POWERGRAMS

PROFILE "Red rover, red rover, send Chuck Patterson right over." For more than two decades of his 50-year career at Alabama Power, Patterson has roved the state, working at more than half the hydro dams and two fossil plants as well as in Mobile Division. On Aug. 9, Patterson celebrated his half-century of service at the company – a milestone achieved by few employees. "I've known Chuck for 35 years, and he's one of the most thoughtful, considerate and generous people I know," said Ben Haynes, maintenance coordinator at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) in Wilsonville. "His electrical knowledge and skills are his specialty. If we have any electrical work involving breakers or switches, he's the authority." Steve Milner calls Patterson his "sounding board." Milner and Patterson, both electrical and instrumentation journeymen at the NCCC, have worked together for more than 10 years. "Chuck is a good listener," said Milner. "When I'm working on a project, I'll call on Chuck to talk about it before I go barreling off and doing it. And when you ask him for help with a job, you can be sure it will be done safely, efficiently and accurately. You don't have to go behind Chuck." Raised in Clanton, Patterson has worked most of his life. He took odd jobs as a boy, picking peaches for Chilton County farmers and threw newspapers and worked at a grocery store during his teen years. Patterson put on his traveling shoes at age 18 when he was hired at Alabama Power as a helper in PD-Construction Field Forces in Jackson. He moved from Clanton to south Alabama to a boarding- house with other crew members. That first job was back-breaking work, Patterson said. "We were digging ditches for a substation that was under renovation," he said. "It was hard digging up that mud and red clay, but I was young then and was glad to have a job." After a year, Patterson was drafted into the U.S. Army and attached to a transportation company at Fort Eustis, Va. In 1968, Patterson returned to Alabama Power to work as an apprentice power supply electrician on a switchboard wiring crew in Mobile. For the next three years, he learned the ins and outs of electricity while on jobs at Plant Barry and in Mobile Division. Patterson continued to travel the state – first as a switchboard wireman and later as a crew leader. He helped troubleshoot and repair electrical equipment at Logan Martin, Lay, Mitchell, Jordan, Thurlow, Yates and Martin dams. Patterson was a power supply electrician at the Greene County and Gaston plants in the late 1970s. After working several years at Bouldin and Mitchell dams, he landed at Plant Gaston, where he worked as an electrician for nine years before moving next door to his latest stop at the NCCC. There he helps maintain, troubleshoot and repair electrical equipment that includes transmitters, circuit breakers, switches, motors, thermocouples and valves. "I enjoy change," said the soft-spoken Patterson, looking back at his career. "I've gotten to do a lot of different things and meet a lot of good people. I wouldn't have gotten to do a lot of those things if I had not been on roving crews." Haynes and Milner have "fun" memories of working alongside Patterson. For years, he has enjoyed throwing bread to crows, raccoons and foxes, and watching them scamper after it. In his free time, Patterson can be found at the target range practicing his sharpshooting skills and winning marksmanship competitions. Patterson plans to turn in his toolbelt and retire in early 2016 to spend more time with his wife, Jenny, their son and daughter, Jarrod and Monica, and their five grandchildren. "Alabama Power has been a great place to work," said Patterson. "One reason I've stayed here is because I work with a great bunch of people, and I enjoy being around them. They are just good folks." By Carla Davis 5 Golden Years PATTERSON HAS TRAVELED STATE IN HIS HALF-CENTURY OF SERVICE Electrical and Instrumentation Journeyman Patterson on the job. Patterson works inside National Carbon Capture Center. Photos by Christopher Jones

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