POWERGRAMS

42 "In those days, there was limited support, and we had to be responsible for everything. With lile formal training, we had no idea about what to expect or what was needed to support our crews in the chaos that follows a storm of this size," Boyd said. "It took 21 days to restore power. Today, customers would not tolerate being without power for that long. That inspired me to look for opportunities to make the process beer for our employees and our customers." Boyd got that chance 10 years later while working at Corporate Headquarters as a supervisor in Distribution. He was selected to a team tasked to work in the company's newly created storm center, which has become ground zero for restoration efforts following everything from hurricanes to tornadoes to ice storms and snowstorms. As he gained experience, Boyd's sphere of influence grew. He has served on electric utility commiees at the regional and national levels, helping to hammer out mutual assistance guidelines and processes for sharing resources during major storms. Birmingham Division Distribution General Manager Steve Thompson said Boyd's ability to manage conflicting ideas and work out solutions during these commiee meetings was well-known. "A colleague who served with Don told me that they had some contentious topics and that he and his friends from the northern utilities could dig in on their positions and be very boisterous in defense of their ideas," Thompson said. "This individual said that despite their best efforts to dig in and fight, Don moderated their discussions so calmly and effectively, and made such good points that he remembered the meeting ending with everyone happily shaking their heads and agreeing with everything Don said." Boyd has many memories of working alongside storm center staffers to get the lights back on for customers. For instance, he said the bier winds and driving snow during the 1993 blizzard almost prevented him from reaching the storm center. He finally had to abandon his car in a snowdri and walk to the office to open the storm center. Another memory that stands above the rest, he said, was the summer of 2004 when four back-to-back hurricanes led to a shortage of crews. It was Boyd's job as Southern Company's representative to work with the other affected utilities to negotiate the allocation of resources. Although Boyd has spent many hours in the storm center, there is much more to his 40-year career. In 2001, he became manager of Distribution Planning and was charged with building the new organization at the corporate level – a function that had previously been divided among all six divisions. Boyd moved to Birmingham Division in 2010, where he worked as Distribution general manager for two years before returning to Corporate Power Delivery. Since retiring, Boyd has exchanged his Alabama Power hat for carpenter's tools. An avid woodworker since his high school days in shop class, Boyd is remodeling the two upstairs bathrooms in his home. As part of this project, he has designed and built two bathroom cabinets – one of which he has duplicated from a photo his wife, Karen, found on the internet. Through the years, Boyd has built many pieces of furniture, such as a highboy, 12-drawer dresser and two nightstands to match an antique bed handed down from Karen's grandmother. His pieces also include a 7-foot-tall armoire, several mantels and a piano case and bench for a full-sized keyboard. His next project is to build a table based on one he saw in a Philadelphia museum. "I enjoy working with my hands and have always liked the sense of accomplishment you get from seeing something come from a concept to a finished item," Boyd said. He is especially enjoying his time at home aer having spent so many nights, weekends and holidays on storm duty. "There were many times when I would get a call at home because customers didn't have service, and I would have to drop whatever plans I had and go to work," Boyd said. "I just want to thank my family for supporting me. If you don't have family support, you can't be successful." Boyd and his wife have two sons, Adam and David. Continuing the Alabama Power family tradition, David and his wife, Rachel, are both engineers in Birmingham Division. Tavel said Boyd's absence leaves a "hole" at Alabama Power and in the storm center. "Don is a great man of God and has the highest degree of integrity of anyone I have ever known," Tavel said. "I have seen him in a lot of different seings and situations, and never has he compromised. His legacy will live on for years to come." Chest built by Boyd.

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