WCEC 82ND ANNUAL Meeting of Members DRIVE

THRUMeeting Due to COVID-19 Precautions See Inside for Details

$20 BILL CREDIT, ATTENDANCE GIFT, AND PRIZE DRAWING ENTRY FOR EACH MEMBER WHO VOTES. Wednesday, June 17, 2020 4:30 - 7:00 p.m. El Campo Civic Center

WCEC Annual Meeting TCP Dust Cover 2020.indd 1 5/7/2020 11:50:43 AM OFFICIAL NOTICE OF WHARTON COUNTY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE 82ND ANNUAL MEETING OF MEMBERS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020 EL CAMPO CIVIC CENTER 4:30 P.M. - 7:00 P.M. THIS MEETING WILL BE CONDUCTED AS A DRIVE THRU MEETING DUE TO COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS.

This meeting is for the members of Wharton County Electric Cooperative.

MUST BE PRESENT IN VEHICLE TO VOTE! SEE BACK COVER FOR DRIVE THRU MAP. DRIVE THRU PROCEDURE OUTLINED ON INSIDE BACK COVER AND INSIDE THIS MAGAZINE.

$20 BILL CREDIT FOR EACH MEMBER WHO VOTES! REGISTER TO WIN MORE THAN $1,500 IN PRIZES! Grand Prize: $300 Electricity Credit Fabulous Attendance Gift

WCEC Annual Meeting TCP Dust Cover 2020.indd 3 5/7/2020 11:50:44 AM YOUR ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE NEWS JUNE 2020 Horny Toad Heroes Cook With Wine Houston’s Orange Show

TEX MECCA

San Antonio is the epicenter for Texas’ comfort food

Since 1944 June 2020

FAVORITES 5 Letters 6 Currents 18 Co-op News Get the latest information plus energy and safety tips from your cooperative. 29 Texas History An Alternate Reality By Melissa Gaskill 31 Recipes Texas Wine Harvest 34 Focus on Texas Photo Contest: State Parks 38 Hit the Road Orange Inspiration By Chet Garner Around Texas Event listings are suspended due to COVID-19 cancellations. Tex-Mex dishes in the service window at Blue Moon Mexican Restaurant. ONLINE TexasCoopPower.com FEATURES Find these stories online if they don’t appear in your edition of the magazine. The Lizard Brigade Experts in Texas work to revive Texas USA 8 populations of the beloved and threatened horny toad. The Legend of Old Rip Story by Sheryl Smith-Rodgers | Illustration by Traci Daberko By Gene Fowler Observations We Brake for Queso A cheese-topped tour of Tex-Mex The Cedar Choppers 10 in San Antonio, ground zero for the beloved cuisine. By Ken Roberts Story by Paula Disbrowe | Photos by Jody Horton

NEXT MONTH Palo Duro Love Letters Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings captured the Panhandle; her wistful writings brought it to life. 31 38

29 34 TEX-MEX: JODY HORTON. BRUSHES: SANJA | STOCK.ADOBE.COM

ON THE COVER Lunch at Blue Moon Mexican Restaurant: crispy pork cutlets and tender short ribs. Photo by Jody Horton

TEXAS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Alan Lesley, Chair, Comanche; Robert Loth III, Vice Chair, Fredericksburg; Gary Raybon, Secretary-Treasurer, El Campo; Mark Boyd, Douglassville; Greg Henley, Tahoka; Billy Jones, Corsicana; David McGinnis, Van Alstyne • PRESIDENT/CEO: Mike Williams, Austin • COMMUNICATIONS & MEMBER SERVICES COMMITTEE: Marty Haught, Burleson; Bill Hetherington, Bandera; Ron Hughes, Sinton; Boyd McCamish, Littlefield; Mark McClain, Roby; John Ed Shinpaugh, Bonham; Robert Walker, Gilmer; Brandon Young, McGregor • MAGAZINE STAFF: Martin Bevins, Vice President, Communications & Member Services; Charles J. Lohrmann, Editor; Tom Widlowski, Associate Editor; Karen Nejtek, Production Manager; Andy Doughty, Creative Manager; Elaine Sproull, Advertising Manager; Chris Burrows, Senior Communications Specialist; Grace Fultz, Print Production Specialist; Travis Hill, Communications Specialist; Megan Myers, Food Editor; Jessica Ridge, Communications Specialist; Chris Salazar, Digital Field Editor; Jane Sharpe, Senior Designer; Shannon Oelrich, Proofreader

TexasCoopPower.com June 2020 Texas Co-op Power 3 NEW RECHARGEABLE Digital Hearing Aid

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Love and Recoiling I know this article [A Snake To Rattler Respect Love, April 2020] is full of truth When I laid eyes on the April cover, and facts, but I’m not reading it. I don’t care what kind it is or Mike Leggett immediately came to mind how beneficial—my (somewhat) [A Snake To Love, April 2020]. I enjoyed reasonable mind just hates them. LISA FLOWERREE BIGON | VIA FACEBOOK his column so much in the Austin American-Statesman. Back in the day, I hate snakes, but if they’re mov- ing away from me, I let them go. I learned from him to appreciate JANE TALCOTT | VIA FACEBOOK rattlers, along with other snakes, and

Last summer, one was in my have always let them be because he kitchen a foot from where I was made clear their importance in my own standing while I investigated the weird noise that sounded like slice of the Hill Country ecosystem. water running or static. I finally glanced under the counter, MELODIE GREIDER | DRIPPING SPRINGS | PEDERNALES EC screamed and ran. My husband put him in a trash can and released him far away. SUZANNE ROTH FULTON | VIA FACEBOOK Now, I make amends for the sins bite you and envenomate you lot. We had enough to share with I’ve learned to respect and give of my youth by teaching my in less than a heartbeat. No our next-door neighbors. them their space. A rattler will children (5 and 9) these lessons, chewing required. I appreciate these easy recipes warn you before it strikes out of without any animals being BILL CLARK | GEORGETOWN during the COVID-19 threat. We self-defense. A human snake will harmed. BARTLETT EC had everything we needed to strike without warning out of You also might be pleased to make a delicious meal during

pure malice. know that your article has turned Recipes to the Rescue these tough times. JON RUNNELLS | VIA FACEBOOK AL MAGNESS | AUSTIN into a science lesson for my The Zucchini Taco Boats With children while they home-school Chicken was an excellent recipe PEDERNALES EC

They will bite horses, cows, dogs, during the shelter-in-place policy [Farmers Market, April 2020]. It

you name it. They are kind of of March and April. was easy to make and made a

like reptile land mines. LORNE DAVISON | CEDAR PARK SAM YEATES | VIA FACEBOOK PEDERNALES EC GET MORE TCP AT TexasCoopPower.com The rattler is one of Mother Mike Leggett repeats a danger- Sign up for our e-newsletter for Nature’s mistakes. A rattler can ous myth that I have heard all monthly updates, prize drawings kill creatures, including humans, my life and have been guilty of and more! that it cannot eat. spreading myself. DONALD DIETZ | BOERNE I am a physician and have We want to hear from you! BANDERA EC been involved in the treatment ONLINE: TexasCoopPower.com/share of coral snake bites. The stories EMAIL: [email protected]

Growing up in Louisiana, in my told me by the victims caused MAIL: Editor, Texas Co-op Power, youth I dispatched poisonous me to research the capabilities 1122 Colorado St., 24th Floor, Austin, TX 78701 snakes, usually water moccasins. of these small reptiles beyond Please include your town and electric co-op. As I aged, I began to see my what is “common knowledge.” Letters may be edited for clarity and length. actions as those of a person These beautiful little guys, while

ignorant of the ecosystem. shy and nonaggressive, can D F Texas Co-op Power E

TEXAS CO-OP POWER VOLUME 76, NUMBER 12 (USPS 540-560). Texas Co-op Power is published monthly by Texas Electric Cooperatives (TEC). Periodical postage paid at Austin, TX, and at additional offices. TEC is the statewide association representing 75 electric cooperatives. Texas Co-op Power’s website is TexasCoopPower.com. Call (512) 454-0311 or email [email protected]. SUBSCRIPTION PRICE is $4.20 per year for individual members of subscribing cooperatives and is paid from equity accruing to the member. If you are not a member of a subscribing cooperative, you can purchase an annual subscription at the nonmember rate of $7.50. Individual copies and back issues are available for $3 each. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Texas Co-op Power (USPS 540-560), 1122 Colorado St., 24th Floor, Austin, TX 78701. Please enclose label from this copy of Texas Co-op Power showing old address and key numbers. ADVERTISING: Advertisers interested in buying display ad space in Texas Co-op Power and/or in our 30 sister publications in other states, contact Elaine Sproull at (512) 486-6251. Advertisements in Texas Co-op Power are paid solicitations. The publisher neither endorses nor guarantees in any manner any product or company included in this publication. Product sat- isfaction and delivery responsibility lie solely with the advertiser. © Copyright 2020 Texas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. Reproduction of this issue or any portion of it is expressly prohib-

SNAKE: DAVID DANZ. ZUCCHINI: IRINAited | STOCK.ADOBE.COM without written permission. Willie Wiredhand © Copyright 2020 National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

TexasCoopPower.com June 2020 Texas Co-op Power 5 CURRENTS

NATURE The Crape Crusader

Our February feature Crape Mur- der caught the eye of Neil Sperry, perhaps Texas’ foremost expert on gardening and horticulture, who says there is hope for severely pruned crape myrtles.

“I thought you might enjoy see- ing how a formerly topped crape myrtle can be restored,” wrote Sperry, a member of Grayson- Collin Electric Cooperative and resident of McKinney. “Cut it flush with the ground in the winter. Let the many new sprouts regrow the first season. Thin them to 10–12 [sprouts] the second spring. Leave the 3–5 best ones to become the new trunks going into the third year.”

Sperry, a board member of the T H E A R TS Crape Myrtle Trails of McKinney, included this photo of Beverly Cain’s tree in Lubbock in its third Heads of State summer, below.

David Adickes, who created the 67-foot-tall Sam Houston statue in Huntsville, is donating 44 presidential busts that he sculpted, each 18–20 feet tall and weighing 11,000–20,000 pounds, to the H.E.A.R.T.S. VETERANS MUSEUM OF TEXAS. The museum, in HUNTSVILLE, is in the midst of a fundraising campaign to install a park and display the busts. This is the third set of presidential busts Adickes has created. The other two were in parks in South Dakota and Virginia, though the parks have since gone, well, bust. They are made of foam, layers of concrete and reinforced steel. Adickes, 93, has said Abraham Lincoln is his favorite and the easiest to create because his features are so distinct. Gerald R. Ford’s facial features lacked sharp details, making him the hardest to depict.

INFO a (936) 295-5959, heartsmuseum.com

6 Texas Co-op Power June 2020 TexasCoopPower.com TCP CONTEST a FOCUS ON TEXAS PHOTOS: SELFIES We know your phone is full of them. Share with our readers. Enter your photo online.

FINISH THIS SENTENCE ACADEMICS More Critter Care To me, being a Texan The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in December means . . . paved the way for Texas Tech University to open the state’s second veterinary school. The campus, in Amarillo, will open in 2021.

; Did you know? Texas A&M University opened the state’s first vet school in 1916.

a Tell us how you would finish that sentence. Email your short responses to [email protected] or com- ment on our Facebook post. Include your city and co-op.

Below are some of the responses to our April prompt: I never should have told my parents ...

I know what I’m doing. VICTORIA LANGLEY | BRAZORIA | JACKSON EC

You can send me to college, but you can’t make me think. VAL LOFTIN | CISCO | CECA

That I could fix the toilet, so there was no need to hire a plumber. ANGELA BRUCE | HUNTSVILLE | MIDSOUTH EC

About my job as a radio tower climber in Nacogdoches. ANTHONY PIWETZ | VICTORIA | NUECES EC

That a dachshund puppy “just followed me home.” That was a lie! BY THE NUMBERS PATRICIA HEFTI | BRYAN | BRYAN TEXAS UTILITIES To see more responses, read Currents June 3 is on our website. NATIONAL EGG DAY. Texas chickens produced more than HISTORY LESSON Mother of All Parks 6 billion eggs in 2018.* Mother Neff State Park, one of Texas’ first state parks, opened in 1937 near Temple. Check out the photos readers sent us from *6,108,500,000 to be eggsact.

BUST: SCOTT OLSON | GETTY IMAGES.state CRAPE MYRTLE: COURTESY NEIL SPERRY. HAT: OLIVIERparks LE QUEINEC | SHUTTERSTOCK.COM. ANIMALS: ERIC ISSELEEin | SHUTTERSTOCK.COM. Focus EGGS: SARYRENKO3 | DREAMSTIME.COM on Texas, Page 34.

TexasCoopPower.com June 2020 Texas Co-op Power 7 BY SHERYL SMITH-RODGERS ILLUSTRATION BY TRACI DABERKO

EXPERTS AROUND THE STATE ARE TRYING TO REVIVE POPULATIONS OF THE BELOVED AND THREATENED HORNY TOAD

THE LIZARDBRIGADE

wildlife biologist then, the fierce-looking mini dinosaurs ranged across the state. INCH BY INCH, Jim Gallagher eye- Countless youngsters caught them near their homes. Few people balled the grassy turf around his boots. So far, several days of realized the lizards ate the red harvester ants that bulldozed bald scouring the same plot at Mason Mountain Wildlife Management spots in yards and landscapes. Area had turned up nothing. Still, he kept up his search. Alert to Enter pesticides, urbanization and fire ants, to name a few any movement, Gallagher scanned dry patches of dirt, clumps of culprits. Horned lizards began to disappear. Today, they’re mostly buffalo grass and trailing morning-glory vines. gone east of a line that can be drawn from Fort Worth to Corpus Then a spiny critter no bigger than a quarter scuttled across the Christi. “I believe loss of habitat is the biggest reason for their clay loam. “Oh, my God,” he exclaimed. “There’s a horned lizard!” decline,” says Leslie Nossaman, president of the Horned Lizard The tiny reptile was the first of several that Gallagher would Conservation Society. “Plus, people still kill harvester ants, which count in April 2019. For the first time, Texas horned lizards— provide a lot of food for horned lizards.” captive-bred at the Fort Worth Zoo in 2018 and released as hatch- Since 1991, the conservation society has spread awareness of lings into the wild—had successfully hibernated through winter 17 North American species of horned lizards, found from south- and survived into spring. Researchers celebrated the news. ern Mexico into southern Canada. Most are protected. Texas “We were jazzed,” says Diane Barber, the zoo’s curator of claims three species. Best known is the Texas horned lizard, des- ectotherms (coldblooded animals). “That meant more of the 132 ignated as the state reptile in 1993. Two other species live in far that we released probably survived, too.” Since 2000, she and west regions: the greater short-horned and the roundtail horned. her team, in collaboration with the Texas Parks and Wildlife “We have permitted handlers who rehabilitate injured lizards Department, Texas Christian University and other Texas zoos, and relocate ones that get picked up,” Nossaman says. “People have pioneered care and breeding techniques for wild-caught should never pick up horned lizards in the wild. They do not horned lizards. Together, the coalition is working to reverse the make good pets and will not survive if taken out of their envi- dwindling numbers of the threatened species, which are also ronment. But if they’ve accidentally picked one up, we’ll help called horned frogs and horned toads. them relocate it to the right habitat.” More than 40 years ago, “horny toads” thrived in Texas. Back The conservation society also funds horned lizard research

8 Texas Co-op Power June 2020 TexasCoopPower.com and conservation projects. For example, one of six grants awarded termites, and few or no fire ants. So far, two locations in Blanco in 2019 underwrote a pilot project that’s training dogs to sniff County are being managed for horned lizard releases. out horned lizards in the field. “We plan to use these detection In 2019, San Miguel Electric Cooperative donated $10,000 dogs to determine if a site already has an existing population of toward Gluesenkamp’s research. “Since the 1980s, we have sur- horned lizards,” says Andy Gluesenkamp, director of conservation veyed for horned lizards in areas we plan to mine,” says Dave and research at the San Antonio Zoo. “They’ll also help us find Burris, fuels manager with the San Miguel Lignite Mine in Atas- wild lizards for our breeding program and search for released cosa and McMullen counties. “We perform relocations for poten- lizards so we can monitor their success.” tially affected species and also make our sites available to horned Conservation efforts at the zoo have focused on southern pop- lizard researchers at Texas Christian University.” ulations of horned lizards, while similar projects at the Fort So do folks who live in Kenedy, the horned lizard capital of Worth and Dallas zoos work with northern populations. The pop- Texas. Oodles of the reptiles once lived in town. Though their ulations differ genetically, according to biology professor Dean numbers have shrunk, local love for them hasn’t. “Every summer, Williams, who’s mapped out lizard genetics across the state and we host scientists from TCU who do DNA studies on horned leads TCU’s Horny Toad Project. toads here in Karnes County,” says Wade Phelps, a dentist who oversees the Horned Toad Club of Kenedy. “We’re also carving Gluesenkamp aims to out a horned toad habitat demonstration site in our new Escon- MEANWHILE, produce hundreds of dido Creek Parkway project.” hatchlings in the zoo’s “lizard factory,” a climate-controlled The future looks brighter for the Texas horned lizard. “They’re laboratory for breeding and rearing baby horned lizards. Females a keystone species,” notes Nathan Rains, a wildlife diversity biol- typically lay clutches of 12–30 eggs once a year. “Our plan is to ogist with the TPWD. “The habitat they prefer benefits quail, release 100 young lizards per site per year for three years,” he turkey and songbirds, too. Since we all love horned lizards, it’s a says. “Then we’ll follow up with 25 hatchlings every other year.” win-win for everyone.” Sites must be 200–250 acres in size and encompass high-quality Sheryl Smith-Rodgers of Blanco spent many hours as a child playing with lizard habitat of native grasses, shrubs, harvester ants or desert horned lizards found around her Corpus Christi home.

TexasCoopPower.com June 2020 Texas Co-op Power 9 WE BRAKE FOR Queso

Story by Paula Disbrowe | Photos by Jody Horton

A belt-busting, cheese-topped tour of the best Tex-Mex dishes in San Antonio, ground zero for the beloved cuisine

Spend any time away from the Lone Star State, and chances are you’ll begin to crave bubbling cheese-and-onion enchiladas, potent margaritas and spicy salsas. We’re talking Tex-Mex, of course, the regional cuisine that was born in Texas and has become our most beloved comfort food. Although the cuisine’s popularity has spread well beyond our borders, we love what we get at home.

10 Texas Co-op Power June 2020 TexasCoopPower.com San Antonio is the epicenter of Tex-Mex culture and cuisine. The hearty, homey recipes there were created in restaurants run by first- and sec- ond-generation Mexican immigrants during the first third of the 20th century. “Tex-Mex is a glorious yet overlooked cuisine,” says Edmund Tijerina, contributor for San Antonio Magazine and former food editor for the San Antonio Express-News. “A lot of people look down on it because it’s not ‘authentic’ Mexican. Here’s the thing: It’s not Mexican. It’s Mexican American, and it reflects the history, geography and cultures of South Texas, San Antonio specifically.” The cuisine’s influences are broad, Tijerina tells me, and range from the indigenous use of corn and beans and techniques of pit cooking to the processed foods of the 20th century. “There’s the home cooking of South Texas and northern Mexico,” he says, “simple dishes that many Mexican Americans like me grew up on, and there’s the Mexican-inspired restaurant cooking created by Anglo business owners a century ago of greasy enchiladas and queso dip.” Until the early 1970s, the cuisine was generally El Milagrito Cafe referred to as “Mexican.” Then the term Tex-Mex HUEVOS RANCHEROS emerged, stuck and gained national attention, bolster- $ ing the dishes with regional pride and a sense of place. Years ago With the enviable charge of tracking down the best , I asked my friend Elizabeth Fauerso, a San Antonio native, incarnations of eight iconic dishes in one day, pho- where locals go for the best huevos rancheros. She sent me to El Milagrito tographer Jody Horton and I left Austin before dawn Cafe, and it’s been a favorite ever since. Since 1969, the casual, diner-style and headed toward breakfast in the Alamo City. restaurant has been griddling homemade tortillas and serving breakfast and lunch plates to a loyal clientele. El Milagrito is best known for hefty breakfast g An enchilada combination plate at Jacala. plates like huevos rancheros (two eggs cooked to order, served on crispy corn tortillas and bathed in bright red sauce) served with additional tortillas (for scooping up everything else on the plate), smoky refried beans and the arguable star, papas con chorizo—potatoes fried with crumbled chorizo.

o Huevos rancheros at El Milagrito Cafe.

Teka Molino CRISPY TACOS $ Established in 1937, Teka Molino is one of San Antonio’s oldest restau- rants. The friendly counter service and tidy, welcoming space make it easy to see why friends gather in groups and solo diners settle in with laptops. Foodie friends urged us to have crispy tacos because the real star here is the masa. The restaurant has milled its own corn since it opened, so naturally it’s known for corn-centric specialties like guacamole and bean cups. The “cups” are corn tortillas shaped into a single-serving cup, fried until crisp and then filled eponymously. The crackly, flavorful shells are packed with moist, shredded chicken (or ground beef), crunchy lettuce, chopped fresh tomatoes and yellow cheese and served with stellar homemade green and red salsas.

g Crispy beef tacos at Teka Molino.

TexasCoopPower.com June 2020 Texas Co-op Power 11 Garcia’s Mexican Food CARNE GUISADA $

Co-owned by brothers John and Andrew Garcia, Garcia’s Mexican Food is a family affair and has been a San Antonio mainstay since it opened in 1962. We arrived midmorning to find the small space dense with cowboy hats at the counter, babies in car seats and friendly banter between staff and regulars. And, of course, waft- ing aromas of sizzling meat. Top sellers on Garcia’s comfort-driven menu include carne guisada. Loosely defined as a beef stew, guisada is typically made with meat that’s simmered in a broth thickened with roux and fla- vored with chiles, spices and aromatics. Andrew’s son, Joseph, served us plates of the warm, tender meat in a peppery gravy. Between bites scooped up with freshly made flour tortillas, John tells me his secret is keeping it simple—simmering the meat with their signature blend of spices for an hour and a half until it is as tender as a Sunday pot roast. d Joseph Garcia serves carne guisada, a favorite at Garcia’s Mexican Food.

Jacala ENCHILADAS $ Rudolph Quiñones was a young GI when he and wife Adel opened Jacala in 1949. Its current location is a former grocery store that has been adorned with additional dining rooms, a patio and an outdoor courtyard. The restaurant is run by the couple’s three daughters, Cynthia Klauss, Lucille Hooker and Yolanda Showalter. Jacala is as much about fam- ily memories as their award-winning enchiladas and com- bination plates. “Four generations of our family have been regulars at Jacala, starting with my parents in the 1950s and continuing through today,” says Therese McDevitt, a San Antonio native who worked much of her career in New York before return- ing home. For McDevitt, no visit to San Antonio was complete with- out at least one dinner at Jacala featuring the No. 7 Ladies Special (cheese enchiladas with chili gravy and puffy tacos).

o The interior at Jacala; inset, co-owner Lucille Hooker.

12 Texas Co-op Power June 2020 TexasCoopPower.com Blue Moon Mexican Restaurant FIDEO (Y PLATOS DEL DÍA)

Ray’s Drive Inn $ PUFFY TACOS We ran through the rain to meet $ chef Johnny Hernandez at Blue Moon Mexican Restaurant, one of Puffy tacos—discs his favorite neighborhood haunts. of masa that puff and Housed in a cheery yellow house on balloon into delicate South Flores Street, the restaurant shells when fried— is known for its fideo, a South Texas were born in San Anto- dish of spiced vermicelli noodles nio, though their exact and beef that’s served here on origin is the stuff of Wednesdays. We followed Hernan- local legend. The late dez’s lead and ordered the platos Arturo Lopez claimed del día—the daily specials, crispy to have invented the pork cutlets with beans and rice, deep-fried tacos at cheese enchiladas with chili gravy Ray’s Drive Inn. His and meltingly tender short ribs brother, Henry Lopez, braised in guajillo chile sauce. claimed that he was “Blue Moon café takes me back the first, at Henry’s to my childhood days on the west Puffy Tacos. side of San Antonio,” Hernandez I’m partial to Ray’s because of the vintage Western setting. WEB EXTRAS tells us. “The aroma of freshly rolled With its neon signage and stone- and wood-paneled walls, the a Friends in flour tortillas is heaven, and they restaurant looks much like it did when it was founded in 1956. To Co-op Country happen to make my favorite menudo taste a textbook example of the perfect puffy, order a basket of recommend Tex- with pig’s feet.” beef or chicken, but try an avocado, too. Topped with fresh, creamy Mex favorites. slices that balance the crunchy shell, the tacos, yellow Spanish o Crispy pork cutlets, a daily special rice, creamy pintos and pickled jalapeño create a bucket list meal. at Blue Moon Mexican Restaurant. o Puffy tacos at Ray’s Drive Inn.

TexasCoopPower.com June 2020 Texas Co-op Power 13 Lala’s Gorditas GORDITAS $

Less common than tostadas or tacos, gorditas are deep-fried pockets of cornmeal dough filled with savory ground beef or chicken and lettuce, tomato, and cheese. Steven Pizzini, owner of Lala’s Gorditas, has Tex-Mex in his DNA. His restaurant’s namesake was his maternal grandmother and culinary muse. In 1938, Ernestine Pizzini Chapa, Steven’s paternal aunt, founded the orig- inal Teka Molino and relied on her mother’s recipes. After a successful run there, Steven’s father, Herman Pizzini, and his Uncle Eddie opened the beloved Taco Hut in 1958, which served generations of San Antonians until it closed in 1998. The object that drew Steven back into the food business is the heart of Lala’s operation—the original corn mill created by his Uncle Eddie in the 1930s. These days, that mill gets a daily workout grinding nixtamalized corn (dry corn that’s soaked in a mixture of water and lime) to create the fragrant masa used to make gordita shells. Pizzini’s gorditas are packed with tradi- tional fillings—beef or stewed chicken, lettuce, tomato, crema and a garnish of curtido (Salvadoran slaw). d A gordita with cabbage slaw at Lala’s Gorditas.

La Fogata CHILE CON QUESO $ Chile con queso was our last stop and the holy grail of our tour. With its pretty courtyard, massive wooden doors and festive atmosphere, La Fogata provides an instant holiday, no passport required. The restaurant serves authentic queso flameado, a dish from northern Mexico made with molten white cheese and roasted poblanos—as well as the classic Tex-Mex version made with tomatoes, green chiles and a Velveeta-like loaf of pasteurized cheese that melts into a silky smooth consistency. One could argue the basic elements of queso are more or less the same in every restaurant, so memorable bowls are the result of the company, the setting and the flourish of a topping or two. What sets La Fogata’s apart is a dollop of its smoky, fire-roasted salsa; a basket of warm, freshly fried chips; and its potent, made-to-order margaritas—each garnished with an orchid.

o Chile con queso at La Fogata.

Paula Disbrowe is the author of seven cookbooks, includ- ing her latest, Thank You for Smoking. She spent four years as a cowgirl chef on a ranch in the Texas Hill Country. She never met a flauta she didn't like.

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The 2019 Wharton County Electric Cooperative Board of Directors and sta are: (front, l-r) Heath Radley, Attorney; John Roach; Gary Raybon, General Manager/CEO; Jim W. Harton; Frankie Peter; (back, l-r) Paul L. Phillips, Jr., Assistant Secretary/Treasurer; Peggy Glaze,Vice President; Leroy Kaspar, President; Rick Gra; A.J. Kresta, Secretary/Treasurer. Not Pictured: Gus Wessels Jr. 82nd Annual Meeting of Members Special Drive Thru Meeting Due to COVID-19 Pandemic Precautions DETAILS ON PAGE 2 OF THIS REPORT WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020 • 4:30 - 7:00 P.M. EL CAMPO CIVIC CENTER

2020 BOARD OF DIRECTOR NOMINEES DETAILS ON PAGE 3 OF THIS REPORT

PATRICK KUBALA KARL H. HAUPT ANNETT K. SIMMONS RICK MARIK SAMUEL CRAIG HARDIN FRITZ CORNELIUS JIM W. HARTON (DISTRICT 2) (DISTRICT 2) (DISTRICT 5) (DISTRICT 5) (DISTRICT 5) (DISTRICT 8) INCUMBENT (DISTRICT 8)

WCEC Annual Meeting TCP Insert 2020.indd 1 5/7/2020 11:52:11 AM WCEC ANNUAL MEETING OF MEMBERS DRIVE THRU PROCEDURE

MUST BE PRESENT IN VEHICLE TO VOTE! Each member who votes will receive a $20 bill credit, an attendance gift, and entry into the drawing for WCEC’s fabulous door prizes!

Drive thru lane will open at 4:30 p.m. Voting will end at 7:00 p.m. SHARP. No access to the parking lot allowed after 7:00 p.m.

• Enter Civic Center Parking Lot and pick up Annual Report. (See Map on Back Cover) • Registration will be under the Portico. You will receive a Director Election Ballot and an Approval Ballot for each membership. (See Samples Below) You will also receive a $20 bill credit and be entered into the prize drawing which will be held at a later date. Winners will be contacted by phone. • Pick up your attendance gift. • Drop off your completed ballots with the Balloting Committee and exit Civic Center Parking Lot.

WHARTON COUNTY ELECTRIC JUNE 17, 2020 COOPERATIVE, INC.

DISTRICT #2 DISTRICT #5 DISTRICT ##8

Taiton, New Taiton and North Pierce, Friendly CornersCorners,, EEastast Danevang, East Midfield, Jones Creek CrescentCrescent,, Lakeview and GGlenlen Flora El Dorado and Clemville

 Patrick Kubala  Annett K. SimSimmmons  Fritz Cornelius

 Karl H. Haupt  Rick Marik  Jim W. Harton (incumbent)

______ Samuel Craig Hardin ______Write-in WriteWrite--in ______Write-Write in

WHARTON COUNTY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE 2020 ANNUAL MEETING

APPROVAL BALLOT SAMPLE

The following items were mailed to you as part of the June 2020 Texas Coop Power magazine.

Please check YES or NO for each item.

I approve the Minutes of the I approve the I approve the

2019 WCEC Annual Meeting. WCEC Financial Report. President's & Manager's Reports

YES YES YES

NO NO NO Reason: Reason: Reason: BALLOTS

2 WHARTON COUNTY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE Annual Report MyWCEC.coop

WCEC Annual Meeting TCP Insert 2020.indd 2 5/7/2020 11:52:12 AM DIRECTOR ELECTIONS—THREE-YEAR TERMS

DISTRICT 2 Organizations and Volunteering: National Eagle He is currently an executive board member for the Scout Association, 1973; Boy Scouts of America God Wharton County Youth Fair as well as serving on five and Country, 1974; Galveston Rugby Football Club; committees, two of which he chairs. He has also served PATRICK KUBALA Propeller Club of the United States; Appalachian Trail, on and chaired numerous committees associated with “In February 1938, when 1982 (Georgia to Maine); Pacific Crest Trail, 1986 (Mex- El Campo ISD and with the Vocational Ag Teachers WCEC was created., my ico to Canada); Continental Divide Trail, 1990 (Mexico to Association of Texas in all o†cer stations. grandparents did not have Silverthorne, CO); Oktoberfest – First Lutheran Church, electricity like so many oth- Galveston, TX; Galveston Youth Soccer Club – VP/ ers in rural areas. Soon after DISTRICT 8 Treasurer; Assistant Scoutmaster Troop 123 and 104, the creation of WCEC, they Galveston, TX; Christ Lutheran Church, El Campo, TX; received power. They considered that a tremendous FRITZ CORNELIUS MANNA Meals, El Campo, TX; Taiton Community Cen- privilege. Before that, life was hard raising their family “Years ago, electric co- ter, Taiton, TX. during those financial times of the Great Depression. operatives were conceived to Electric power made life somewhat easier. provide a™ordable energy to Fast forward to today: We take the electric power DISTRICT 5 the rural community. Today, for granted, and when it goes out, we flood the WCEC WCEC continues to assure its o†ce with phone calls about the power outage. In ANNETT K. SIMMONS customers are given the best these times, we are dependent on our electric power “The cooperative provides reliable service at the most reasonable rates. My goal is and Internet. We just expect it to work when we flip great service with one-on-one to help WCEC members receive these benefits.” the switch. interaction with the office Cornelius has lived in the WCEC service territory for We should be grateful for WCEC, and most im- when needed. There is always 30 years. He is a graduate of Tidehaven High School and portantly, the employees of the electric co-op. The a fast response when there Sam Houston State University, and is a safety technician employees are the ones who make WCEC what it is. is trouble with the electric for Lester Contracting. He and his wife, Terry, have three The people working as a team to provide us, the cus- power. They are easy to talk to with any problems.” grown children. tomers, with electricity and Internet. Simmons has lived in the WCEC territory for 30 Cornelius is a member of the Texas Southwestern The board of directors support all the employees, years. She is retired and has two ground children. Cattle Association, Matagorda County Cattlemen’s As- so that they are comfortable and proud to be a WCEC sociation/Texas Farm Bureau, Fort Bend County Bee employee. RICK MARIK Raisers, and Texas Retired Teachers Association. I ask for your support and vote to serve as a board “I am old enough to member.” remember the single light JIM W. HARTON Kubala has lived in the WCEC service territory bulb hanging from the ceil- INCUMBENT for 35 years. He and his wife, Becky, have two grown ing in our farm house and “For the past three children and two grandchildren. He is a graduate of El the extension cords to sup- years, it has truly been an Campo High School and Texas A&M University. ply power to a fan or lamp. honor and privilege to serve Kubala has served as past president of the state- People today take electricity for granted and don’t as your District 8 represen- wide association County Elected Tax Assessor Collec- always realize how much they rely on it. Those who tative. During my first term, tors, is a member of the Hillje Society of KJT insurance live in rural areas need electricity for light and heat, but I was able to complete the Credentialed Cooperative and a sales representative, holds the o†ce of Faithful also for increasing productivity on their farms. Many Director Program which broadened my knowledge of Friar with the Knights of Columbus 4th Degree. He farm-related activities occur after dark.” the business and operations of electric cooperatives and his family are active members of St. John’s Cath- Marik has lived in the WCEC territory for 42 years. from the past to the present, but most importantly a olic Church. He is an agency owner at Douglas & Marik Insurance look ahead to the future. He is also a former WCEC board member, serving Agency, Inc. He and his wife, Jo Ann, have one grown Also, during this time, we experienced Harvey, from 1987-1992. daughter. ‘The Ice Storm,’ and now COVID-19. Throughout these Marik is a graduate of Wharton County Junior Col- challenging times, the Co-op Board, and especially, the KARL H. HAUPT lege and Sam Houston State University. He is the Post sta™ and employees have worked diligently together “Cost e™ective, depend- Chaplain for American Legion Post 251, and a member continuing to provide its members a™ordable and re- able power is a must for our and former president and assistant district governor for liable electric power and improved Internet for your rural neighbors.” El Campo Rotary Club. home and business. WCEC has alway provided prompt Haupt has lived in the and e†cient customer service for its members. It is WCEC service territory for crucial for electric cooperatives to continue keeping SAMUEL CRAIG HARDIN 22 years. He is a graduate of up with ever changing technological advancements for “The cooperative has a Texas A&M - Galveston (Marine Biology), Texas A&M the 21st century, and if elected, I will continue working common sense application University (Wildlife Fisheries), and the Texas Maritime on these goals on behalf of you, our members. to operation. The service is Academy. Haupt is a retired o™shore oil and gas cap- excellent because the people I was raised on a farm in Danevang and experi- tain/OIM. He and his wife, Marilyn, have 3 adult children. that are providing it are your enced firsthand the importance rural electrification Qualifications, Organizations, and Volunteer: Un- neighbors. Also, if you have a and the impact it had on our lives. I have been married limited Masters License, O™shore Installation Manager, question, you can go in and sit down face-to-face and to Jennifer Kaspar Harton for 40 years and we con- and Barge Supervisor (USCG, Marshall Islands, and get that one-on-one treatment that is so rare these tinue to live on the farm. Graduating from El Campo Vanuatu Flags), Current; Dynamic Positioning Full Cer- days.” High School and Sam Houston State University, I am tificate – Nautical Institute, Current; WELLSHARP Well Hardin has lived in the WCEC service territory for retired from Fort Bend ISD and Rope Works, Inc. I am Control OPITO/IADC Certificate, Current; Major Emer- 37 years. He is a graduate of El Campo High School a member and lector at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church gency Management OPITO/IADC Certificate (OIM/PIC), and Sam Houston State University, and is retired from in Hillje, Knights of Columbus Council #9394 and a Current; Admiral in the Texas Navy; Captain/Comman- El Campo ISD where he taught Agri-Science. He is Director of the Danish Heritage Preservation Society. dant/Maritime Professor Texas Maritime Academy now self employed. He and his wife, Sherrie, have two Thank you for allowing me to serve on your behalf, 1996-2012. grown sons. and I would appreciate your vote for another term.”

MyWCEC.coop WHARTON COUNTY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE Annual Report 3

WCEC Annual Meeting TCP Insert 2020.indd 3 5/7/2020 11:52:14 AM PRESIDENT’S & MANAGER’S REPORTS

PRESIDENT’S REPORT LEROY KASPAR

Safe, Reliable & A­ordable Electricity

Core principals of WCEC are to provide to our members safe, reliable taken on additional challenges. Rest assured, everyone at WCEC is working hard to and a™ordable electricity. As of the writing of this report (so that it can be keep the lights on during these troubled times. published in the Texas Co-op Power) our daily lives have been interrupted by AFFORDABLE – WCEC has always looked for ways to provide our members this terrible Covid-19 virus. Keeping to these principals has become much more with the most for their dollars. This will not change no matter what event we face. di†cult. Let’s take a look at each one individually. Management and sta™ continue to provide budgets and proposals to the Board of SAFETY – Safety has taken on a double meaning. Not only do our linemen have Directors for their review. They in turn make decisions that are in the best interest of to continue working safely around our electrical system as priority one, they also each member of this cooperative. must do so maintaining the mandated social distancing. Di†cult since it usually The board has and always will stay in touch with the decisions that are being takes more than one lineman to repair or replace downed poles and wires. Or even made at the cooperative. Many years ago, a system was put into place that each work on transformers and other components of our distribution system. Numerous director receives a package of information prior to each board meeting. This has steps have been taken by management and sta™ to a™ord these men, as well as all been done using iPads, and a program called CalltoOrder. This allows each director other o†ce personnel, to adhere to all mandates concerning this disease. Things like to login to a secure portal to review all day-to-day operations concerning things like some o†ce personnel working from home, and having only one lineman per truck to and from the jobsite. While this may not be as economical as two men per truck, we budgets, work orders, safety meetings, and everything else necessary to keep WCEC feel this is necessary for their safety. Hopefully this is only temporary. providing electricity to our members. As of the March meeting, we are currently RELIABLE – WCEC is in charge of a distribution system consisting of an intricate holding our monthly meetings via telephone conferencing. Having this system in system of poles, wires, transformers, and many more items. In the past, ice storms, place has proved it can work. hurricanes and other weather-related events, as well as non-weather-related events, Hopefully, once this event has passed, we can go back to our normal routines. have created some sort of damage to the system. No matter what the event, our In the meantime, the Board of Directors, Management, and all the employees will crews are always on call to get the job done. This unwanted event has put more continue to work for the best of our members, keeping the core values of supplying stress on our system. With so many more of our members working from home, as Safe, Reliable and A™ordable electricity to each of you. well as having their children there since schools are closed, reliable electricity has Thank you for your patronage and patience during these trying times.

MANAGER’S REPORT GARY RAYBON

WCEC – An Anchor in Troubled Waters There is a Chinese curse which says, “May he live in interesting times”. Through good times and bad WCEC has been there for the members, and like- Like it or not we are living in interesting times. Not only are they interesting wise the members have been there for WCEC providing patronage, o™ering feed- but they are incredibly fluid and changing by the day. Due to publishing deadlines, back, and electing Board Members that have always set aside personal preferences it is nearly impossible to write a pertinent report in April that is to be read by the and done what is best for the organization as a whole. At WCEC everyone from the membership in early June. As this report is being written in early April, our community and the entire world Board President to the youngest Apprentice understands that service is our business is being rocked to its core by an unprecedented pandemic, the results of which will and every day we have an important duty to earn the loyalty of the members. change our society for generations to come. While we are still in the early days of this As we work through the coming weeks and months you can be assured that crisis, I can assure you that one thing will remain as it has since 1938 – Wharton Coun- while things have changed and while the way we interact with the members may ty Electric Cooperative is here for the members. The sole purpose of our organization change, WCEC stands committed to continuing to be your trusted local source of is relatively simple and is the core of our Mission Statement. electric energy. “The Mission of Wharton County Electric Cooperative, Inc. is to provide economical and reliable electric energy service to our I have every faith that, as we have always done, together we as a community will members and to provide products, services, and leadership that will come out of this crisis stronger. May God bless you and each of your families. I look have a positive influence on the economy of the area that we serve.” forward to seeing each of you at the WCEC Annual Meeting June 17, 2020.

4 WHARTON COUNTY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE Annual Report MyWCEC.coop

WCEC Annual Meeting TCP Insert 2020.indd 4 5/7/2020 11:52:17 AM MINUTES OF 2019 MEETING OF MEMBERS June 19, 2019 Wharton County Electric Cooperative, Inc. held its 81st annual membership meeting Manager Raybon then recognized the WCEC retired employees that were in attendance, Wednesday, June 19, 2019 at the El Campo Civic Center in El Campo, Texas. and all current cooperative employees. Registration began at 5:15 PM. Country Pride Barbeque of El Campo served chicken Mrs. Glaze then announced the winner of the 2019 youth tour contest, El Campo High fried steak to members and guests. At 6:50 PM General Manager/CEO Gary Raybon began School Senior Abbie Farrar, daughter of Senae and Shane Farrar. Last year’s winner, Elyssa with a drawing for 10 door prizes. President Leroy Kaspar welcomed members and guests Smith, attends UCLS and had a prior engagement this evening. and asked everyone to stand for the invocation given by Pastor Richard Young of First United The next item of business were O†cer’s Reports. Secretary/Treasurer AJ Kresta gave Methodist Church; Director Rick Gra™ led the Pledge of Allegiance to the US Flag and the the financial report stating that 2018 was another successful year for the cooperative and Texas Flag; and Brenda Rodriguez led the crowd in singing the National Anthem. At 7:00 PM President Kaspar called the 81st Annual Membership Meeting of Wharton that WCEC ended the year with $75.4 million in total assets, an increase of almost $4.1 mil- County Electric Cooperative, Inc. to order. lion over year end 2017. WCEC achieved operating margins of $1,372,991 and total margins Secretary AJ Kresta certified that he was the duly elected, qualified and acting Secretary of $2,547,089. The financial report and independent Auditor’s Report were mailed in the of Wharton County Electric Cooperative, Inc. and that on June 1, 2019, he had mailed to each June 2019 Texas Co-op Power magazine and copies were on the tables for members. member of the cooperative a notice of annual meeting of members to be held June 19, 2019, President Kaspar returned to the podium and gave his report. “We are all in this to- as it appeared in the 81st Annual Meeting brochure and certified that it is a true and correct gether” was the focus of his message. He talked about the responsibility of the cooperative copy of said notice. Mrs. Glaze reported a registration of 395 members and declared a quo- to maintain the facilities of the coop in order to better serve you, the members, and keep rum in accordance with the bylaws of the cooperative. outages to a minimum. He encouraged the membership to be observant of any leaning President Kaspar returned to the podium and asked for action on the minutes of the poles, downed wires, or any other situation that could be a safety hazard, and to call it in June 20, 2018 annual meeting. He stated that a printed copy of these minutes appeared to the WCEC o†ce. Kaspar stressed that everyone should put safety first – electric power in the annual meeting brochure that was mailed to all members and asked for a motion to approve the minutes as mailed. Motion was made and seconded, and by the a†rmative lines and other facilities should be handled only by electric utility professionals. He thanked vote of the members present, the minutes of the June 20, 2018 membership meeting were the employees for another safe and successful year; the board; and the membership for approved without reading, as mailed. their support. Director Jim W. Harton introduced the WCEC Board of Directors as follows: Leroy Kas- General Manager/CEO Raybon approached the podium for his message to the mem- par, President, District #2 and also representing WCEC as Director of South Texas Electric bers. He talked about the warning from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) Cooperative, and Director of San Miguel Electric Cooperative; Peggy Glaze, Vice President, that the state will be “running extremely tight on power generation this summer.” As the District #9; A J Kresta, Secretary/Treasurer, District #5; Paul L. Phillips, Jr, Assistant Secretary/ summer demand for power rises, ERCOT may issue energy alerts ranging from conservation Treasurer, District #1; Frankie Peter, District #3; Rick Gra™, District #4; Gus Wessels, Jr., District to last-resort rolling blackouts. It that occurs, WCEC must, by law, comply. However, South #6; John Roach, District #7; and himself, Jim W. Harton, District #8. Director Gus Wessels, Texas Electric Cooperative has done a commendable job of investing in a diverse generation Jr. was absent. portfolio that includes coal, natural gas, wind, solar and hydro power. “Our goal is to provide Mr. Harton also introduced General Manager/CEO Gary L. Raybon. Raybon also serves as Director on the South Texas Electric Cooperative Board, and Director on the San Miguel you, the member/owner, with the most reliable and economical power while still maintain- Electric Cooperative Board. He then introduced Heath Radley of the law firm of Duckett, ing high standards for environmental stewardship.” Bouligny, & Collins LLP, Attorney for the cooperative, and Brenda Rodriguez, Recording Sec- This concluded the o†cer’s and manager’s reports. President Kaspar asked for action retary. The spouses of the directors and manager were asked to stand and be recognized. on the reports. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was the a†rmative vote of mem- All former directors were also asked to stand and be recognized. bers present to approve the reports. Vice President Glaze reviewed the nominating procedure and term limits for directors, Ballot Committee Chairman Albert Rucka approached the podium and gave the results introduced the nominees, and asked to them come forward: of the vote. Vice President Peggy Glaze that after the ballots had been counted, the follow- • District #1: Michael E. Morton ing were elected directors: Paul L. Phillips, Jr., Incumbent • District #1: Paul L. Phillips, Jr. • District #4: Matt Lutringer • District #4: Rick Gra™ Calvin Borak Rick Gra™, Incumbent • District #7: John Roach Bobby Popp Kaspar asked if there was any unfinished business; there was none. He asked if there • District #7: Blake Lauritsen was any new business; there was none. President Kaspar reported that 395 members had John Roach, Incumbent registered, and total attendance was 757. Glaze then asked for nominations from the floor. There were none. A motion was made President Kaspar thanked everyone for coming and all who helped make the meeting a and seconded that nominations cease. It was the a†rmative vote of the members present success: The members for coming and taking part in the meeting; The Nominating Commit- that nominations cease. tee: Edward Lee Schneider, James Schoellmann, Steven Goetsch, Robert B. Little, William Vice President Glaze then asked the Ballot Committee to come forward to collect ballots. Hacker and Troy Malek; The Ballot Committee; The employees for all their work and Committee members were Tom Kallina, David Popp, Bobby Peter, Carolyn Gordon, Donald preparation; Pastor Richard Young for the invocation; Country Pride Barbeque Southall, Donna Wessels, Pat Marek, Mark Lezak, and Albert Rucka, each representing one of for the meal; WCEC suppliers for their donation of door prizes; Texas Electric the nine directors’ districts. Mrs. Glaze explained the voting ballot, and with the assistance of Cooperative, KULP Radio, KIOX Radio, and El Campo Leader-News for the Patsy Metting, Manager of Accounting, the committee retired to count the ballots. John Roach called the names of 12 lucky door prize winners, Frankie Peter drew names media coverage; Lisa Bubela, Flowers, Etc. for greenery; El Campo for 10 children’s prizes, including two 20” bicycles; and 4 teen prizes. Paul Phillips then drew Civic Center for the accommodations; El Campo Police Department – names for 7 more door prizes. directing tra†c. CEO Raybon and President Kaspar next presented service awards and certificates to the There being no further business to come before the following employees: membership, and, upon motion duly made and seconded, • 5 Years : Dusty White – Journeyman Lineman the 81st annual membership meeting adjourned at 8:00PM. • 20 Years: Linda Bacak – Cashier Manager Raybon concluded the evening by drawing names Mario Manrriquez – Electronics Technician for the final grand prizes. Winners were: • 25 Years: Vance Jaks – Engineering Technician • $100 free electricity: James M. Neilsen • 30 Years: Patrick Cerny – Service Lineman • $100 free electricity: Phyllis Dorotik Donald Priesmeyer – Meter Technician • 35 Years: Gary L. Raybon – General Manager/CEO • $100 free electricity: Elaine Phelps • 40 Years: Diane Barger – Human Resources Administrator • $300 free electricity: Glen A. Korenek Justino Casarez – Foreman – retired May 15, 2019 • Custom cutting board: Danny Hendrix Janice Kulcak – Billing Specialist • Electric tabletop grill: Sandra Knesek

MyWCEC.coop WHARTON COUNTY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE Annual Report 5

WCEC Annual Meeting TCP Insert 2020.indd 5 5/7/2020 11:52:17 AM FINANCIAL REPORT BALANCE SHEET ASSETS AND OTHER DEBITS As of 12/31/19 As of 12/31/18 Total Utility Plant in Service $64,524,255 $62,171,941 Construction Work in Progress 994,494 441,268 A.J. Kresta Total Utility Plant 65,518,750 62,613,209 Secretary/Treasurer Accumulated Provision for Depreciation (10,349,518) (9,735,941) Wharton County Net Utility Plant $55,169,232 $52,877,269 Electric Cooperative, Inc. Investment in Assoc. Org. - Patronage Capital $19,541,041 $18,311,029 Investment in Assoc. Org. - Other Non-Gen. Funds 522,579 525,671 February 18, 2020 Other Investments 2,460 2,460 Total Other Property & Investments $20,066,081 $18,839,160 INDEPENDENT Cash - General Funds $1,090,768 $718,272 Temporary Investments 0 0 AUDITOR’S REPORT Accounts Receivable - Sales of Energy (net) 1,636,026 1,706,117 Wharton County Electric Cooperative, Inc. Accounts Receivable - Other (net) 57,662 26,962 El Campo, Texas Materials and Supplies 38,599 33,610 Prepayments 209,258 210,797 We have audited the accompanying financial state- Other Current and Accrued Assets 0 0 ments of Wharton County Electric Cooperative, Inc. (the Total Current and Accrued Assets $3,032,314 $2,695,757 Cooperative), which comprise the balance sheets as of Other Deferred Debits $809,405 $979,318 December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the related statements Total Assets and Equities $79,077,031 $75,391,504 of revenue and patronage capital, and cash flows for the MARGINS AND EQUITIES years then ended, and the related notes to the financial Memberships $20,610 $20,600 statements. Patronage Capital 40,794,330 38,247,241 Management is responsible for the preparation and Operating Margins - Prior Years 0 0 fair presentation of these financial statements in accor- Operating Margins - Current Year 2,126,939 2,512,891 dance with accounting principles generally accepted in Nonoperating Margins 123,265 34,198 the United States of America; this includes the design, Other Margins and Equities 60,370 54,377 implementation, and maintenance of internal control rel- Total Margins and Equities $43,125,514 $40,869,307 evant to the preparation and fair presentation of financial LIABILITIES AND OTHER CREDITS statements that are free from material misstatement, Long-Term Debt $33,586,942 $32,059,876 whether due to fraud or error. Accumulated Operating Provisions 43,905 76,405 Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these Accounts Payable 1,381,135 1,464,874 financial statements based on our audits. We conducted Other Current and Accrued Liabilities 487,406 457,783 our audits in accordance with auditing standards gen- Total Current and Accrued Liabilities $1,868,541 $1,922,657 Other Deferred Credits 452,130 463,259 erally accepted in the United States of America. Those Total Liabilities and Other Credits $79,077,031 $75,391,504 standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial Equity as a Percent of Assets 54.536% 54.209% statements are free from material misstatement. Equity as a Percent of Capitalization 56.217% 56.040% An audit involves performing procedures to obtain SUMMARY OF OPERATING STATEMENT audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the Revenue $21,534,251 $22,392,335 financial statements. The procedures selected depend Less Cost of Power 14,283,246 14,860,298 on the auditors’ judgment, including the assessment of Gross Margin 7,251,005 7,532,037 the risks of material misstatement of the financial state- Distribution Expense - Operations 631,326 557,713 ments, whether due to fraud or error. In making those Distribution Expense - Maintenance 995,986 917,169 risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control Consumer Accounting Expense 427,041 426,201 relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation Customer Service and Information Expense 82,025 92,598 of the financial statements in order to design audit Sales Expense 85,424 80,328 procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, Administration and General Expense 853,733 844,813 but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the Total Operations and Maintenance Expense $17,358,781 $17,779,120 e™ectiveness of the entity’s internal control. Accordingly, Depreciation, Tax and Interest Expense we express no such opinion. An audit also includes Depreciation and Amortization Expense $1,812,237 $1,719,382 evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies Interest Expense - Long-term Debt 1,598,540 1,516,589 used and the reasonableness of significant accounting Interest Expense - Other 8,708 4,254 estimates made by management, as well as evaluating Total Depreciation and Interest Expense $3,419,484 $3,240,225 the overall presentation of the financial statements. Cost of Electric Service $20,778,265 $21,019,344 We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained Operating Margins $755,986 $1,372,991 is su†cient and appropriate to provide a basis for our Nonoperating Margins - Interest 33,428 $30,150 audit opinion. Nonoperating Margins - Other 89,837 4,048 In our opinion, the financial statements referred to Generation and Transmission Capital Credits 1,116,746 873,057 above present fairly, in all material respects, the finan- Other Capital Credits and Patronage Dividends 254,207 266,843 cial position of Wharton County Electric Cooperative, Patronage Capital or Margins $2,250,204 $2,547,089 Inc. as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then 2019 REVENUE 2019 EXPENSES ended in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Bumgardner, Morrison & Company, LLP Bumgardner, Morrison & Company, LLP Certified Public Accountants Victoria, Texas Residential 39% Industrial 33% Commercial 20% Other 1% Purchased Power 66% Depreciation 8% Interest 8% Irrigation 7% Operations & Maintenance 14% Margins 4%

6 WHARTON COUNTY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE Annual Report MyWCEC.coop

WCEC Annual Meeting TCP Insert 2020.indd 6 5/7/2020 11:52:27 AM EMPLOYEE YEARS OF SERVICE MILESTONES

50 YEARS 15 YEARS 15 YEARS 15 YEARS 5 YEARS Wesley Lange Tim Bohuslar Miriam Piloto Willie Stavena Keaton Hubbell Electric System Manager Line Crew Foreman Consumer Service Rep. Part-time Warehouseman Journeyman Lineman YOUR DEDICATED WCEC HOME TEAM Wesley Lange ...... 50 Keith Beal...... 23 Ricky Garza ...... 4 Clarence Kunz ...... 48 Juan Rubio ...... 22 Daniel Gutierrez ...... 4 Patsy Metting...... 44 Mario Manrriquez ...... 21 Brayden Payne ...... 4 Richard L. Jalowy ...... 43 Linda Bacak ...... 21 Andrew Rothbauer...... 4 Brenda Rodriguez...... 42 Tim Bohuslar ...... 15 Janice Kulcak ...... 41 Miriam Piloto ...... 15 Troy Korenek ...... 3 Diane Barger ...... 41 Willie Stavena (part-time) ...... 15 Shelly Schulz ...... 3 Luz-Maria Arredondo...... 39 Lee Wayne Roddy ...... 13 Gene Puryear...... 3 Gary L. Raybon ...... 36 Chris Cavness...... 12 Lance Kolafa ...... 3 Richard Arnett...... 33 Jody Domel ...... 9 Carol Diaz ...... 2 Kenny Trochta ...... 32 Selena De La Peña ...... 8 Patrick Cerny ...... 31 Nathan Danielson ...... 7 Spenser Sebring ...... 1 Donald Priesmeyer ...... 31 Glenn “Dusty” White ...... 6 Jayson McKeon ...... 1 Vance Jaks ...... 26 Keaton Hubbell ...... 5 Russell Shelton ...... 5 mths.

OPERATION ROUND UP 2019 CHARITABLE FUND DISTRIBUTION 100 Club of Wharton County El Campo Volunteer Fire Department Northside Education Center All the Little Things Country Everyday Heroes, Inc Patriots & Heroes, Inc. Blessing Cup Storehouse Helping Hands Ministry Shall Not Hunger Boys & Girls Club of El Campo Hospice Support El Campo Texana Center Danish Heritage Preservation Society Just Do It Now Wharton County Cares El Campo Art Association Manna Meals Wharton County SPOT El Campo Community Events Matagorda County Women’s Crisis Center Wharton County Youth Fair El Campo Medical Foundation Matagorda CASA Wharton County Recovery Team

2020 GOVERNMENT-IN-ACTION YOUTH TOUR WINNERS ELIZABETH JEFFERY Elizabeth graduated from Boling High School and is the daughter of David and Jennifer Jeœery of Garwood (District 1). ISABEL LILIE  Isabel graduated from Louise High School and is the daughter of Mark and Melissa Lilie of Louise (District 4).

UNFORTUNATELY, THE 2020 GOVERNMENT-IN-ACTION YOUTH TOUR WAS CANCELED DUE TO COVID-19. BOTH WINNERS WILL RECEIVE SCHOLARSHIPS.

MyWCEC.coop WHARTON COUNTY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE Annual Report 7

WCEC Annual Meeting TCP Insert 2020.indd 7 5/7/2020 11:52:34 AM WEST LOOP to restaurant entrances. not blockDo access Please be courteous!

ANNUAL MEETING HWY. 71 HWY. $20 Bill Credit, Attendance Gift, MUST BE PRESENT TO VOTE.

and Entry for Drawing Prize

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DO NOT ENTER HERE Wednesday, June 17 • 4:30 - 7 p.m.

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8 WHARTON COUNTY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE Annual Report MyWCEC.coop

WCEC Annual Meeting TCP Insert 2020.indd 8 5/7/2020 11:52:35 AM Electric Notes

CONSERVATION AND SAFETY INFORMATION The Little Blue Logo That Changed Buying Habits

of Energy and the Environmental Protec- tion Agency. The program’s effectiveness comes from a complex process of making sure the Energy Star logo is accurate and trusted— and the numbers show it is trusted. Ameri- cans bought more than 300 million Energy Star-rated products in 2018, and a study found that three-fourths of U.S. households say the Energy Star label influences their purchases. According to energystar.gov, EPA uses the following specifications to determine if products meet the Energy Star standard: a Product categories must contribute significant energy savings nationwide. a Certified products must deliver the features and performance demanded by consumers, in addition to increased energy efficiency. a If the certified product costs more than a conventional, less efficient counter-

ADAMKAZ | ISTOCK.COM part, purchasers will recover their invest- ment in increased energy efficiency through utility bill savings within a reason- THE LITTLE BLUE (AND SOMETIMES BLACK) LOGO WITH THE STAR able period of time. inside that you see on all sorts of appliances and electronics a Energy efficiency can be achieved through broadly avail- has changed the way Americans shop. able, nonproprietary technologies offered by more than one The Energy Star program claims credit for reducing pollu- manufacturer. tion and greenhouse gas emissions and for saving Americans a Product energy consumption and performance can be $30 billion in energy costs. Analysts credit Energy Star with measured and verified with testing. pushing manufacturers to innovate, helping them to set energy a Labeling effectively differentiates products and must be efficiency goals and upping competition in the market. visible to consumers. What Energy Star does is make it easy to know whether a Today, more than 500 certified labs in 25 countries around product you’re thinking about buying is energy efficient. the world test more than 1,500 products a year, along with sur- Essentially, the program looks at the average energy use of prise inspections, to manage a list of 60,000 product models. each type of product and awards the Energy Star rating to top Energy Star requires quality standards in addition to just performers based on varying criteria. A refrigerator needs to energy efficiency. In general, products must have popular fea- be 9% more energy efficient than the minimum efficiency tures, such as internet connectivity for smart TVs. Lightbulbs standard; a computer needs to use 25% less electricity than must last up to 15 times longer and produce 70%–90% less conventional models and include a power-saving mode for heat than conventional bulbs. when it’s not being used. Energy Star standards require that In 2018, Energy Star tested 1,792 models, disqualifying 59 of TVs must use 3 watts or less when switched off; lightbulbs them. Of the 858 kinds of lighting and fans tested that year, 51 must use two-thirds less energy than standard incandescent were disqualified. Of the 35 TVs tested, two were disqualified. bulbs; and home furnaces must be 4% –15% more efficient than Energy Star has caught on because it has something for standard furnaces. everybody—ways for consumers to save money; ways for busi- So if the appliance or electronic device you’re purchasing nesses to promote their efficient products; online calculators includes the Energy Star logo, you know it’s among the most for those wanting deep dives into finding the ideal energy use; energy-efficient products available. That simplicity is the secret and a simple little logo that tells us we’re buying one of the to the success of the program that is run by the U.S. Department most energy-efficient products available.

18 Texas Co-op Power June 2020 TexasCoopPower.com Freshen Up Your Fridge

IF YOU’VE GOT LEFTOVERS FROM LAST month lurking in your refrigerator, it’s time to pull on your latex kitchen gloves and clean it out. You may find out you have more room than you thought— enough to unplug the extra refrigerator or freezer that might be eating up elec- tricity in the garage. Try these tips to clean out and organ- ize your fridge. Do a total fridge cleanup. Arm your- self with large trash bags, and throw away old leftovers. Make sure to check the expiration dates on rarely used condiments and dressings and toss any that are past their prime. If certain foods that you store in the fridge spoil before you eat them, vow to freeze them in the future.

FAMILY VELDMAN | ISTOCK.COM Adjust the height of each shelf so food is easier to see and reach. This could free up space. Designate spaces for fruits, veg- etables, meats and drinks—so nothing is “out of sight, out of mind” and left to rot. Safety Under the Sun Store leftovers in transparent con- tainers and label them with the date the IT MAY SEEM LIKE COMMON SENSE TO KEEP KITES AWAY FROM OVERHEAD POWER food was prepared so no one acciden- lines, but a child enjoying a breezy summer day might not even notice when tally eats spoiled food. they’re playing too close to electrical wires. What your children learn from you Cool hot foods before you put them today can be a lifesaver later when they encounter a downed power line or think in the refrigerator to save energy. about climbing a tree. Vacuum the refrigerator coils Teach your children how to play it safe around live wires. Some good lessons for monthly. Dust trapped underneath and them include: behind the unit forces the fridge to work Stay away from electrical substations. If a ball or pet gets inside the fence, contact harder and use more energy. your electric cooperative for assistance—we’ll come and get it out for you. Don’t fly kites, toy airplanes, balloons or other flying devices anywhere near power lines. It’s important to look up and move far away if power lines are present. Avoid climbing trees whose branches are anywhere near overhead power lines. A child could be shocked or even killed in a tree that is energized with electricity. Never throw anything onto or over a power line. If a kite or other toy gets caught in the wires, leave it there and call the electric cooperative. Keep all electrical appliances and toys away from water, including lawn sprinklers, swimming pools, hoses, rain, etc. Stay away from guy wires, green transformer boxes, electric meters and breaker boxes. Never touch an electrical device if you are wet, standing in water or in a pool. Never go swimming during a storm, especially when you hear thunder or see lightning. Electricity and water do not mix, and swimming during a storm puts you at a high risk. Never attempt to climb a utility pole or substation fence. Call 911 if you spot a downed line, and don’t go anywhere near it. Assume all lines

are energized and dangerous. OKAN METIN | ISTOCK.COM

TexasCoopPower.com June 2020 Texas Co-op Power 19

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TCP E-newsletter Get links to our best In the heart of the Texas content delivered to Hill Country visit 17 historic your inbox each month! one-room schools built between 1847 and 1936 by following Feature stories, recipe the 120 mile Gillespie County and photo contest Country Schools Driving Trail winners, monthly prize through the scenic drawings—get it all in Fredericksburg,Texas countryside. the e-newsletter!

A Driving Tour map and an Open House schedule are available on our website.

WWW.HISTORICSCHOOLS.ORG SIGN UP TODAY AT All schools listed on the National Register of Historic Places. TexasCoopPower.com Member of Country School Association of America.

Beachcombing at home. Texas Co-op Power presents an illustrated Seashells of Texas poster by artist Aletha St. Romain, 20x16 inches, suitable for framing. Order online at TexasCoopPower.com for only $20 (price includes tax, shipping and handling). Bonus offer: Get 2 posters shipped to the $20 same address for just $30. or 2 for $30 Please allow 4–6 weeks for delivery. From the publishers of

20 Texas Co-op Power June 2020 TexasCoopPower.com We’re Bringing Flexy Back The Stauer Flex gives you vintage style with a throwback price of only $79. ust like a good wristwatch movement, Jfashion is cyclical. And there’s a certain wristwatch trend that was huge in the 1960s e Looks of a Classic and then again in the 1980s, and is ready for its third time in the spotlight. We’re talking, of Flex Band Watch for course, about the flexible stretch watch band. To purchase a vintage 60s or 80s classic flex only $79! watch would stretch anyone’s budget, but you can get ahead of the crowd and secure a brand new version for a much lower price. We’re rolling back the years AND the numbers by pricing the Stauer Flex like this, so you can put some bend in your band without making a dent in your wallet. The Stauer Flex combines 1960s vintage cool with 1980s boardroom style. The stainless steel flex band ensures minimal fuss and the sleek midnight blue face keeps you on track with date and day subdials. Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Experience the Stauer Flex for 30 days. If you’re not convinced you got excellence for less, send it back for a refund of the item price. Your satisfaction is our top priority. Time is running out. As our top selling watch, we can’t guarantee the Flex will stick around long. Don’t overpay to be êêêêê underwhelmed. “The quality of their watches Flex your is equal to many that can go right to put for ten times the price or more.” a precision timepiece on — Jeff from McKinney, TX your wrist for just $79. Call today! TAKE 74% OFF INSTANTLY! When you use your OFFER CODE

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The Legend of Old Rip

Eastland horny toad was famous for allegedly living 31 years entombed in a courthouse cornerstone

BY GENE FOWLER One May day in 1928, President Calvin Along with several ministers, county Coolidge received a celebrated Texan in Judge Ed Pritchard was on hand to the White House. The visitor was 15 min- authenticate the proceedings. When the utes late, but the president waited diminutive beast was held aloft for the patiently. For this wasn’t just any Texan— crowd to behold, one of its legs suddenly this was Old Rip, the horned lizard who’d twitched. “The durn thing’s alive!” some- slumbered for 31 years in the cornerstone one hollered as cheers filled the court- of the Eastland County Courthouse. house square. Coolidge asked several questions of Named for the storied slumberer Rip Will Wood, Rip’s caretaker, and stroked Van Winkle, Old Rip made national news. the reptile’s back with his horn-rimmed Unfortunately, entombment of his brethren glasses. Wood telegraphed folks back in became a fad. Prestigious scientists opined, Eastland that Old Rip blinked at Silent Cal. As Texas author Boyce House told and retold the tale, Will Wood had named the horned toad (or horny toad, as Texas horned lizards are often called) Blinky back in 1897, shortly before Will’s father, county clerk Ernest Wood, had the boy’s pet placed in the cornerstone of the East- land County Courthouse that was under construction. Then one February day in 1928, when the 1897 courthouse was being demolished for a new, modern people’s temple, Ernest Wood asked House, then editor of the East- land Argus-Tribune, if he’d heard of the West Texas folk belief that a horned toad could live for 100 years without food or both pro and con, on the possibility of the water. When Wood told Boyce that the the- lizard’s survival. Thousands marveled ory would soon be put to the test with the at Rip on tour. Souvenir horned frogs opening of the 1897 cornerstone, the editor were sold at the Democratic National Con- produced a banner headline, “ALL READY vention that summer in Houston. East- FOR LIBERATION OF THE HORNED land gas stations gave away the reptiles TOAD,” and distributed the exciting news as premiums for fuel purchases. Featured through wire services. Thus, on Saturday, in a Fox Movietone newsreel, Old Rip was February 18, 1928, when the cornerstone a star. was opened, more than 1,000 people had Sid Sackett, a commercial breeder of reportedly gathered to witness the event. horned lizards in Coleman, feared the

22 Texas Co-op Power June 2020 TexasCoopPower.com Old Rip’s remains craze would cre- isters the Old Rip Oath at chamber of Arguing the point is not recommended in are as well preserved ate too much com- commerce banquets, noted that several these parts.” as the horny toad’s petition. Because Eastland youngsters had spent the night Most Eastland folks embrace the legacy in Eastland County. the reptiles preyed at the partly demolished courthouse in horny toad yarn that brought so much on insects injuri- 1928 in order to ensure that no “hanky- attention to their town with a healthy atti- ous to crops, agri- pank” transpired before the cornerstone tude and a tender wink. “Old Rip still has culture authorities worried that their was opened. a place of honor in the vestibule of the popularity as pets could decrease farm The youths’ vigilance notwithstand- first floor of the Eastland County Court- yields. But the mania subsided after Old ing, some hanky-panky may well have house,” says county Judge Rex Fields. “He Rip’s death from pneumonia in early 1929. been committed. In his 1993 book, O Ye lies in state in a glass-topped casket Today, the famed horned toad lies in Legendary Horned Frog, historian June wherein he is visible to people that have state in a tiny casket at the Eastland Rayfield Welch unearthed a 1973 alle- heard the story of his incarceration and County Courthouse. Local folks began gation by a self-described “perpetrator release.” celebrating Rip annually with a horned of the hoax which grew into ‘the Legend Fields gives a presentation about the toad derby in 1949. The event continues of Old Rip.’ ” The anonymous confessor history of the courthouse to second grade today as Ripfest and includes a parade, claimed that five young men had con- students each year. “Almost without fail,” 5K run and other fun. The famed lizard spired to place a living toad in the he says, “the highlight for the students is is also commemorated in displays at the cornerstone in February 1928 and were when I take the casket out of its locked Eastland County Museum and in the surprised at the excitement generated by enclosure and let them see Old Rip up museum’s Old Drip’s Coffee Shoppe. their prank. close.” In his 1965 book, The Story of Old Rip, For his part, O’Brien good-naturedly Writer and author Gene Fowler specializes in

DAVE SHAFER Eastlander H.V. O’Brien Jr., who admin- concludes, “Do you believe it or don’t you? art and history.

TexasCoopPower.com June 2020 Texas Co-op Power 23 Observations

Another Culture

An author studied family histories and perspectives of the Hill Country community known as the cedar choppers

BY KEN ROBERTS Let me begin with a story from 1963, Austinite could still marvel that “within when we were seniors at Austin High— sight of the Capitol dome live moun- two couples looking for something differ- taineers who speak a dialect and get their ent to do on a summer night. We drove out water from springs,” according to a pas- U.S. 183 toward Burnet and came upon the sage in the book Texian Stomping Grounds. Hilltop Inn, all lit up with lots of cars and Mountain cedar (Ashe juniper) had trucks parked outside. always been valuable because it has a heart The people inside—the picture is of dark, oil-permeated wood that lasts for etched in my mind—were dancing. There decades. When farms were turned to pas- were couples, but there were also women ture after World War II, the demand for with women and children with children. cedar fence posts soared. With nothing Some women were—I swear—wearing but an old truck and an ax, a man could gingham dresses and bonnets. make as much money in two days cutting A man inside stepped in front of us. He cedar as a week working in one of the local looked us up and down. We were wearing quarries. shorts, and not just any shorts but the Cedar choppers were some of the most newest rage, madras plaid shorts. He said, independent laborers in America: They “You’re not welcome here,” and shut the had no boss, no land to farm, and they could door. sell their cedar anywhere. They took orders We had stepped into the world of the from nobody, accepting the money society cedar choppers. Decades later, I would spend offered but rejecting its routines. Their about five years researching the history of defining characteristics became fierce this community for my book, The Cedar independence and a combative directness Choppers: Life on the Edge of Nothing. in dealing with the outside world. The cedar choppers were descen- The emergence of Austin as a metro- dants of Scots-Irish immigrants who had politan area brought cedar choppers and migrated from the hills of Appalachia their coarse ways into stark contrast after the Civil War. They replicated their with the genteel urban population. “Cedar Appalachian way of life in the cedar brakes chopper” became a pejorative term, like of the Texas Hill Country, where they Okie in California. Strong as they were raised large families in shabby housing from cutting cedar with an ax, they didn’t without plumbing and survived by grow- hesitate to fight back. Frank Wilson, ing some corn, raising some stock, hunt- who knew cedar chopper families, said in ing, making moonshine and turning cedar a 1978 interview at the Austin History into charcoal and posts. Center, “They were very independent and When the agricultural economy of the very proud people—and aggressive, very South crashed during the Depression and aggressive.” This clash of cultures became farmers left in droves, this lifestyle en- the story I wanted to tell. abled them to hang on. As late as 1941, an My first interview was with Ronnie

24 Texas Co-op Power June 2020 TexasCoopPower.com

Earl and Leona Roberts, who as intermarried and raised families. To have on. What did you think about that?” Townsend and fam- a kid had loaded a chance of understanding them, I knew I “Terrible,” he replied. “When you didn’t ily, cedar choppers cedar onto trucks had to know these connections. I had to have no shoes. And the end of your toes in Marble Falls. at his grandpar- create a big family tree. By the time I fin- were bloody because you stubbed them on ents’ yard in Oak ished over a year later, it encompassed the rocks. You felt terrible because people Hill, then a community southwest of more than 2,500 related individuals and looked at you. They don’t know how to deal Austin. He told me that his father, grand- demonstrated that most of the cedar chop- with you. Very degrading.” father and great-grandfather had all been pers in the Hill Country counties were kin They wanted to talk about their lives cedar choppers, living along Barton Creek, to one another. and share the uniqueness of their upbring- west of Austin. His dad owned a cedar yard As I got to know them better, I became ing and what it was like to grow up working outside Kerrville and was an upstanding more direct as I gathered oral histories. I in the brakes. They were proud of their citizen and a deacon of the church. But asked Alice Patterson, “Did y’all ever feel, fortitude and far enough from some of the Ronnie’s older brother died at 6 of a brain when you went into Austin, that some of painful aspects that they could talk openly. tumor, and things fell apart. His dad started the people in Austin kind of looked down The heyday of the cedar choppers that drinking, and his mom committed suicide. at you as country folk?” began in the 1940s ended abruptly with In 1958, Ronnie and his three sisters moved She replied, “You know what? It didn’t the introduction of steel fence posts in the in with their grandparents at the cedar yard. bother me. They do. They did.” 1960s, but the story lives on. I was stunned by his honesty and by “They did?” Ken Roberts, a member of Pedernales EC, has the responsibility of telling his and other “Yeah, they did. And I didn’t know it.” lived on a ranch outside Liberty Hill for the past 45 stories—not in generalities but as actual I asked Don Simons, “How did you guys years. He retired as a professor from Southwest- events in the lives of people whose parents, feel when you came into town and you saw ern University, where he researched the effects of grandparents and great-grandparents had these nice green lawns, and these guys economic change on rural people in Mexico and

COURTESY TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY PRESSgrown up in the hills, worked together, walking around with their white golf shoes China. Contact him at thecedarchoppers.com.

TexasCoopPower.com June 2020 Texas Co-op Power 25 SUMMER SAVINGS!

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28 Texas Co-op Power June 2020 TexasCoopPower.com Texas History An Alternate Reality

John Howard Griffin darkened his skin to try to understand racial attitudes in the South

BY MELISSA GASKILL

Without becoming a black man, author John Howard Griffin inquired in 1959, how could a white man hope to learn the truth about racial suppression? So, Griffin used medication to temporarily darken his skin and then traveled through the South as a black man for more than a month. His experiences formed the basis for Black Like Me, his 1960 book that has sold more than 10 million copies. June 16 marks the 100th anniversary of Griffin’s birth in Dallas. He was edu- cated in France and spent time in an abbey contemplating a religious vocation, then served in the U.S. military 1942–1945, suf- fering a shrapnel injury that caused him to lose his sight. John Howard Griffin, cluding Martin Julie Hudson specializes in African He lived with his parents in Mansfield left, shares a meal Luther King Jr. American women’s literature at Huston- until he married Elizabeth Holland in at Sterling Williams’ Griffin received Tillotson University in Austin. “I think shoeshine stand. 1952. Five years later, Griffin’s sight re- death threats and the book is important,” she says, “espe- turned, and he described the experience was hanged in effigy cially for a white audience, because it pro- in the book Scattered Shadows and in in Texas, causing him to move his family vides some insight into what it means to stories for The Dallas Times Herald. He to Mexico for nine months. He eventually be black in America and into the issue of also wrote syndicated columns for the cut back on his speaking, saying he found race and the implications of racism and International News Service and King Fea- it absurd to presume to speak for black hatred. There was so much anger in his tures and became an accomplished pho- people when there were superlative black community [in response to the book] tographer. voices to do so. because he was presenting the truth to In an epilogue for a later printing of Griffin developed diabetes and died in people who didn’t want to face it, or didn’t Black Like Me, Griffin wrote, “I learned 1980 at age 60. His friend Robert Bonazzi, care, or were embarrassed by it.” within a very few hours that no one was who later married Elizabeth, wrote several Of course, she adds, Griffin always knew judging me by my qualities as a human indi- books based on Griffin’s journals. “He felt that he could return to his white life, which vidual and everyone like he had an effect with his efforts, cer- likely informed his writing. And while his was judging me by tainly back then,” Bonazzi says from his family did have to flee, the furor died down my pigment.” Moti- WEB EXTRAS home in Austin. “Not too many white men and they were able to return home. a Read this vated by that injus- would take on a black look and venture out “The book still resonates today,” says story on our tice, he gave hun- into the world. It was brave and reckless, Bonazzi. “He is much less known than he website to see dreds of lectures but he thought it was time for a white man should be.” more photos. and befriended civil to experience what a black man did, and Read more about Melissa Gaskill’s work at

DON RUTLEDGE | COURTESY WINGS PRESSrights leaders, in- there was only one way to do that.” melissagaskill.blogspot.com.

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THE BEST OF TY P I CA L LY Texas Co-op Power presents a collection of best-loved recipes from two of our most popular cookbooks ever, the Typically TEXAS Texas Cookbook and The Second Typically Texas Cookbook. — — COOKBOOK This cookbook is filled with more than 700 recipes, including more than 300 dessert recipes. Order online at TexasCoopPower.com and put The Best of Typically Texas Cookbook in your kitchen for only $29.95 (price includes tax, shipping and handling). To order by mail, send a check or money order payable to TEC for $29.95 to Best of Typically Texas Cookbook, 1122 Colorado St., 24th Floor, $29.95 Austin, TX 78701. FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF TEXAS CO-OP POWER From the publishers of Texas Co-op Power Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.

30 Texas Co-op Power June 2020 TexasCoopPower.com Recipes Texas Wine Harvest

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to go on a tour of Lubbock-area wineries. Because of the High Plains’ semiarid climate, the region is ideal for viticulture and is now one of the top wine-producing areas in the country. Mediterranean varietals love the Texas heat, so look for viognier, rous- sanne, marsanne, vermentino and trebbiano for white wines and tem- pranillo, tannat, mourvèdre, grenache and sangiovese, among others, for reds, says certified wine educator Denise Clarke. While these wines may not be as familiar or easy to pro- nounce, give them a try and see what Texas has to offer. A great way to add wine to your table is with sangria, the ultimate sum- mer drink that is endlessly customiz- able. Sangria is most often made with red wines, but here I’ve used a Texas rosé to pair with juicy summer fruits. Making it ahead of time ensures the flavors from the fruit and wine are well blended. MEGAN MYERS, FOOD EDITOR

Rosé Sangria 1 bottle (750 milliliters) rosé wine 1 cup orange juice ¼ cup vodka 1 cup quartered strawberries 2 peaches, sliced ½ cup raspberries

1. Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and stir well. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or until ready to serve. 2. To serve, stir sangria to recombine any settled juices. Fill glasses halfway with ice, then pour in sangria. Use a ladle or serving spoon to add an extra scoop of fruit from the pitcher into each glass and serve. a Serves 6.

Follow along with Megan Myers and her adventures in the kitchen at stetted.com, where she features a recipe for Lemon

MEGAN MYERS Sage Mustard.

June 2020 Texas Co-op Power 31 Recipes ¼ 4 yellowpotatoes,small pounds 1½ 2 ½ 1 4 1 Texas cups wine red 1½ 4 1 ¼ pepper,black ground teaspoons 1½ use divided salt, sea teaspoons2½ 2 4 LambStew TexasHarvestWine ½-inch pieces ½-inch pieces 1-inch quarteredinto halvedor sliced thickly use divided pieces 1½-inch into cut excess shoulder,of fat,trimmed strips cup finelycupchopped parsley, forgarnish into cut and peeled carrots, medium leavesbay thyme dried teaspoon tomatopastetablespoon stock or broth beef cups mushrooms,button pound clovesminced garlic, dicedyellowlargeonion, flour cup lamb or lamb of leg boneless pounds ¼-inch into chopped bacon,ounces THIS MONTH’S RECIPE CONTEST WINNER CONTEST RECIPE MONTH’S THIS tempranilloin the stew and to pair with the final dish. anyleftovers going to waste. Yuhn recommends using asangiovese or MELODY YUHN YUHN MELODY Thissucculent lamb stew is even better the next day, so don’t worry about | CENTRAL TEXAS EC TEXAS CENTRAL | flour and toss to coat. to toss and flour pepper.with teaspoon Sprinkle 1 and salt teaspoons 1½ with pieces 5. 5. 4. 3. 2. pot. out wipe not Do plate. large a to bacon transfer slottedspoon, a Using released. is fat and browned until bacon sauté heat, medium overoven Dutch 5-quart a 1. submerged in liquid, and bring to a boil. rots,making surepotatoes aremostly and bay leaves. Stir in potatoes and car- salt,½teaspoon pepper, dried thyme addbroth, tomato paste, 1teaspoon andcook 1hour 45 minutes. Garnish minutes.10 uncovered cook simmer,to then mushrooms,bring sliced Add deglaze. to pan the of tom bot-the scraping stantly.wine, Add con- stirring minute, another cook and garlic minutes.Add 2 sauté and pot the to onion diced Add bacon. with plate the to transfer then side) per minutes (3–4 browned until heat medium over grease bacon withparsley when serving. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.In 325 to oven Preheat Cover,carefully transfer to oven Cook lamb in two batches in hot in batches two in lamb Cook While bacon cooks, season lamb cooks,season bacon While Return bacon and lamb to pot and ENTER ONLINE ENTER Theholidays are aperfect time for a Colorado St., 24thFloor,Colorado78701;TXSt., Austin, co-op and the name of the contestyouthe areentering. of name the and co-op number,yourphone plus addressyourand name, Include Swap ourreaders. Enter our November contest special by $500 Recipe Contest Recipe $500 COOK’STIP June10 pressurecooker to save time. Use the sauté setting for the first fewstepsfirst the for setting sauté andset for 40 minutes at high pres- .Share your go-to swap recipe with surewith a natural pressure release. TexasCo-op Power at TexasCoopPower.com/contests;at .Featured recipes willreceive a Prepare this recipe in a in recipePrepare this apron. FAX a to (512) 763-3401.(512)to Serves8. MAIL Cookie to 1122 to to another container to freeze. to container another to immediately,Serve frozen.transfer or is mixtureslowly. entire until Process mixture into wine pour freeze), to beginning is mixture (when minutes 15 facturer’sabout instructions.After manu- to according process and maker overnight. or hours 2–3 refrigerate and spout pour a has that bowl a into blender.immersion Pourmixture or blend well. blend to Whisk mixture. to cinnamon and then bring syrup to a boil. a to syrup bring then water,in salt and sugar dissolve heat, 1. 1 1 1 zestorange tablespoon 1 2 3 ¾ 1 the sugar,on cup depending ¾–1 nesswilldetermine theamount sugarofto use. Tastetheplumsbefore making this;their sweet- REISS BARBARA WineWithSorbet Plum 2 ¼ ¼ 1 dishes. chickenfor perfect is that wine white a albariño,Cellars McPherson with Petersenrecommendspairing PETERSEN LAMONT TomatoDried Sauce Cream Sun- WithBreastChicken a 5. 4. 3. 5–10minutes. honey,thick very about of consistency the is mixture the until masher potato a with quently,plums mashing while 2. sauvignon blanc sauvignon plums)large 3–4 (about plums red plums sweetnessof tomatoes thighs on trimmed fat thighs, Makes 2 pints. 2 Makes In a large saucepan over medium oversaucepan Inlarge a Transfer mixture to an ice cream ice an to mixture Transfer Let cool, then purée using a standard a using purée then cool, Let Stir in plums and cook, stirring fre- stirring cook, and plums in Stir Once chilled, add juice, zest, vanilla zest, juice, add chilled, Once cup chilled dry white wine, such as such wine, white dry chilled cup cinnamon teaspoon extractvanillateaspoon juiceorange tablespoons chopped and pitted peeled, cups watercup salt kosher pinch tablespoons oil from jar of sun-dried of jar from oil tablespoons pepper,teaspoonuse divided use divided salt, teaspoon or breastschicken skin-on pound | PEDERNALES EC PEDERNALES | | NAVARRO COUNTY EC COUNTY NAVARRO | TexasCoopPower.com

YUHN: COURTESY MELODY YUHN. STEW: MEGAN MYERS. BACKGROUND: ZOOMTEAM | DOLLAR PHOTO CLUB ½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, slightly thickened. 1 teaspoon ground black pepper drained and sliced 6. Serve chicken over pasta or rice with the ½ cup blue cheese crumbles ½ cup finely chopped shallots pan sauce and top with parsley. a Serves 4. 4 large sesame buns ½ cup dry white wine 4 lettuce leaves ½ cup heavy cream COOK’S TIP You can use onion in place of the 1 tomato, sliced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley shallots. If you do, add a finely chopped clove of garlic. 1. In a medium saucepan, bring wine, 1. Sprinkle chicken with half the salt onion, butter, rosemary and brown sugar and pepper and set aside. to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and 2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium Gary's Wino Burgers simmer about 30 minutes, until liquid is heat. Add chicken skin-side down to GARY HEATHCOTT | SAN PATRICIO EC reduced to ⅓ cup. Remove from heat. skillet and cook until golden brown, While the recipe calls for zinfandel or cabernet 2. In a small skillet, heat oil. When shim- about 15 minutes. Turn chicken and cook sauvignon, Heathcott recommends serving the mering, add mushrooms and sauté until another 15–20 minutes, until it reaches burgers with a pinot noir. tender. Stir in the garlic and sauté for 165 degrees in the thickest part. Transfer another minute or until fragrant. Set aside. to a plate and cover to keep warm. 1½ cups red wine, such as zinfandel 3. Place ground beef in a medium bowl 3. Add sun-dried tomatoes and shallots or cabernet sauvignon and mix with salt, pepper and wine to the pan. Cook, stirring, 1–2 minutes. 2 tablespoons finely chopped sweet onion sauce. Form into 4 patties and place on 4. Add wine to pan and scrape up any 2 tablespoons (¼ stick) butter a hot grill. Cook burgers to about 145 browned bits to deglaze. Continue to 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary degrees. Place a spoonful of blue cheese cook until the liquid has mostly evapo- 1½ teaspoons brown sugar on top of each burger and continue to rated, about 2 minutes. 1½ tablespoons olive oil cook to about 155 degrees for medium- 5. Reduce heat and stir in cream, any 4 ounces portobello mushrooms, sliced well doneness. accumulated juices from the resting 2 cloves garlic, minced 4. Dress burgers on toasted buns with chicken and the remaining salt and 1½ pounds lean ground beef mushrooms, lettuce and tomato. pepper. Simmer about 2 minutes, until 1 teaspoon salt a Serves 4.

BRENDA HARDESTY ELDORADO SECOND HARVEST FOOD PANTRY provides monthly food distributions to more thatn 60 households. N E X T M O N T H POWER OF OUR PEOPLE | SEPTEMBER 2019 PALO DURO LOVE LETTERS Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings captured the Panhandle; her wistful writings brought it to life. NO LONGER A YANKEE After a POWER half-century here, a Michigan native decides she can call herself a Texan. OF OUR

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TexasCoopPower.com June 2020 Texas Co-op Power 33 Focus on Texas State Parks

Our parks offer so many options for adventure. Take in the views as readers enjoy rock climbing, camping, stargazing and more. GRACE FULTZ

WEB EXTRAS a See Focus on Texas on our website for more photos from readers.

o APRIL COKER, Wood County EC: Coker’s 1962 Scotsman Scotty “Miss Millie” all decked out for the holidays at Tyler State Park.

g CHARLES BAXTER, CoServ: “Capitol Mesa and moon in Palo Duro Canyon State Park.”

o STEVE COYLE, Pedernales EC: “Anyone who says Texas doesn’t have nice fall colors just hasn’t looked in the right place. Although the fall colors were past their prime in many parts of Martin Dies Jr. State Park during our visit, there were still a few pockets.”

a ELLEN BEAR, Concho Valley EC: “I was at San Angelo State Park when these javelinas appeared to snack on the birdseed.”

34 Texas Co-op Power June 2020 TexasCoopPower.com AROUND TEXAS a TCP’s monthly list of local events has been suspended due to COVID-19 cancellations. Always call or check an event’s website for scheduling details.

g TRAVIS LACOSS, Pedernales EC: “Hiking to Big Cave at Palo Duro Canyon State Park.”

o CAROLINA BURGOS-CALDERON, Bluebonnet EC: “McKinney Falls State Park was magical with fall color and snow and crystal accents.”

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Enter online at TexasCoopPower.com/Contests. o VALERIE JOHNSON, Pedernales EC: “Quiet and shade on Caddo Lake.”

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hft_texascoop_0620_M-REG168854.indd 1 4/22/20 2:41 PM Hit the Road With Chet Garner Orange Inspiration Houston folk art installation is a mashup devoted to its creator’s favorite fruit

As someone who grew up in South- east Texas, I know the heat and humidity can drive a person to the brink of insanity. I believe it can also fuel an intense creativ- ity and artistic vision. Mix this inspiration with lots of vitamin C, and you have the formula for one of the strangest art instal- lations in the world: the Orange Show. After navigating Houston’s urban maze, I turned into a neighborhood near the University of Houston, searching for a building-sized work of art. Even though I could see only modest midcentury houses, my phone assured me I was headed in the right direction. Then I found it: one of the Orange is the new unrelated clothing: art experience—and visionary art—acces- state’s preeminent folk art installations. Chet at Houston’s One with a hook for sible to the public. Nearby is the founda- From the street, its colorful wrought-iron Orange Show. a hand stood near a tion’s newest project, Smither Park, with railings and white stucco walls made it clown who had found meandering paths and bright, mosaic- resemble an abandoned carnival attrac- happiness by drinking cold, fresh orange covered walls created to honor McKissack. tion. I imagined circus music as I stepped juice. Another was Santa’s son, in full Christ- Some folks might wonder why this inside the Orange Show, but what I expe- mastime regalia, hoping to plant oranges mashup of materials should be considered rienced was beauty and intrigue. for everyone. Each display balanced be- art, but that’s what makes folk art so amaz- The installation began to take shape in tween charmingly whimsical and down- ing. It’s usually created by artists without 1956, when postal worker Jeff McKissack right creepy. formal training. Did McKissack know that decided that the world needed to know Outside, I climbed strange staircases he was creating art? Maybe not. But there’s about the health benefits of his favorite fruit and discovered two open-air stages sur- no doubt he loved building it and sharing and how hard work and good nutrition were rounded by 80 metal tractor seats. Above both his talents and love for citrus with the secret to a long and productive life. Even the stages fluttered 45 metal birds and 10 the world. though he had no formal training in the waving Texas flags. The largest arena was Walking through the Orange Show is a arts, McKissack picked up scraps of lumber a “pond” that didn’t hold water but did stroll through the creative process. It’s from trash piles and shopped flea markets hold a stationary boat. What baffled me weird. It’s wonderful. And it’s confusing. and, piece by piece, created a maze of stair- more than the art was the fact that McKis- I left not really knowing what I had just cases, doorways and stages. It’s an orange- sack had welded, paved and painted the experienced, and I was thirsty for a big, themed fantasy world. entire experience by himself. cold glass of orange juice. Past the front gate, every turn revealed McKissack lived next door to his cre- Chet Garner shares his Texplorations as the diagrams of orange-promoting propaganda. ation and worked tirelessly on the project host of The Daytripper on PBS. Phrases like “Go Orange. Be Strong” and until his death in 1980. Soon after, Hous- “Love Me Orange” were inscribed in mosaics ton’s art community formed a trust to WEB EXTRAS a Read this story on our across the walls. Dioramas housed a half- steward the property. Today, the Orange . website to see Chet’s video of the

dozen mannequins dressed in seemingly Show Center for Visionary Art makes the Orange Show. Call or go online to plan a visit. COURTESY CHET GARNER

38 Texas Co-op Power June 2020 TexasCoopPower.com

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WHARTON COUNTY ELECTRIC JUNE 17, 2020 COOPERATIVE, INC.

DISTRICT #2 DISTRICT #5 DISTRICT ##8

Taiton, New Taiton and North Pierce, Friendly CornersCorners,, EEastast Danevang, East Midfield, Jones Creek CrescentCrescent,, Lakeview and GGlenlen Flora El Dorado and Clemville

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______ Samuel Craig Hardin ______Write-in WriteWrite--in ______Write-Write in

WHARTON COUNTY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE 2020 ANNUAL MEETING

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