POWERGRAMS

41 HAPPY TRAILS W hen Steve Knain arrived as a new accountant at Alabama Power, his desk was 25 feet from his future wife, Pai. They became best friends before marrying three years later. "The Lord just put us together," said Pai. "I was already well-established in Corporate Accounting, and then here comes the new boy." Aer working together for a combined 83 years, 41 for Steve and 42 for Pai, the Knains retired together on June 18. Friends and co-workers celebrated the occasion with Pai, Regulatory Pricing rate specialist, and Steve, Corporate Accounting coordinator, at a retirement party hosted jointly by their departments. "We always rode to work together and went to lunch together," said Steve. "Why wouldn't we retire together? It was just a natural thing." The couple's co-workers agree. "When you saw one outside the office, you always saw the other," said Mark English, Regulatory Pricing team leader. "Pai and Steve were always together. It's obvious they are deeply in love." How it all began When Pai was hired as a clerk in Corporate Accounting in June 1976, she said it was the realization of a dream. "Back then, if you could work for any of the utilities or other big companies in Birmingham, it was a lifelong job," said Pai. "That was everybody's dream." Steve was not pursuing a job at Alabama Power. The opportunity came out of the blue. Aer graduating from the University of South Alabama, Steve was working with a recruiter to find a job. He was in Birmingham for an interview when he got a call from his recruiter asking if he could run by Alabama Power as well. Steve was interviewed that aernoon, and on Aug. 3, 1977, he joined the company as a junior accountant. Steve soon began eating lunch and taking breaks with Pai and co-workers. But as the friendship grew, Pai and Steve broke off So Happy Together KNAINS COMPLETE CAREERS AT CORPORATE

• Cover