POWERGRAMS

30 There is an institute office in Auburn but the Bashans were drawn to Dadeville by cheaper land than in the college town and, ultimately, supportive officials in Tallapoosa County. "They were extremely helpful … we thought this would be a good fit," Luz de-Bashan says. The Bashans originally left a government research center in Mexico because of the welcoming reception they received in Tucson, Arizona, and from the University of Arizona. Working with Auburn University, they found further support for their research in soil microbiology. The couple entered the U.S. on an "open" green card through a federal program aimed at attracting foreign scientists, artists and athletes. They became American citizens in 2012 in Alabama. Through mostly private funding and a large donation from the Bashan family in Israel, the institute and a staff of five full-time scientists and seven interns is mapping the adjoining forest land with plans to soon welcome in the public for education and research. Trails will be opened and outdoor classrooms erected. College interns will continue to study at the institute, as will local primary and secondary students. "Our main focus is the recovery of degraded soil, to bring it back to productivity," says Bashan. "We also want to restore polluted waters, so involving Lake Martin in our aquatic research is a natural progression of the work of the institute." ALABAMA POWER OFFICE Alabama Power has a large presence in Dadeville, including the Forestry Shoreline Management building employees led by Rhett Hanks and adjacent Crew Headquarters on Highway 49 under the direction of Nathaniel Daniels. The Dadeville Business Office on East LaFayette Street includes the local Power Delivery- Distribution-General Engineering wing led by Supervisor Wendy Johnson McCraney. Two employees meet the public in the building lobby. Dadeville Customer Service Representative Angela Curlee has been with the company for 21 years. She began her career in the Montgomery Business Office, later transferred to the Auburn Business Office and recently joined the Dadeville Business Office. She is a member of Wayside Baptist Church in Alex City and sings in the choir. She has been married for 21 years to Kenney Curlee, "who is my better half and the love of my life." They consider their chihuahua, Bela, as their child who keeps them busy. "I enjoy reading, shopping, spending precious time with my husband and family," she says. "Every moment with them is precious." Customer Service Representative Robin East joined Alabama Power in 2001 and has worked in the Auburn and Dadeville business offices. She has one son, Jackson, who graduated from Auburn University in 2019. East's "hobby and passion is competitive archery." She has won championship titles in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina. In 2017, she was named the Archery Shooters Association State Shooter of the Year for both Alabama and Georgia. East is an ambassador of arcHER, an organization that encourages girls and women to take up the sport. The Bashan Institute is located on 42 wooded acres just outside downtown Dadeville. Dadeville Office East, Curlee, Lisa Crittenden

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