Albemarle Soundsis published monthly by

Albemarle Electric Membership Corporation

P.O. Box 69Hertford, NC 27944 (252) 426-5735

Gary RayGeneral Manager

Chris PowellEditor

Visit our Web site at:www.aemc.coopFor outages, call1-800-274-2072

We are members of NC 811. Call 811 or 1-800-632-4949

two business days before you plan to dig. They will contact us to locate any underground

electric lines. It’s the law.

Annual Meeting ApproachesThe Albemarle EMC Annual Meeting

is set for Saturday, Sept. 12 at Perquimans County High School, in Hertford.

Member registration will begin at 12:30 p.m. Hotdogs and beverages will be served from 12:30 to 1:30, and entertainment will be available in the auditorium, beginning at 1:15. The meeting will begin promptly at 2 p.m.

For the past several years, your annual report has been attached to the September issue of Carolina Country magazine. We ask that you detach the annual report, which includes your registration and proxy card. Please bring the registration card to the Annual Meeting. The barcode on the card will speed up registration.

In the event you will not be able to attend, we suggest that you execute your proxy card to allow another person to vote on your behalf at the meeting. Follow the instructions on the proxy card and mail the card in or bring it to our office. The co-op must receive the proxies on or before Sept. 9. This gives the co-op time to validate the proxies. No altered cards will be accepted.

Members must register before 2 p.m. Each member will receive a $2 bill and a gift prior to the meeting.

In recognition of our anniversary year, the co-op will conduct a special drawing for those members who are seated in the auditorium between 1:15 and 2 p.m., when the musicians are performing. When entering the auditorium, each person will receive a program with a number on it. Between each song, a number will be called out, and the person with the program with that number will receive a prize. Please note that we will also hold drawings at the end of the meeting, as in

previous years.If Albemarle EMC has a contested

election, members may cast their votes prior to the beginning of the meeting or during the business meeting. A locked ballot box will be available.

During the business session, you will elect three directors. Incumbent directors up for re-election this year are: Glenn Carey, Camden; John Spence, Pasquotank; and Virgie Whitehurst, all counties.

Cert. Earned

Lessons Funded

An Albemarle Community Trust grant provided swimming lessons for Perquimans County kindergartners.

Lineman apprentice Broc Sutton earned his Underground Line Construction I certification.

August 2015 Proudly serving the members of Albemarle Electric Membership Corporation

Albemarle EMC Carolina Country August 2015 21

Section 3.01 Annual MeetingFor the purposes of electing Directors,

hearing and passing upon reports covering the previous fiscal year, and transacting such other business as may properly come before the Members, an annual meeting of the Members shall be held during September or October of each year, at such place in one of the North Carolina counties served by the Cooperative, and beginning at such hour, as the Board of Directors shall from year to year fix. Failure to hold the annual meeting at the designated time and place shall not work a forfeiture or dissolution of the Cooperative.

Section 3.03 Notice of Member Meetings (Excerpts)

Written or printed notice of the place, day, and hour of a Member meeting, and, in the case of a special Member meeting or of an annual Member meeting at which business requiring special notice is to be transacted, the purpose or purposes of the meeting, shall, except as provided otherwise by these Bylaws, be delivered by mail to each Member entitled to vote not less than fifteen (15) nor more than forty calendar days (40) before the date of the meeting.

If a written notice or report is part of a newsletter, magazine, or other publication regularly sent to Members and addressed or delivered to the addresses shown in the Cooperative’s Membership List, such notice or report constitutes written notice sufficient to fulfill the notice required hereby.

Any member who desires to ask

a question during the annual meeting must submit their inquiry in writing at the Cooperative’s office, located at 125 Cooperative Way, Hertford, no later than 10 days prior to the published annual meeting date.Section 3.06 Credentials and Election

CommitteeThe Board of Directors shall, at least

thirty (30) days before any meeting of the Members, appoint a Credentials and Election Committee consisting of an uneven number of Members, not less than four (4) nor more than eleven (11), who are not Directors, Cooperative employees, Close Relatives (as that term is defined in Section 11.01 of these Bylaws), Members of the same household of existing Directors, Cooperative employees, or known candidates for Directorships to be voted upon at such meeting. In appointing the Committee, the Board shall have regard for equitable representation of the five (5) Directorate Districts served by the Cooperative.

It shall be the responsibility of the Credentials and Election Committee to:

(a.) Elect its own Chairperson and Secretary prior to the Member meeting;

(b.) Decide issues arising hereunder with respect to Director qualifications;

(c.) Establish or approve the manner of conducting Member registration and any voting;

(d.) Pass upon all questions that may arise with respect to the registration of Members in person or by proxy;

(e.) Count, or supervise the counting of, all ballots cast in any election or in

any other ballot vote taken;(f.) Rule upon the effect of any

ballots or votes irregularly or indecisively marked; and

(g.) Pass upon any protest or objection filed with respect to any election or to conduct affecting the results of any election or voting.

In the event of a protest or objection concerning any vote taken, such protest or objection must be filed in writing before 5:00 p.m. on the third (3rd) business day following the adjournment of the Member meeting at which the voting was conducted. The Committee shall thereupon be reconvened upon notice from its Chairperson not less than seven (7) days after such protest or objection is filed. The Committee shall hear such reasonable evidence as is presented by the protestor(s) or objector(s), who may be heard in person, by counsel, or both. The Committee, by a vote of a majority of those present and voting, shall, within a reasonable time but not later than thirty (30) days after such hearing, render its decision, which may be either to affirm or change the results of the voting or to set aside such voting or election. The Committee’s decision (as reflected by a majority of those actually present and voting) on all such matters shall be final. The failure of the Cooperative or Credentials and Elections Committee to act as required by this Section shall not, by itself, affect any vote, Director Election, or other action taken at a Member meeting.

Bylaws Regarding Albemarle EMC’s Annual Meeting

Early Bird Deadline Approaching

Teachers who apply for a Bright Ideas grant before Aug. 14 will be entered into an early bird drawing for a Visa gift card.

To apply, visit www.NCBrightideas.com. Teachers can apply individually or as a team. Each year, Albemarle EMC awards about $10,000 in grants. Grants are awarded to fund innovative classroom projects that, otherwise, would lack funding.

The deadline to apply for a grant is Sept. 18.

Certification Achieved

James Whitfield, coordinator of technical services, recently became Network + certified. Next he intends to begin pursuing the Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert certifications.

Albemarle EMC Carolina Country AUGUST 2015 22

How Albemarle EMC works to provide its members with the highest-quality service possible.

Albemarle EMC is at Your Service

Annual Meetings: A History of InclusivenessEvery Albemarle EMC Annual

Meeting is special. But this year’s should be even more so, because we will be celebrating 70 years of service to the Albemarle region.

For any company to stay in business for 70 years is an achievement worthy of celebration. In recognition of our anniversary year, the co-op will conduct a special drawing for those members who are seated in the auditorium between 1:15 and 2 p.m., when the musicians are performing. When entering the auditorium, each person will receive a program with a number on it. Between each song, a number will be called out, and the person with that number will receive a prize. We will also hold drawings at the end of the meeting, as in previous years. In addition, we will show a video compilation of interviews done with retired Albemarle EMC employees, current directors and a longtime member. Each of these interviews is a time machine taking us back to different periods in the development of the co-op. Some of those interviewed were alive during that transformative era when rural America was being electrified. Listening to them describe how life was prior to electricity is both riveting and humbling. The challenges of modern America seem trivial when compared to those of pre-electricity rural America.

Two of the interviews are with retired linemen who look back at their careers and describe the changes they witnessed during their tenure. One interview is with a longtime member, whose relationship with the co-op spans many decades.

Those attending the meeting this year will be treated to a musical performance by Perquimans County High School

musicians. The co-op will also serve a hotdog lunch, with popcorn, drinks and snacks. Members will receive the traditional $2 bills and a 70th-anniversary gift.

One of the best parts of the meeting

is a chance to socialize with friends and neighbors. Albemarle EMC employees will be on hand to answer any questions members may have. Also the Albemarle EMC Board of Directors will be available prior to the start of the meeting. Each year, we invite legislators to attend the meeting, so members will likely have an opportunity to meet with their state representatives. And of course, we will have an election to fill three directors’ seats.

Speeches will also be given to update members on the health and direction of the co-op. In addition, we plan to have a special Albemarle EMC history table to display some of the items from our

past. Included in these are a vintage mechanical meter, an old camera, meter tester and photographs from bygone eras.

Looking back at some of the old black and white photos of Annual Meetings long ago, it’s fun to imagine how things have changed and how they have stayed the same. The clothing was sure different. In some of the oldest photos, the women mostly wore dresses, and most men wore slacks and a dress shirt. The prize giveaways tended to be actual items such as toaster ovens and fans. We can only guess at what the speeches must have been about, likely the challenges of growing a budding co-op and how electrical service was being rolled out to new members as fast as possible.

All of us, members, employees and directors alike, are part of this storied tradition. The success of Albemarle EMC is a testament to a business philosophy that puts ownership of a power provider in the hands of the people being served. From the beginning, Albemarle EMC has been member-owned and member-governed. It is a business philosophy that harnessed the work ethic and ingenuity of everyday folk to create one of the most successful systems of power distribution ever known. Without electrification, rural America would have suffered mightily, preventing generations of people from ever reaching their full potential.

It has been said that electric co-op members drink from a well they didn’t dig. All of us owe a debt to those who came before us to build this cooperative into what it is today. The only way we can ever repay that debt is by continuing that good work so that when future generations look back to our time, they too feel the need to continue this legacy.

A prize drawing is conducted at an Annual Meeting several years ago.

Albemarle EMC Carolina Country AUGUST 2015 23

ABALOS LARRY/MARY J ADAMS AUDREY L ALLIGOOD AUTO SERVICE ALLRED PEGGY R ATKINSON HARRIETTE S AUSTIN JOEY RUSSELL BALL ROBERT K/DEBORAH BARDEN ISABELL C BARTON CLYDE L BATEMAN ESTELLE BAYNARD DENNIS B BAYNOR PATRICK M BEASLEY LILLIE BEAUMONT ROBERT/EVELYN BECK JOHN GENTRY BEECH SANDRA W BOSTON WILLIAM E BOUCH GRAHAM E BOWMAN BRENDA/S W JR BOYD JOHN W BRADLEY YVONNE A BRAZELL GABRIEL H/AMBER D BREITENSTEIN REED A BROEME OTTO F BROWN GLORIA BUNCH NORMAN E BUNCH RAYMOND B JR BUNCH WILLIAM R BUNDY THOMAS L BURKE LUKE CABELL LAURIE A CALDWELL ENTERPRISES CARDWELL LELIA F CARON DOLORES E CARTER ANNA CARTER CLARK T CASPER PENNY MARIE CHERRY ANNETTE E CHESSON LUEVERN CLARK ED CLASPELL DAVID W CLAY PRESTON R COLE CAROLYN E COLSON BRUCE A MRS COPELAND BRENDA COPELAND DALE CARSON COPELAND DENISE COPELAND MARY ANN COPELAND SCOTT/ELAINE CORBIN RICHARD P CORNELIUS GEORGE F COSTNER LINDA COUGHTREY-DAVENPORT KAREN COWELL HARRY W CURTIS PAUL A DANCE CHESTER L DAYE JUDY R DECAMP KATHLEEN DICKINSON HAROLD F DISCOUNT AUTO SALVAGE DIXON ROYCE G/LYDIA DOUGHTY EDWARD EDWARDS GERALD D EDWARDS MAY A ELEY DELORES B ELLISON ALAN/JOYCE ETHERIDGE LINWOOD/WANDA EVANS FRANCIS E/MARY FARLEY FRANCES M FEESER CARL/CLAIRE FENNELL BOBBY G

FERRELL PAMELA S FLANAGAN SHERRI FORREST KIMBERLY A FOSTER RUTH A FRED WEBB INC FURMAN LEMUEL W JR GALLOP GEORGE GALLUP CLIFTON E/DORIS GANSHAW RONALD J GETZ JOHN DARRYL GILLIAM CLAYTON GODFREY KAREN F GODWIN DENNIS J/SHARON GRAHAM ROBERT L GRAYSON THOMAS F GREEN ANNIE GRIFFIN BRIAN T/KAREN GRIFFIN GIDEON C GRIFFIN JAMES E HADDEN GORDON H HARRELL ANDY G HARRIS DAVID C HARRIS DEBORAH HARRIS DONNA B HARRIS J J JR HARVEY JANICE S HATHAWAY MARTHA HEATH JOHN C III HEATH SHELLEY HEATON TRISTAN/PATRICIA HEBERT MICHAEL J HENDRIX BARBARA HERSHLEY LINDA HIERS STEVEN J HILL MICHAEL/TERESA HOBBS D T HOFFMAN THOMAS R HOLCOMB CLELLA S HOLDAWAY JEAN K HOLLAND (R W) INC HOLLOWELL SHIRLEY W HOLTS ARVARD J HOWARD MARY HUFTON WILLIAM E HUGGINS THOMAS HULETT ROGER I/AUDREY HUMPHRIES DANIEL/DIANE HURDLE JOHNNIE M JACQUELINES GIFTS JENNETTE CARLA JEPSON GINA K JOHNSON CHERYL B JOHNSON MARILYN JOHNSON WALTER M JONES ELLSWORTH JONES JOHN J JONES PHILLIP TIMOTHY JONES RICHARD J/ALICE KAFFENBERGER TIMOTHY/EMO KAHN DAN NATHAN KING ANDREW S P KING WILLIAM E JR KIRBY BARRY A LAFONTAINE HARRY R LANCE SHANNON MATHIS LANGEVIN ERNEST A JR LAVOIE REGINALD D LAWRENCE JUANITA H LEMMOND FRED LESLIE DOROTHY/RASHFORD LEWIS BENNETT BERRY II LITTLE MARGARET A

LOFTIN JO ELLEN LUNDY BRENDA A LUPTON GENE H/TONYA JR LUTON WILLIAM E MABINE LOUIS/EVELYN MAGRINI JEAN G/DON A MALLORY PENNIE H MANGER STEPHEN P MANN LEE MANSFIELD DONALD R JR MARRINER MARY STREET MARRINER TOMMY G MASON PATRICIA WARD MATTHEWS HELENA S MCCOY JOHN MCFADDEN DAVIS L MCKOUEN MICHAEL G MCNEILL WILLIAM D MORGAN ROSETTA W MORING MARK B MORRISON GORDON NEALLY WILLIAM P NELSON JULIA S NIXON JOHNNY FRANK NIXON THOMAS C JR NOBLE RICHARD A O’CONNOR BOB OWENS CHESTER OWENS MICHAEL PALLEY RICHARD E PATRICK FRANK R PAUL CARROLL ENTERP PAXTON ELORES H PEARMAN GEORGE F ESTATE PECK EDWIN/JUDY PERRY LINDA G PERRY MARGIE PERRY WILMER MRS PETTUS JOSEPH F PIERCE DANNACE D PITTS BENJAMIN L JR POTTS LIONEL S SR PRIVOTT SARAH W REDD ISRAEL RICHARD JACKIE RICHARDSON CATHY L ROBISTOW BRUCE L ROGERSON ERMA ROLLINSON KIM ROSS ALAN/MARY LOU RUDISILL DARMIE NEAL JR RUIZ CYNTHIA SADLER HOWARD W/APRIL SANDERS CAROLYN S SANTACROCE SALVATORE S SAUNDERS JOE C SR SAWYER ANNA SAWYER GARY LEE SAWYER MARTIN SAWYER NORMAN D SAWYER TERISA H SCHOEN R P/MARION C SCHREIBER ERIC/ERICA SEELEY DONNA SEIDL VINCENT/NANCY SHAMBLE VICKIE E SHANNON THELMA SHARPE DENISE SHEPARD JAMES SHEPARD MELLIE J/LOIS H SHIFFLETT JOSEPH SKINNER ROSA

SKY TELEVISION LLC-WSKY-DT SLAUGHTER DAVID K SMITH EDDIE F SMITH JAMES N/PAMELA SMITH PEGGY T SNOWDEN AL J JR SPAETH DOUGLAS/BEA SPANGLER B W SPENCE ROY LEE SPIVEY RONALD W SPLENDORIO BLANCHE SPRUILL DAVID STAGAARD GORDON L STALLINGS DARRYL STALLINGS DENISE A STANDISH JEFFREY A STEPHENS NELSON STONE EDWARD W JR STONE YVONNE S STRICKLAND ROSCOE/BETTIE SWANNER EVELYN W TARHEEL MOTORS II TARKENTON HOPE HASLAM TAYLOR MARGARET TAYLOR RONALD LEE TAYLOR RYSON J TAYLOR VANESSA TERRANOVA CARL TERRY JANICE THACKER CLIFTON/VIVIAN JR THAYER JOHN A THEMIDES EVA D THEUT KIMBERLY THOMPSON DEBORAH J THOMPSON WILLIAM/KIM TRUETT ALICE H TUCKER JANE F TURNER VIRGIL J/CINDY U S CABLE TV GROUP UNDERWOOD ARLENE VANDEWALKER DONALD D JR VANN THOMAS D VILLARREAL RAMON S JR WALKER EUGENE WALTERS JOHN SCOTT WARD DAVID L WARREN KENNETH E WEATHERLY BRUCE L WEATHERLY GEORGE WELCH CLARENCE D WELCH GLORIA W WELSH RON/CHERYL WHITE CAROLYN O WHITE LYNN B WHITE WALLACE WHITLEY WILLIAM F JR WILKINS SIDNEY/KATHLEEN WILLIAMS HOWARD JR WILLIAMS JIM WILLIAMS JOYCE C WILLIAMS LISA/ROBERT WILLIAMS NELSON JR WILLIAMS SARAH A WILSON GILBERT STEVEN WILSON KEVIN W/JANET WINE RAYMOND L JR WISE LONNIE J/SUSAN WOJCIK JEANNETTE D YOUNG RODNEY ZAWACKI CLIFFORD P

When members move off of Albemarle EMC’s lines, they often forget to keep us updated with good addresses. This is important because we may have capital credits to return to you. In April of 2015, we issued checks to former members, refunding capital credits they had earned in previous years. The list below is composed of checks that were returned by the postal service marked “undeliverable as addressed.” If you see someone’s name on the list that you know, please have them call our office at 1 (252) 426-5735. We’ll need to confirm that they are the person we’re trying to reach and then update their mailing address so we can reissue their checks. If the person is deceased, the person that handled their estate needs to call so we can send them the appropriate form to apply for an estate refund.

Unclaimed Capital Credits

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