Don’t lose the wonder
From Star Wars to real-life drones
I’LL NEVER FORGET Christmas 1978. Like most kids that year, I was crazy about Star Wars, which had come out two summers before. When I woke up on Christmas morning, I found a Millennium Falcon spaceship model under the tree. It was the best gift I could have received, and I spent the following days and weeks flying it through the house, evading stormtroopers and engaging enemy fighters.
Looking back, I believe it was that sense of wonder, and the technology I dreamed about as a kid, that inspired me to become an engineer. When I started out, I was building the systems that would operate an electric grid. Today, we use drones and remote technology to help us manage load, complete inspections and so much more.
As I’ve grown older, I’ve tempered my expectations of technology. I’ve seen both the good and the bad, and with experience, I’ve realized that our technology is only a tool; it has to be used wisely to achieve our goals. But I still hold on to that sense of Star Wars wonder that inspired me and a whole generation of engineers.
In this issue of Kentucky Living, you can learn how drones are changing professions from journalism to agriculture to linework. You can also enjoy some childhood nostalgia with our feature on holiday trains. Together, these stories capture some of the magic of that Christmas morning that helped set me on the path to the electric industry.
I’m still fascinated by the ways technology can improve our lives. In the electric cooperative world, we’re always looking for ways to serve our consumer-members better. Innovation is in our DNA—Kentucky’s electric cooperatives were built by innovators and dreamers who believed a better life was within reach. The same sense of possibility energizes our work today.
No matter your age, I hope you experience a sense of wonder, possibility and hope this holiday season. From our co-op family to yours, merry Christmas!
