|
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT |
WCEC Scarecrow Spooks the Competition Once Again
For the last two years the Governor Jim Hogg Park Botanical Garden’s and Arboretum has hosted a scarecrow contest to add a fun and festive fall flair to the gardens. The creativity and showmanship of the contestants is always amazing and the competition stiff. That’s why it’s pretty significant that Wood County Electric Cooperative (WCEC) Member Service Representatives, Patti Mayberry and Sharon Frazier managed to take first place two years in a row.
For 2010 they created a tribute to electric cooperative linemen, outfitting their burly scarecrow from head toe in appropriate safety gear. His face was creatively made from an old meter and he sported a big grin as he rolled wire. In a timely tribute, their 2011 creation paid tribute to all firemen everywhere, and was especially meant to honor Texas firemen who’ve had a challenging time battling fires fueled by the extreme and prolonged drought.
Sharon and Patti wanted to give a nod to the several WCEC employees that are also current volunteer firefighters, Will Leake and Wesley Price, and the past work of Tree Trimmer Jason Johnson. Of note, Patti’s fiancé Chris Rhoades, is also a fulltime fireman with the Texas Forest Service, and another employee’s husband, Bryan O’Neal, also volunteers. Bryan is the husband of WCEC Business Communications Specialist, Kylie O’Neal.
Of their effort, Sharon said, “We wanted to build a fireman to say thank you to all of the volunteers that risk their lives doing something so necessary for our communities. We have several volunteer firemen that work here and they are heroes every day in their own jobs. They are already devoted to their communities, and their volunteerism goes above and beyond.”
Patti added, “Firemen dedicate their lives and spend so much time away from their families, and they never think twice about it. When the call comes in, they just go, and they stay until the job is done. What they do is dangerous, and this year has been enormously challenging – both financially and physically. We just wanted to let them know how much they are appreciated each and every day.”
To add to the authentic nature of their fireman, the ladies outfitted him in real fireman’s gear on loan from South Franklin County VFD. As a nod to the season, his head was crafted from a decorative pumpkin with a nose and grinning mouth sewn out of cloth scraps. The ladies posed him with a “running” fire hose and also made a “fire” with laminated flames and burnt wood harvested form an actual fire that took place in WCEC’s service territory, Rhonesboro, TX. Incidentally, and with nothing to do with this story, Rhonesboro is called the Possum Capital of Texas.
Will Leake, Wood County Electric Cooperative employee and Meter Reader, says about his service as a volunteer firefighter, “I have always enjoyed it and I have been a fireman for 23 years. I like helping people out and doing my part as a volunteer. I’ve done everything from cats in trees to working auto accidents to large wild land fires to structure fires. The reward is the good feeling that you have helped someone in need.”
First prize was $100.00, and Sharon and Patti elected to donate it to several East Texas Fire Departments.
