Two Mississippi Power linemen connected to Forest community for more than 30 years

A couple of weeks ago, Mississippi Power Electric Serviceman Jack Windham had a chance encounter with one of his customers in town and learned that the man’s new chicken house would soon be ready for power.

So Windham went back to the office and began the process of arranging for power to be installed for the customer.

Lead Lineman Wayne Gordy recently was driving his Mississippi Power truck home from work when a woman waved him down and explained that a light was out in her yard. Even though he was off work, he stopped and repaired the light for the customer.

Monday is National Lineman Appreciation Day and the residents of Forest probably appreciate their linemen more than others because Gordy and Windham have each worked more than 30 years in the small community, nearly 65 years combined.

“They take ownership of their community,” said Newton Area Manager Tommy Jackson. “They are Mississippi Power when they see their friends and people in town, whether they are working or not. Those guys go above and beyond with not just any customer but with all of their customers by being attentive to what’s going on in the community. When they see them at church or in a restaurant or at the ballfield, they’re ready to help.”

Windham began working at Mississippi Power about six months before Gordy joined the company and they started work together reading meters.

That turned out to be a great way to begin because they not only learned the line system, they also learned about their customers in those countless face-to-face meetings.

“We’ve got a lot of long-term relationships,” Windham said. “People think I finished high school with everybody in town. In small towns, they like that contact with somebody they know. They still like to know the guy they are talking to. People don’t call the power company. They call you.”

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It’s not unusual for customers to call Gordy and Windham directly when they need help.

“They don’t call the 1-800 customer service number up here,” Jackson said. “They call 1-800-Jack. Or they’ll just call Wayne. I think just about everybody in town has their cell phone numbers.”

When it was time to settle down, Gordy and his wife bought property and built a house in Forest.

“There’s a running joke some of the customers have with me,” he said. “They tell me that since we built a house here their lights don’t go out as much. When you live in the same place you work, you get to know everybody and everybody gets to know you. When you get that odd address, you generally know right where it is.”

Gordy marks his 32-year anniversary with Mississippi Power on May 1.

“I’m greatly blessed to be alive and have all of my fingers and toes,” Gordy said. “You have to have respect for the electricity and also for your surroundings. The day I’m not afraid of it I’ll quit.”

One night about a month ago, a storm knocked out power to one of Gordy’s long-time customers for about four hours as work went on in the rain to restore power.

“They didn’t fuss or complain but they showed up the next day with a card for a meal at The Garden Patch, a nice little restaurant here in town,” Gordy said. “We get a lot of thank-yous. We get a lot of appreciation when we go off on storm duty, like pies and cakes.

“It makes you feel good, but you’re just doing your job.”