Issue link: https://alabamapower.uberflip.com/i/1196538
Cosper at Farley Nuclear Plant in 1986. At right, on the job recently inspecting construction site. PERSEVERANCE PAYS OFF Aer a year of applying for jobs at Alabama Power, Barbara Cosper was hired in 1985 as the first female helper in Substation Construction. She worked on a maintenance crew in Dadeville for eight months before moving to another project in Alexander City. "I grew up with brothers and was the biggest tomboy," Cosper said. "I enjoyed working on mechanical things like cars and trucks, so when they offered me a job in Construction, I said, 'I'll take it.'" Cosper became a truck driver 16 months later. She was then promoted to apprentice and finally to an electrical and wiring (E&W) journeyman. Since 1997, she has worked as a Substation inspector at the General Services Complex. As the only female helper on a Substation crew in the 1980s, Cosper said she had to develop a "thick skin." "I worked with a bunch of great guys," she said. "They took me under their wing and trained me and gave me the opportunities to learn what I needed to know. There were a few guys who tried me, but I just had to ignore it and act like I didn't hear." Although digging ditches, laying foundations and erecting steel structures was backbreaking work, Cosper was undaunted. The hardest part, she said, was the constant travel. During her career, she has helped build substations and other electrical structures across Alabama Power's service territory and worked on projects in Georgia and Mississippi. Cosper has seen a lot of changes through the years, such as an increased emphasis on training and the use of more mechanized equipment. "When I first showed up on the job, I had no clue what a substation does," Cosper said. "It was all on-the-job training. Nowadays, employees are trained at the GSC before they ever put a foot in a substation." Cosper looks back on her career with pride. "I love what I do," Cosper said. "There are times when the cold or heat can make it rough, but I love being outside. The power company is a great place to work." Cosper at work in 1986. 12 PHOTO by WYNTER BYRD