Wiring the American Dream
On Lineworker Appreciation Day, April 8, we celebrate the 20 Texas electric cooperative lineworkers who brought electricity to Matasanos, a rural village in Guatemala. They spent two weeks there in November as part of NRECA International, a program that for more than 60 years has delivered electricity to remote places that had none—exactly what co-ops did in rural Texas 85 years ago.
Ten South Texas co-ops sent two crew members each, plus support staff. When they finished, 60 homes had each been wired with four lights, two switches and two outlets. Villagers helped the lineworkers move equipment up the mountain.
“I believe we take the American dream on the road and transplant it to other countries,” says Jim Coleman, general manager at Jackson Electric Cooperative in Edna, who has participated in several international projects. He was joined in Guatemala by GMs from four other Texas co-ops.
No Fooling
Some historians say April Fools’ Day customs have been around since the 16th century, when France’s King Charles IX decreed the new year would begin January 1 —not on Easter. Those who clung to the old ways were called April fools.
