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Basin Electric original incorporator Lyle Edgar Herriott

Lyle Herriott promoted rural electrification abroad.

Basin Electric Power Cooperative - October 21, 2011

Lyle Herriott

Lyle Edgar Herriott was born Aug. 14, 1927, at Casey, SD, to Theron and Gladys (Williams) Herriott. He grew up in the Casey area and graduated from Casey High School. He then entered the U.S. Navy at the end of World War II.

In 1949 he was employed by Codington Rural Electric of Watertown, SD, and from 1951 until 1954, he worked for East River Electric Power Cooperative of Madison, SD.

He married Mary Ann Lantsberger in 1952 at Castlewood, SD. They had three sons: Doug, Lee's Summit, MO; Mark, Overland Park, KS; and Jim, LaFayette, CO; and one daughter, Rebecca Cronin, Rapid City, SD.

From 1954 until 1965 Herriott managed Moreau-Grand Electric Cooperative at Timber Lake, SD, and in 1965, he returned to East River Electric as a special assistant to the general manager. In 1966, he spent six months in Vietnam and 18 months in Nicaragua working with the National Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives. He then worked at United Power Association in Elk River, MN, from 1969-1974, before moving to Burlington, KS, where he managed the Coffey County Rural Electric Cooperative. He later worked as a rural electric advisor in Bangladesh before retiring in 1985.

“When Lyle became general manager of Coffey County Rural Electric Cooperative, I worked as an office assistant,” said Ray Hutson, who is currently the assistant manager of Lyon-Coffey Electric Cooperative in Burlington, KS. “One of his best attributes was that he was not intimidated with anyone. We had been trying to improve service in one of our fastest growing areas due to an increase in a small oil field boom. We had been unable to negotiate with the investor-owned utility that had transmission rights for a substation location in the area, and kept running into issues with Rural Electric Administration (REA) over financing the project. Lyle accepted the challenge, made a lot of phone calls, caught a red eye flight to Washington, DC, went to the REA administrator without an appointment, pleaded his case and within a few weeks, we purchased land and were building the substation that we desperately needed.

“Lyle was instrumental in building several more substations and improving the reliability of the distribution system that we are still reaping the benefits of today," Hutson said. "When Lyle decided to move on, he cultivated a relationship with the manager and board of Lyon County Electric Cooperative, a smaller co-op with headquarters in Emporia, KS, 38 miles from our headquarters in Burlington. Upon his suggestion, the manager became the interim manager of the cooperative and in 1989 the co-ops merged and became the Lyon-Coffey Electric Cooperative Inc.”

Hutson said, "Lyle was very compassionate for anyone less fortunate, always giving them a second chance and would try his best to help them any way he could.”

Herriott was a member of the Knights of Columbus at St. Francis Zavier Catholic Church in Burlington and life member of the American Legion. He was a life member of the Aerie #3577 Fraternal Order of Eagles in Burlington.

Herriott died on Sept. 24, 2004.