Central Rural Electric Cooperative’s director of member services Tara Crawford did not know the legacy she would discover when Henry and Melva Stevenson walked through the cooperative’s front doors. 

“They came in to update some account information,” Crawford said, “and I was immediately intrigued by Henry’s father’s membership number. It was the lowest number I have ever seen. Naturally, I was curious.”

It turns out, Henry’s father, Iley Stevenson, was one of Central’s first 1,200 members. Not only does Henry remember the transformation electricity brought to the family farm, but also he can still recall the days before.

“[Before electricity] my job was to ready the coal oil lamps before my dad got home,” Henry Stevenson said. “He was a minister and would read the Bible and prepare for his sermon by the lamp’s light.”

When Henry’s dad was not preaching, he was transforming their potato farm into a cattle, cotton, corn, pea and pear operation.

“We would ride our horses and drive our cattle to Crescent and Guthrie,” Stevenson said. “It’s where I learned all of my skills.”

In 1950, light came to the farm, changing everything for the Stevenson family.

“I believe the first appliance we got was a refrigerator,” Stevenson said. “Before we had electricity, we had an ice box, and the ice man would come and fill it with ice.”

Henry has seen quite a bit of change during the 74 years he has lived on Central’s lines, noting the impact of some of the major weather events.

“I remember the bad ice storm and several tornadoes,” Stevenson said. “The 1999 tornado whipped all our fences into balls, and we didn’t have electricity for a month.”

Henry, and his wife Melva of 60 years, still live on the farm today. Their son Edward continues most of the farm work now, which produces wheat, while Henry works in the research department at Langston University. 

“I wouldn’t trade our farm to live in town,” Stevenson said. “We’ve worked hard, and I know my father would be proud of me and the farm.”