POWERGRAMS

Contents YEAR IN REVIEW No year is alike, but 2020 set itself apart on so many fronts that it will long be remembered. Despite a pandemic, social upheaval and a record-breaking hurricane season, Alabama Power and its employees continued seing standards of excellence in the utility industry. Page 1 BLACK HISTORY MONTH Jonathan Porter has been steadily rising up the corporate ladder since before his college days came to a close. But during his 26 years with Alabama Power, Porter has been bothered by a family secret he decided to reveal last year as a way to underscore the troubles Black Americans have faced for centuries. Page 5 WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH Leah Rawls Atkins was a world-champion water skier, the first female to earn a history doctorate from Auburn University and the first woman enshrined in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, to name just a few accolades on her resume. Eighteen years ago, she began writing the centennial history of Alabama Power. Page 8 PROFILE During her first 10 years with Alabama Power, Natalie Mills proved her value to the company in one assignment aer another. Outside the company, she became a stalwart for Girls Inc. And to close out her successful decade, Mills was named Auburn University's Outstanding Young Engineer. Page 12 CONSERVATION The 2020 Renew Our Rivers campaign got off to a good start, with three successful cleanups before COVID-19. Even though many subsequent cleanups were canceled, some people and at least two groups forged ahead with annual volunteer efforts to clean Alabama shorelines. Page 13 PROFILE Willie Howard joined Alabama Power's workforce in Phenix City in 1970. He graduated from Troy State in 1980. The local operations lineman still isn't missing a beat aer 51 years on the job, being widely respected in the community and the workplace. Page 15 ALABAMA POWER FOUNDATION Two years ago, a tornado ripped through homes and businesses throughout Wetumpka, with much of the destruction in the historic downtown. A grant from the Alabama Power Foundation helped establish "the Alleyway," which has become a local gathering point. Page 17 EDUCATION Volunteers for Alabama Power's Linemen, Engineers and Apprentice Program had to move quickly to keep LEAP viable during the pandemic. They responded with online presentations that continue to inspire high school students. Page 23 APSO The statewide chapters of the Alabama Power Service Organization were unable to hold their traditional fundraising events in 2020. Instead, a virtual fundraiser late in the year brought in donations needed to keep meeting the needs of nonprofits and community organizations aiding the needy. Page 24 ENERGIZERS Recent retiree Danny Copeland had done just about everything on his list at home when he discovered two churches needed volunteers to aid their food outreach programs. Now Copeland helps package and distribute food each week to the underserved. Page 27 PROFILE Danny Davis worked in the General Meter Lab for more than 35 years before his recent retirement. He recognized the importance of a nearly century-old clock, which Davis donated to the Alabama Power Archives. Page 29 EDUCATION All of Alabama's four-year historically Black colleges and universities received grants from Alabama Power and Southern Company for technology-focused projects. Page 31 EDUCATION The Safe-T-Opolis miniature electric city has been a part of education for fourth grade students across Alabama for 34 years. In 2020, the Lifeliner volunteers used different methods than before to teach children this important safety message. Page 33 RETIREES Page 34 IN MEMORIAM Page 35 FAMILY PORTRAIT Page 36 THUMBS UP! Page 36 JANUARY-MARCH 2021 EDITOR Chuck Chandler 205-257-3651 cchandle@southernco.com ART DIRECTOR Jay Parker CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER Phil Free W R I T E R S Katherine Beshear Donna Cope Carla Davis Erin Harney CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Billy Brown Erin Harney Meg McKinney Jay Parker ON THE COVER Willie Howard this year moves into his second half-century working for Alabama Power. See page 15. Photo by Billy Brown. P OW E RG RA M S © Alabama Power Company 2021 During the 2020 International Association of Business Communicators Southern Region annual conference, Powergrams was awarded Best of Division and the Award of Excellence. It was the fih consecutive Award of Excellence for Alabama Power's employee and retiree magazine, as well as the third time in four years that Powergrams was named best overall in the Communications Skills Division. The Southern Region is the largest in the IABC, with members across 13 states, the Caribbean and Latin America. Now Playing in Greenville APRIL-JUNE 2020 page 18 HELP FOR HELP FOR CLASSROOMS CLASSROOMS page 2 APC'S APC'S BEST-KEPT BEST-KEPT SECRET SECRET POWERGRAMS' 100th ANNIVERSARY 100 YEARS OF POWERGRAMS 1920 - 2020 POWERGRAMS 100th ANNIVERSARY • 1920-2020 POWERGRAMS

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