POWERGRAMS

Dd You mne To et or 10 Although the pandemic brought the event to a halt in 2021, Golden hopes nothing will stand in the way of it taking place this spring. "Malinda is the action person and gets everything done," Hughes said. "Every year, she spends thousands of hours on her own time and dime." Special Olympics allows each athlete to participate in two events. To keep everyone involved throughout the day – particularly children who are too young to compete – Golden and Hughes added other activities, including a frisbee throw, beanbag toss, jump rope and situps. Roderick Harris, Transmission lineman, Eufaula State Docks Road Crew Headquarters, is a volunteer, and his 12-year-old son, Jayven, is a Special Olympian. "I think I speak for all the volunteers: What Malinda is doing through Special Olympics really helps the kids. Anything to uplift special-needs kids is a plus," he said. Along with Harris, many other Alabama Power and Southeast Division/Farley APSO members have worked as volunteers at the event year after year. "Alabama Power and APSO volunteers have been a real blessing and a backbone of the event," Golden said. "I couldn't have done it without them." ALABAMA POWER PIONEER When Golden joined Alabama Power as a utilityman in 1986, she had no idea that she was helping to break down barriers. A farm girl who had been raised in Abbeville, she just wanted a good job that would allow her the freedom to work outdoors. "I was a tomboy and wanted to work outside because that was what I had always done," Golden said. "I also wanted a secure, stable future, and Alabama Power had some of the best jobs." Golden was among 15 women statewide who were hired to work in the field in Power Delivery. ey were the first female employees to have jobs in the traditionally male roles. Golden and the other new employees started their career with a monthlong training course at the General Services Complex in Calera, where they learned to climb poles and operate equipment, such as derricks and buckets on company trucks. ey were required to take strenuous physical-fitness training, which included bench pressing 75 pounds. at was quite a feat for Golden, who weighed 90 pounds at the time and is 5-feet, 3-inches tall. After completing training, Golden was dispatched to Enterprise to start learning the ropes. As a utilityman, she was basically a helper, doing everything from cleaning inside the warehouse to working on a line crew to reading meters. Several months later, Golden encountered her biggest test when she became the first female on a tree-trimming crew. "at job made you or broke you," said Golden, who used ropes to pull herself into the treetops. "It was very hard and very hot. e first week, I would not let my hands touch anything because of the blisters from the ropes. But I said, 'I'm Golden joined APC as a utilityman in 1986. Golden, far right, and Eufaula High School teachers with cooking equipment purchased for special students.

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