Hager captures first place in writing contest

Caney Fork Electric Cooperative recently announced the winner of its 2006 Washington Youth Tour. Jonathan Hager, from Boyd Christian School, took first place in the writing contest.

The annual contest has been open to all 11th grade students from Warren, White, Van Buren and DeKalb counties since 1964.

The first-place winners from each county will receive a week-long, all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. funded by Caney Fork Electric. Second-place finishers receive $100, third-place finishers receive $75, and fourth-place finishers receive $50.

Other winners from Warren County included Ben Biles, second place; Laura Mullican, third place; and Courtney Hard, fourth place.

The trip will take place June 9. The students are bussed up to Washington but then they fly back which is something some of the children haven?t experienced, according to Caney Fork general manager Hubert King.

?Some are scared to fly, so it?s a real experience for them,? King said.

Out of the first-place winners, one will be picked to be sent to state competition. Three entries at the state level will be awarded scholarship prizes.

The contest stems from Middle Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association out of Nashville with cooperatives voluntary participation.

At the beginning of the year, Caney Fork employees Vicki Messick or Terrie Mullican tour the schools to make the 11th-graders aware of the contest. At that time, a theme is assigned for the writing contest. This year?s theme is ?Electric Cooperative: Going Beyond the Wires.?

Hagar?s story was about Thelma Green, 93. Back in 1923, Green was 11 and remembered moving into McMinnville with her family. That year, her family got electricity for the first time. She remembered the friendliness of the men who installed the electricity and the ?smiles on their faces? and she ?knew from then on that her life would change forever.?

Once they had electricity, Green experienced a lot of firsts with her family ? especially with electrical appliances. She remembers at lot of McMinnville firsts including the town?s first car and first TV.

Today, Thelma Green is now a Grissom and remembers fondly ?that Caney Fork was always there to help her figure out the new technology and how it worked.?

The essay ended by saying, ?Thelma Grissom will be celebrating her 94th birthday this year and if I ever had a great-grandmother I would not love her anymore than I do this lady. She has always told me stories of how the Caney Fork Cooperative helped improve her life. They were there when the electricity would go out and would always make sure it came back on as soon as possible. They were there in ice storms, floods, and thunderstorms to make sure she always had electricity. This exquisite lady has taught me many wonderful things in life, but one thing for sure is that Caney Fork Cooperative always put the customers first and always went, ?beyond the wires.??