Interview with Hugh L. Spurlock, June 2, 1994

Partial Transcript: Uh, we'll get started now.

Segment Synopsis: Spurlock discusses his early life and background in rural electrification.

Keywords: East Kentucky Power System; Farms; Feuds; Founders; Graduation; Managers; Mills; Persuasion; Presidents; Private power companies; Rural Electrification Administration (REA); Rural Electrification Cooperatives; Schools

Subjects: Aging; Change; Clay County (Ky.); Cost; Eastern Kentucky University; Education; Electricity; Embarrassment; Fathers; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Kentucky Utilities Company; McKee (Ky.); Mountaineers; Oneida Baptist Institute; Power; Rural; Rural electrification; Teachers; Teaching; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: . . .To--uh--meet--uh--uh--John Sherman Cooper.

Segment Synopsis: Spurlock recalls when he first met Cooper. Spurlock details his efforts at establishing the East Kentucky Power System.

Keywords: Board of Directors; Chairman; Construction; East Kentucky Power System; John Sherman Cooper; Power stations; Presidents; Public Service Commission; Rural Electrification Administration (REA); Rural electric cooperatives; Rural lines

Subjects: Certification; Electricity; Frankfort (Ky.); Kentuckians; Kentucky; Kentucky River; Kentucky Utilities Company; Politicians; Retirement; Rural electrification; Washington (D.C.); Winchester (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: But we had--uh--built the--uh--John Sherman Cooper power station in Somerset.

Segment Synopsis: Spurlock recalls when a power station bearing Cooper's name was unveiled in Somerset during the mid-1960s.

Keywords: Board of Directors; Construction; Funds; John Sherman Cooper; John Sherman Cooper Power Station (Pulaski County, Ky.); Power systems; Rural Electric Cooperatives; Rural Electrification Administration (REA); Senate; Senators

Subjects: Electricity; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Politicians; Pulaski County (Ky.); Rural electrification; Somerset (Ky.); Washington (D.C.)

Partial Transcript: He was a key person in rural electrification. . .

Segment Synopsis: Spurlock discusses Cooper's involvement with rural electrification in Kentucky.

Keywords: Democrats; Friends; John Sherman Cooper; Managers; Power stations; Power systems; Republicans; Rural Electrification Administration (REA); Western Kentucky

Subjects: Death; East Kentucky Power Cooperative; Electricity; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Letters; Maintenance; Politicians; Power; Pulaski County (Ky.); Rural electrification; Somerset (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: One of the things he wanted to do for years was this Devil's Jumps project. . .

Segment Synopsis: Spurlock details Cooper's role in advocating for a dam at Devil's Jump on the Cumberland River. Spurlock discusses the initially strong resistance of private power companies to rural electrification.

Keywords: Administrators; Conferences; Devil's Jump (Ky.); East Kentucky Power System; Finance companies; Funds; John Sherman Cooper; Presidents; Private power companies; Progress; Proposals; Public power; Republicans; Rural Electrification Administration (REA); Rural electric cooperatives; Senate; Senators; Supporters; The South; Wall Street

Subjects: Cincinnati Gas and Electric Company; Cumberland River, Big South Fork (Tenn. and Ky.); Electricity; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Kentucky Utilities Company; Leadership; Loans; Money; New York (N.Y.); Politicians; Retirement; Rural electrification; Tennessee Valley Authority; Travel; Union Light, Heat & Power Company; Washington (D.C.)

Partial Transcript: I realize now as I look back over it that--uh--the East Kentucky power system was the outstanding power system in the United States in the Rural Electrification Administration.

Segment Synopsis: Spurlock talks of the influential nature of the East Kentucky Power System upon other rural electric cooperatives across the U.S. Spurlock recalls the controversy over the federal government giving public utilities a better interest rate than private power companies.

Keywords: Construction; Controversy; Deals; East Kentucky Power System; Finance; Funds; John Sherman Cooper; Pay; Power plants; Power stations; Power systems; Private power companies; Problems; Richard Nixon; Rural Electrification Administration (REA); Rural electric cooperatives; Senate; Trouble; Wall Street

Subjects: Electricity; Federal government; Interest rates; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Lexington (Ky.); Loans; New York (N.Y.); Politicians; Rural electrification; Washington (D.C.)

Partial Transcript: In the 60s, Senator Cooper sponsored a bill to create--uh--some kind of bank to help the co-ops.

Segment Synopsis: Spurlock briefly discusses a bill that Cooper proposed on rural electric cooperative financing.

Keywords: Banking systems; Bills; House of Representatives; John Sherman Cooper; Rural Electrification Administration (REA); Rural electric cooperatives; Supplementary funds; Votes; Wall Street

Subjects: Electricity; Interest rates; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Politicians; Rural electrification; Washington (D.C.)

Partial Transcript: John Sherman Cooper when he was on the Agriculture Committee. . .

Segment Synopsis: Spurlock discusses Cooper's continued work on rural issues despite pressing foreign policy events during the 1960s and 1970s.

Keywords: Anti-ballistic missile system; Contacts; Help; Jobs; John Sherman Cooper; Power stations; Rural Electrification Administration (REA); Rural electric systems; Senate Agricultural Committee; Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Subjects: International relations; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Letters; Missiles; Nuclear weapons; Politicians; Rural electrification; United States; Vietnam; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Washington (D.C.); Weapons of mass destruction

Partial Transcript: How did the other Senators from Kentucky compare to him as far as being--

Segment Synopsis: Spurlock compares Cooper's support of rural electrification to the views of other Kentucky Senators. Spurlock discusses a former president of Kentucky Utilities and his life.

Keywords: Administrators; Board of Directors; Construction; Democrats; Earle Clements; East Kentucky Power System; Governors; Issues; John Sherman Cooper; Presidents; Public Service Commission; Republicans; Rural Electrification Administration (REA); Rural electric cooperatives; Senate; Senators; Thruston Morton

Subjects: Electricity; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Kentucky Utilities Company; Letters; Lexington (Ky.); Louisville (Ky.); Politicians; Rural electrification; Tobacco; Washington (D.C.); Work

Partial Transcript: His papers include many announcements of--that REA has approved. . .

Segment Synopsis: Spurlock illustrates the process of rural electrification in Kentucky throughout the years. Spurlock provides his opinion on rural electrification in the 1990s.

Keywords: Administrators; Citizens Bank (Somerset, Ky.); Co-sponsors; Coal oil lamps; Construction; East Kentucky Power System; John Sherman Cooper; Legislation; Power companies; Power lines; Rate systems; Reporters; Ronald Reagan; Rural Electrification Administration (REA); Rural electric cooperatives; Schools

Subjects: Cost; Credit; Electricity; Kentuckians; Kentucky; Kentucky Utilities Company; Leadership; Oneida Baptist Institute; Politicians; Power; Pulaski County (Ky.); Retirement; Rural electrification; Washington (D.C.)