90 Years of the REA
May 11 – a day that is just a day to many, but to most electric cooperative employees it is considered a national holiday. Each year on May 11, we celebrate the creation of the Rural Electrification Administration (REA). This year, May 11 is extra special. Not only are we celebrating the mother figures in our lives, but it is also the 90th anniversary of the Rural Electrification Act being signed into legislation.
The creation of the REA is a story we in the electric cooperative industry love to hear and get excited to tell. Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted to help Americans during a time of extreme hardship and the REA was just one way to aid rural America and farmers. While his intention was to make a difference, I am sure he is shocked at the lasting impact the program has made over the past 90 years.
Bringing power to the countryside is more than installing a lightbulb in the family’s farmhouse or electrifying the milking parlor. Farmers and ranchers created community spirit, rallying around the access to low-interest federal grants to better their way of life. It was the can-do intentionality lighting the fire in the men who set the poles and strung the wire that lit up the countryside.
Without the REA, who knows where rural America would be today. Progress is never without pain, as we know there have been ups and downs over the past 90 years. Diamonds form under pressure, and electric co-ops are the one of the biggest and brightest jewels in Lady Liberty’s crown.
As a 3rd generation electric cooperative employee, REA Day is special in my heart. FDR sparked a rural revolution that has made a lasting impact on my family, like he did for many families. I grew up drinking the Co-op Kool-Aid and I will certainly serve it to my daughters every chance I get. They will know why their daddy goes out on storms, why he may miss a milestone or 2, the 7 co-op principles by heart, and the love of having a large support system because the co-op family will always be there for them.
I hope you join me this Sunday in not only celebrating your mother figures, but commemorating REA Day and 90 years of making a difference in our communities.
