Al Smith Receives Distinguished Service Award from Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives

11/20/2000
Veteran journalist Al Smith on November 20 accepted the 2000 Distinguished Rural Kentuckian Award from the Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives.

The award recognizes Smith's lifetime of contributions to the qualities and values of rural life in Kentucky. Since moving to Kentucky in 1958 Smith edited and published several newspapers and has been involved in numerous public policy issues. He headed the Appalachian Regional Commission from 1979 until 1982 under presidents Carter and Reagan. Smith currently lives in Lexington where he is producer and moderator of KET's Comment on Kentucky.

Smith accepted the award at a banquet during the 54th annual meeting of the Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives. Several speakers at the meeting discussed how electric cooperatives might best serve their customer-owners during a time of possible restructuring and increasing competition in the electric utility industry.

The electric co-ops of Kentucky have presented the Distinguished Rural Kentuckian Award annually since 1982, to recognize people who have improved the quality of life in the state. The first recipient was author Jesse Stuart of Greenup. Other recipients include former "voice of the Wildcats" Cawood Ledford, former Senator John Sherman Cooper, Governor A.B. "Happy" Chandler, KET's O. Leonard Press, Dr. Louise Caudill, and Senator Wendell Ford. Last year's recipient was Wendell Berry.

The Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives, based in Louisville, represents 27 local, user-owned, electric generation and distribution cooperatives, which provide electricity to about one-third of the homes and businesses in the state, covering parts of 117 of the 120 counties in Kentucky.

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