Covington Electric Cooperative members are encouraged to attend the 2015 Annual Membership Meeting to be held Thursday, April 9, at the Kiwanis Community Center south of Andalusia on County Road 56 (South Bypass Highway 55).

CEC members, their families and friends, may attend this free event. Some seating will be available, but feel free to bring your lawn chairs.

Registration will begin at 3 p.m.; entertainment starts around 5 p.m.; and the business session begins at 7 p.m.

The Kempters, a popular family gospel group, and local group Fresh Anointing will entertain during the meeting.

CEC will host a member services booth to provide energy savings information as well a kid’s corner with face painting.

More than 30 attendance prizes will be given to lucky CEC members at this year’s meeting. The major prizes to be given away are: a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe; a

5’ x 10’ utility trailer; a flat screen TV; a $300 Visa Gift Card, a $200 Visa Gift Card and a $100 Visa gift card.

Each CEC member who registers at the meeting will receive a $15 bill credit, a LED light bulb and pen. Members must be properly registered at the meeting to be eligible to win a prize. Full details are available in the March issue of Alabama Living.

During the brief business session, a report on CEC operations will be presented and two members will be elected to three-year terms on the board of trustees to represent Districts I and II. Nominees named by the nominating committee to be voted on for possible election to the board are:

District I — Gary Harris and John Cleveland “Cleve” Henderson

District II — Dr. Bill King and Jerry B. Andrews.

Gary Harris and Dr. Bill King are incumbent trustees for Districts I and II respectively.

Gary Harris is a graduate of Dozier High School, attended Auburn University and served in the United States Marine Corps with a tour of duty in Vietnam. He is a former owner of Harris & Sons, Inc., a fourth-generation logging company, which is now owned by his son.

While active in this industry, Harris was a certified professional logger with memberships in the Alabama Forestry Association, the Alabama Loggers Council and the Crenshaw County Treasure Forest Association. Although he is officially retired, Harris can often be found helping in the woods.

In his years of service as a board trustee of Covington Electric Cooperative, Harris has taken classes offered by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. He has earned both the CCD (Credentialed Cooperative Director) and the BLC (Board Leadership Certificate).

Harris is an active member of the United Methodist Church of Dozier, where he has served on the board of trustees for many years. He and his wife, Diane Merrill Harris, have two adult children. Their son, Michael, and his wife, Shelly Battle Harris, have two teenage children, Amber and Kaylie. Their daughter, Merrily, is married to Tom Lutte. They live and work in Washington, D.C.

John Cleveland “Cleve” Henderson grew up in Union Springs and attended Bullock Memorial School for nine years before transferring to Ariton High School where he graduated in 1995.

Henderson furthered his education at LBW Community College in Andalusia and began a career in public utilities with the Union Springs Telephone Company in 1997.

Henderson married his wife, Loy, in 2000 and they moved to Vail, Colo., after he took a job with CenturyTel. The couple lived in Colorado for three years until CenturyTel transferred Henderson to Andalusia in 2003.

After several years with CenturyTel, Henderson left the company to start his own business and became a co-owner of HTC LLC, in 2012. HTC LLC provides erosion control through hydroseeding in applications mainly for cities, towns and counties, but it is also available for residential applications to establish lawns on new home sites.

The Hendersons have two children, Troy is 5 years old and attends Straughn Elementary School and Grant is 3 years old and attends Camp SONshine at Southside Baptist Church.

Henderson has enjoyed volunteering to coach his son’s little league soccer and baseball teams during the last two years.

Dr. King is a lifelong resident of Covington County. He graduated from Andalusia High School, Auburn University and the University of Alabama Birmingham School of Dentistry. He practices dentistry at the Andalusia Dental Group.

Dr. King is a member of the American Dental Association, Alabama Dental Association, Third District Dental Association Past President and the UAB School of Dentistry’s Dean Advisory Council. He is active in the Kiwanis Club of Andalusia and serves as a board member on the Andalusia City Board of Education.

Dr. King and his wife Cathy have five children and eight grandchildren. They attend the First Baptist Church of Andalusia.

Jerry B. Andrews is a native of Covington County and a graduate of Fleeta Junior High School, Opp High School and Auburn University.

Andrews enjoyed a long career at PowerSouth Energy Cooperative from 1965 until 2001. He served on the PowerSouth board of trustees representing the Utility Board of Andalusia from 2002 – 2006 and completed various management courses offered by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Andrews has been married over 50 years to his high school sweetheart Linda Messick Andrews, a retired public school teacher, and they have two grown children and several grandchildren. Their son and his family live in Andalusia and their daughter and her family live in Texas.

Andrews served one term on the Andalusia City Council from 2000-2004, and he served one term as Mayor of the City of Andalusia from 2004-2008. He is a former member and officer of the Andalusia Chamber of Commerce, and he’s a former president and district lieutenant governor of the Andalusia Kiwanis Club.

The Andrews are members of the First Baptist Church of Andalusia where Mr. Andrews serves as a deacon and works with the ministry to assist elderly church members with minor house repairs.

The Covington Electric Cooperative Annual Membership Meeting is a great opportunity for members to learn about co-op business and enjoy free family-friendly entertainment. Mark your calendars now to attend this important event on Thursday, April 9, at the Andalusia Kiwanis Community Center.