Issue link: https://alabamapower.uberflip.com/i/1046201
Steve made good on that promise. The couple returned for their 25th anniversary and Pai's 50th birthday in 2005. Since then, they have made 12 visits to the island, an unincorporated territory of the U.S. that is off the beaten path for most tourists. The Knains are also familiar faces at Walt Disney World. They have visited the "happiest place on earth" more than 20 times, many of those with their daughter, Brandy, son, Andrew, his wife, Rachel, and granddaughters, Hardin and Chloe. With their retirement, Pai and Steve said their family, church activities and hobbies keep them busy. The couple teaches 2-year-olds in Sunday school at Green Valley Baptist Church. Pai appliqués and monograms clothing for the couple's granddaughters, while Steve has turned their backyard into an island oasis with plants, three fountains and a waterfall. At Christmas, he converts the living room into the North Pole, with more than 80 buildings, elves and other items from the Christmas Village collection. Each holiday season, the Knains open their home to co-workers and friends, and invite them to enjoy Steve's latest Christmas Village display, along with Pai's baked goodies. "Alabama Power was a great place to work," Pai said. "We've made lifelong friends. They're not just friends at work, but it goes further than that. You're there for them, and they are there for you in times of need. I've spent as much time with them as I have with my family." Comptroller Vice President Anita Allcorn- Walker said the word that best describes Pai and Steve is "faithfulness." "When you see two of our own with 40-plus years of service retire happily together, it is something special," said Allcorn-Walker. "Pai and Steve were an asset to the company not just because of the tremendous care and aention to detail they poured into their respective jobs over the years, but most of all for the example they provided to other employees of what it means to be a member of the Alabama Power family. "We encourage Alabama Power employees to be team players and lean on one another to get the job done, and I can't think of a beer team than the Knain team." By Carla Davis 43 The Knains at home and on vacation. Photo by Phil Free