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A 50th birthday in pictures, words

An early Christmas for recipients of Basin Electric's history book.

Electric Co-op Today - December 5, 2011
Victoria A. Rocha

Read the story: A 50^th birthday in pictures, words

Christmas began a month early for Allen Sapp, the son of Ralph Sapp, one of the original incorporators of Basin Electric Power Cooperative.

That's when the younger Sapp’s daughter presented him a copy of Generation for Generations: A Vision for Giant Power, a glossy book filled with photos, timelines and maps detailing the 50-year history of the Bismarck, ND, G&T.

"I was so excited, I couldn't wait until Christmas to give it to my Dad, so I gave it to him for Thanksgiving," said Kathy Sapp Thorson. "He went through every single page."

Such heartfelt comments are just what the book’s editorial and production team want to hear. The group of past and present Basin Electric employees took about five years to finish the 240-page book, which the G&T unveiled during its annual meeting last month.

"The response from our member systems, employees, retirees and those attending the 50^th celebration has been very positive," said Kathi Risch, the G&T's senior staff writer and editor, who worked on the book. "For example, Wally Beyer, former [Rural Utilities Service] administrator, found me at the annual meeting to tell me how much he liked the book."

Generation for Generations delves into the beginnings of Basin Electric Power Co-op in 1961, "when people were taking bets that it wouldn’t survive," said author Stan Stelter. It then traces its emergence as a "super G&T," the growing pains, its decision to diversify fuels, and its current path.

Stelter, a writer for 10 years at Basin Electric who now does fundraising for the Abused Adult Resource Center in Bismarck, said it took him about three and one-half years of part-time research and writing before he turned it over to Risch, a few chapters each year.

While plowing through "masses of information and pulling out what needed to be used," Stelter became acquainted with prominent figures in the G&T's history.

One of those was Jim Grahl, the G&T's first general manager, who served from 1962-1985. Grahl, who died in 2003, "was a perfect fit for the beginning of Basin Electric. He had the right managerial and people skills to bring it together."

Co-ops considering a written historical project should "start early," Risch said. "We started talking about a book in 2005, and then actually got the project approved by our board in mid-2007 and contracted with Stan at about that same time. This prevented the project from being overwhelming." She also said one of the first things to do is "determine demand and support for the project."

It also helped, said Risch and Stelter, that the editorial and production team had lengthy histories with the G&T. Some have worked there for more than 30 years.

The G&T has future plans for the book: giving it to all new employees going forward, Risch said. "It really becomes a tool for cooperative education."

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