Growing up in the tiny town of McKenzie, Ala., Darrell Rudolph was always intrigued by the utility workers who would climb power poles and make repairs.
He was a boy who liked to climb trees and thought that looked interesting.
“It’s amazing how when you see something you like and God has that in His plan for you,” Rudolph said. “Coming from a town with a population of about 600, I never dreamed I’d be doing what I’m doing.”
He followed three brothers from McKenzie to the Gulf Coast after they landed jobs at Ingalls Shipbuilding.
“I got lucky and didn’t go that way,” Rudolph said.
Rudolph has worked with Mississippi Power for 33 years, 20 of those as an electric serviceman in Pascagoula as climbing poles was replaced by bucket trucks.
“I’m a troubleshooter,” Rudolph said. “When there’s a problem, we’re the first responders. We go out and find the trouble. We fix it if we can or we call in some help. I enjoy being able to help people when their lights are out.”
Rudolph not only serves his customers, but also his country and his community.
He was in the Mississippi Army National Guard for 24 years and spent 2003-04 in Iraq, working with a combat construction unit just outside of Baghdad. He worked in vehicle maintenance.
In Gautier, he was a longtime youth baseball coach and still provides some individual training when friends and neighbors ask him to work with their children.
Rudolph is a deacon at St. John’s Baptist Church, where he also teaches Sunday School and conducts Bible studies.
He and his wife Beverly have four children (Kenyatta, Carrio, Darrell Jr., and Kaitlyn) and seven grandchildren (Kiera, Alaza, Zoey, Hope, Donovan, Carrio, and Conner.)