POWERGRAMS

45 Center for many years. She especially remembers staying up all night helping Terry decorate for the popular Breakfast with Santa fundraisers. The Western Division chapter of the Alabama Power Service Organization sponsored the annual event during the 1990s, Burklew said. "I wish we had a count of just how much money Terry has raised for these babies," said Burklew, who met Terry on Burklew's first day at Alabama Power 26 years ago. "Teri is passionate about her job, her family, friends and anything she has on her heart. I am so fortunate that we have been friends for all these years, and it's all because of my first day at Alabama Power." A SISTER'S GIFT Terry's career with APC began almost by accident. "My older sister had landed an interview with Alabama Power. But she decided she enjoyed her current job and didn't want to leave it, so I showed up for the interview in her place," said Terry, who was then 19. "I didn't even know what job I was applying for, but I got it." Hired in 1980, Terry was a Customer Accounting representative in the Tuscaloosa District. For the next 16 years, she worked in Accounting and Customer Service. Then, a friend convinced her to switch gears and apply for the job in Power Delivery, which she held until her retirement. "When I got up here, it was a whole new ballgame," Terry said. "I had to learn their language. I thought about money, and they are all about poles and wires. But it has been a good relationship." Joseph Pierson, engineer, Tuscaloosa Office, is among the young employees who learned the ropes from Terry. "It did not take me long to realize that although she was not my boss nor my boss's boss, Teri still ran the show," Pierson said. "She has a knack for the details and makes sure our office is run as smoothly as possible. "It is truly a blessing to work for a company where you feel more like family than an employee, and Teri has been a big reason for why it feels that way in our office," he said. A FUTURE OF POSSIBILITIES With her retirement, Terry said she will be working out her "new normal." Of course, she will continue to volunteer at the Rise Center, especially since 31-year-old Ian works there as a teacher's aide, and she will take care of projects she has been postponing, such as cleaning out the pantry and closets. Terry said there will be more time to spend with her husband, Johnny, and her other children, Kayla, 29, and Stuart, 25, who both live in Birmingham. "I've accomplished a lot for the special-needs community, but now I want to branch out," Terry said. "For me, retirement is about new priorities and new interests. It's a time when I can focus on what's important to me – family, friends and community." Terry is grateful to her co-workers for their friendship and support through the years. "I have enjoyed my work family more than anybody should have," Terry said. "I've goen involved in their lives and they have goen involved in mine. Since Ian was born, I have never felt like I was alone. I have always had people liing me up." Ian Terry, former Alabama football coach Gene Stallings and Teri Terry.

• Cover