On Aug. 11, 1938, President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt traveled to
Barnesville, Georgia, to celebrate one
of the remarkable achievements of the
New Deal: the three-year-old Rural
Electrification Administration (REA).
On this day, 357 more rural Georgia
families would realize light and hope,
joining the more than three hundred
thousand farms and ranches the REA
had already electrified in its short
existence. Still, less than 22 percent of
the United States was electrified.
“Electricity is a modern necessity of
life, not a luxury,” FDR told the crowd
of 40,000 at the Gordon Military
College stadium. “That necessity
ought to be found in every village on
every farm in every part of the United
States.”
Progress was on the march throughout
the country, including right here in
our own backyard. Just two weeks
later on Aug. 26, 1938, Tippecanoe
and Montgomery county residents
gathered at the Linden School to
begin work on REA project “Indiana 55
Tippecanoe”. The REA later shortened
the name to Tipmont REMC.
79 years later, Tipmont’s membership
faces similar transformative
circumstances
that could
fundamentally
redefine how
Tipmont serves
you tomorrow.
Back in 2015, we
began deploying
fiber technology as
a communication
system to improve electric reliability
and operational efficiency. Today, we’re
nearing completion of the feasibility
studies which contemplate the possibility
of expanding our facilities to offer retail
Broadband services. The results of
these studies will guide Tipmont and its
board of directors as we evaluate this
important decision. Your input has been
critical to our effort. I’d like to thank each
of you for the feedback we’ve received
over last year.
Each year, we have the privilege of
inviting you and your family to our
Annual Meeting. During our business
meeting, I’ll cover our opportunities with
fiber in greater depth. I hope to visit with
as many of you as I can to hear your
thoughts.
I look forward to seeing you on July 29
at McCutcheon High School.
