POWERGRAMS

married high school sweetheart Merita. In 1982, he was offered the chance to move another rung up the ladder, accepting a job as service supervisor. "I was very, very fortunate that I had a couple of people who took me under their wings and taught me the ropes," he said, singling out Bob Holley and Ronnie Smith, who later became a vice president. "Those four years gave me a whole lot of insight as far as work practices, what to do and what not to do." In the years before the Distribution Operations Center, local linemen would take all of the outage calls in their area, working until restoration was complete without outside help. Norris lets out a long sigh when remembering those days four decades prior. "That job would work on you," he said. "That was a job destined for burnout." Aer six years, Norris learned of an opening for a right of way agent. He had worked with the previous agent, knew what the job entailed and immediately contacted Ed Mundine, who hired Norris in 1997. "It was the best move I ever made," Norris said of the beginning of 23 years in the Corporate Real Estate department. "You get to meet a whole lot of interesting people, from farmers to CEOs. Everybody's different but I love people, I love dealing with people, especially the ones who, regardless of where they rank in the social order, don't think they're more important than anyone else." Norris said he enjoys his longtime company role because he is solely responsible for assignments, able to move on to the next job upon completion of a task. "I love my job. Sometimes it doesn't seem like work," he said. "I've heard people say, 'I hate my job.' I tell them if I hated my job, I'd find something else. And I tell you, there's a lot of great people who work for this company." Billy and Merita joined Lakewood Baptist Church when they married 45 years ago. They've taught Sunday School and been happy to "do whatever needed to be done" for the congregation. He's been to Idaho, New York, Wyoming, Arkansas and other places with Builders for Christ, who pay their own way to help build churches and church additions. "That's one trip I look forward to every year, and I hope I can go many more years," he said. "I thought I was going to help someone else but when I get home I realize I got all the blessings." When he got the job at Alabama Power, Norris asked his mother how he should approach the local bank about a $1,200 loan to buy his first motorcycle. "It don't maer how you say it, they aren't going to give it to you," she answered. But Norris soon returned on the motorcycle, prompting many years of laughter between mother and son. "When that bank found out I worked for APC, they couldn't give me that money fast enough," Norris said laughing. But the trips that remain most memorable to Merita and Billy are those to their own home, where they frequently entertain their grandchildren – two girls and two boys ages 3 to 12. Since daughter Beth Hodges teaches kindergarten and daughter Amanda Owens teaches second grade, both in Phenix City, Merita quit her job in 2008 so she could babysit the first of the grandkids. She continues caring for the youngest. Norris had intended to retire when he turned 62. Then he set his sights on 65. Now he's thinking within the next year. "I love what I do," he said. "Everybody asks, 'When you going to retire?' I guess I'll know when the day comes. But especially the way we're working now (from home because of the pandemic), it would be a strange way to end your career." PROFILE Norris with family at Disney World, and riding his Harley Davidson Ultraglide. 50

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