllic farm home. Her farming peers have recognized her work, as well. The local Cattleman’s Association presented her with the "Cattle Producer of the Year Award" in 1996. And in 2006, she was named the "Farm Woman of the Year."

Since moving back to the farm, she never lost touch with the cooperative that brought electricity to her home. "I’ve attended every Tri-County annual meeting since 1953," she commented. "I like to know what’s going on with my cooperative." Tri-County board member Marion Nelson had this to say, "Miss Jane is an amazing lady. And she recognizes the importance of participation in her cooperative."

Miss Jane should be proud of a lifetime of service and of dreams reached through hard work. But her proudest accomplishment is the establishment of the Jane M. Haddock Scholarship at Georgia College and State University, her alma mater. "I had to have help when I went to school, and I wanted to give that opportunity back," said Haddock. "In the 1940s, for most women, there were two professions; school teaching and secretarial work."

Who says you can never go home? For most of us, our dreams take us further and further away from home. And so many dreams remain just that, unrealized aspirations that fuel our imagination, but not our effort. For Miss Jane, the lessons and work ethic learned in challenging times were invaluable. Going home was her dream. Driving her John Deere tractor amid these picturesque acres and beloved cows, Miss Jane is living her dream every day.

High-Tech Energy Analysis 

Technology has made energy conservation easier. Investments in a new TWACS "smart" metering system and high-tech auditing equipment have given Tri-County’s Energy Services Department new tools in helping the cooperative’s members save energy.

The TWACS (Two-Way Automated Communication System) meters provide instant access to hourly usage history. "By analyzing when usage occurs, such as during working hours versus a weeknight when everyone is home, we can help members understand the impact lifestyle plays on energy usage and also find malfunctioning equipment," says Energy Services Representative Michelle Scott. "We’ve challenged our members to conserve. By giving them feedback on what usage decisions make the most impact, we can help them make wise choices."

Another bright star in the search for wasted energy is the infrared camera purchased by the cooperative this year. By seeing even subtle temperature difference in walls, ceilings, and floors, the camera can quickly "see" un-insulated wall spaces or ceilings hidden behind drywall or vaulted ceilings.

"The infrared camera gives us a non-invasive and non-destructive way of quickly inspecting a home. In existing homes, it’s the only way to find problems without literally cutting into walls," say Jonathan Stewart, energy services representative. "The camera can see a difference of a tenth of a degree on surfaces. A picture is definitely worth a thousand words when it allows customers to literally ‘see’ energy escaping."

Energy audits are a free service provided by Tri-County EMC for residential and commercial accounts. Contact an energy service representative to see if your home or business would benefit from an energy audit.

Tri-County's Energy Services Rep. Jonathan Stewart examines a home with an infrared camera during an energy audit.