After more than four decades of service, L.A. Harris Jr. recently retired from the Albemarle EMC Board of Directors.
Harris was elected to the co-op’s Board of Directors in 1975. In 1983, he was elected by the board of directors to be the board’s president and served in that capacity until 2015. During his tenure, he also served on multiple boards for the electric cooperative’s Statewide organization. He served on the N.C. Electric Membership Corporation’s Executive Committee from 1999 to 2016. He also served on the Rural Electric Action Program from 2006 to 2016 as well as the N.C. Association of Electric Cooperatives from 2006 to 2016.
Reflecting on Harris’ service to the cooperative, Albemarle EMC Board of Directors President John Spence said the following: “When I joined the board in 1991, L.A. had been board president for eight years. He was a welcoming presence and made me feel comfortable in my new role as a board member. For the next 24 years as president, he helped guide us through the many difficult and necessary decisions that were required of the board. We all owe him tremendous gratitude for the time and effort that he gave during his years of service to the cooperative. He has been and remains a strong supporter of Albemarle EMC and the cooperative model of doing business. His depth of experience and knowledge will be missed in the boardroom. AEMC’s Board of Directors wish him the best as he begins his well-deserved retirement.”
During Harris’ years on the board, he helped lead the cooperative through truly historic changes. The number of meters grew from 5,212 in 1975 to 14,261 in 2022. He saw the process of meter reading transform from member-read meters to the use of employed meter readers and then to the current system of automated meter reading. The miles of line grew from 809 to 1,452. Annual revenue of the cooperative rose from $1,806,312 to $30,329,929. During that span, the cooperative initiated a significant growth in its utility plant. The Tanglewood Substation, Morgan’s Corner Substation, West Albemarle Substation and miles of upgraded power line have all resulted in a far more robust system.
“It has been a pleasure and an honor to work with L.A.,” said Albemarle EMC General Manager Gary Ray. “His focus was always on what was best for the members. The impact he has had on this cooperative and our community is beyond measure.”