George Patrick is committed to his work as well as his community. Not only is this 29-year veteran of Santee Cooper (Moncks Corner, South Carolina, U.S.) dedicated to serving the 28 linemen and hundreds of miles of transmission lines he oversees, he also devotes his time to numerous ministries, including teaching Sunday school classes, coaching youth sports and mentoring those who are up for some of his hard-earned wisdom.

The son of a military father whose career took the family to Germany and throughout the United States, Patrick's introduction to electricity occurred at Mayewood High School in Sumter, South Carolina.

“We studied the basics of electricity during my senior year,” he remembered. “In addition to attending school, I was clocking in 40 hours a week at a local factory to help contribute to my family's finances. When the factory laid me off, I decided a career in the electrical field would be more stable.”

Like his father, Patrick joined the U.S. Air Force after graduation, working as a lineman at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter and Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas, U.S.

“I enjoyed working outdoors, being part of a close-knit team and molding raw resources into distribution structures that provided people with reliable electrical service,” he recalled.

After serving his country for six years and achieving the coveted rank of technical sergeant, Patrick received an honorable discharge from the military in 1981 and joined the transmission line crew at Santee Cooper, a state-owned electric and water utility as well as South Carolina's largest power producer. It did not take long for management to notice his strong work ethic, and the company asked Patrick to help initiate a lineman apprenticeship program.

“I spent the next decade developing, growing and implementing the apprenticeship program,” he noted.

The young lineman also enrolled in college, earning degrees in occupational education and vocational studies. To broaden his industry knowledge, Patrick began attending Transmission & Distribution Maintenance Management Conferences.

“Those conferences provided me with mentoring and a wealth of guidance,” he said. “In 1995, I was a member of the committee that formally organized the group into what is now called the Transmission & Distribution Maintenance Management Association (TDMMA). I serve as its executive director.”

After 10 years in Santee Cooper's training department, Patrick returned to transmission line operations as a supervisor, where he currently manages four transmission crews and one-third of the company's more than 4000-mile (6437-km)transmission system.

“I like working with the crews,” he said. “Seeing them use the equipment and skill sets they have acquired to provide or restore reliable service is just rewarding to me. Knowing our crews are ready at a moment's notice to respond under any conditions to meet that goal makes me proud.”

Patrick has plenty of personal experience to back up this statement. On Sept. 21, 1989, Hurricane Hugo, a catastrophic Category 4 storm, hit just north of Charleston, South Carolina, causing US$7 billion in damage and crippling Santee Cooper's ability to generate power.

“I worked 21 days straight,” he said. “I put in 16-plus hours each of those days to assist with various restoration efforts on the T&D system. It took a tremendous team effort from top to bottom to get power restored.”

Santee Cooper has not experienced difficulty finding qualified linemen like some utilities. Patrick admitted, however, that a shortage of people entering the field does exist.

“I see the younger generations gravitating more toward technology and service-oriented careers,” he remarked. “For example, my 25-year-old son has a computer science degree and works at Santee Cooper in the IT department.”

For those wanting any type of vocation in the electric utility business, Patrick recommends displaying the right attitude and a strong work ethic as a team member.

“In this industry, you have to do the job safely and do it right the first time,” he added.

In addition to his career, Patrick volunteers much of his free time at Charleston Baptist Church, teaching classes and coaching basketball. He also coaches Little League baseball, plays competitive softball, and enjoys fishing, golfing and boating with his wife, Cindy.

“I feel like I've been blessed, and I want to share my good fortune with other people,” Patrick said.

Sharing his blessings includes mentoring those with less experience than him.

“I listen to and discuss the challenges today's workers are facing, and then give some insight as to why and how our industry got to where it is today,” he said. “It is important to make other linemen stronger, safer and more knowledgeable. We also need to ensure the next generation is prepared to take over the reins of providing reliable electrical service.”