Recent news
Lydia Huebner and Chasidy Nowicki are set to represent Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative when they join hundreds of other high school juniors and seniors in Washington, D.C., this summer for an immersive week of connection, education and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.
Huebner, a Bellville High School junior who lives in Industry, and Nowicki, a Brenham High School senior, were selected to represent Bluebonnet on the annual Government-in-Action Youth Tour. Alexis Macik, a senior at Snook High School, is the alternate representative and will join the tour if one of the winners is unable to attend.
Along with a weeklong all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., Huebner and Nowicki will each receive a $1,000 scholarship toward their higher education. The recipients were selected in March from among 15 applicants.
The tour, planned for June 16-24, will include visits to historic sites and the U.S. Capitol. Participants will meet members of Congress and attend events hosted by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and Texas Electric Cooperatives, the youth tour’s sponsors, organizers and hosts.
Huebner, who turns 17 this month, has been Bellville High School’s band drum major for two years and plays the French horn. She is also active with the local FFA chapter. She does volunteer work with her area’s Blessing Box project, helping cancer patients by sewing pockets on shirts and making pillows for use during post-treatment recovery. She also has her own business creating floral arrangements.
Huebner says her drum-major experience and holding officer positions in FFA have given her leadership experience, as has serving on the student advisory board for the Bellville ISD superintendent. “I feel like leadership is something that you show to other people,” she said. “Good leaders are ready to work and be a role model.”
Huebner plans to attend a four-year university after graduating in 2025. She is unsure where she will focus her studies, but wants a career about which she is passionate.
Nowicki, 18, of Brenham, is a cheerleader, FFA officer, member of the National Honor Society and a volunteer with children at the Cowboy Church of Brenham’s Sunday school. Her favorite volunteer experience is the Bucket Calf Program at the Washington County Fair, which teaches 4- to 8-year-old children the responsibilities of raising and caring for livestock.
She has years of volunteer and leadership experience as reporter for her local FFA chapter and as her high school’s spirit coordinator. These opportunities have helped her connect with others. “I am outgoing, welcoming to new people and open to hearing others' stories. It will really help when we are meeting new people from across the nation on the youth tour,” she said.
Nowicki plans to attend Texas A&M University in the fall to study agriculture communication. She wants a career in agriculture marketing, working as a brand ambassador to talk about the benefits of products at livestock shows across the state.
Macik, 18, of Caldwell, graduates from Snook High School at the end of this month. She participated in volleyball, basketball, track and field, and softball and was a high school cheerleader. She participated in 4-H, FFA, National Honor Society and the student council, and was the Burleson County Fair queen for 2022-2023. This fall, she plans to attend Texas A&M University to study marketing, and hopes to work for the Houston Astros.
“I am sure there were a lot of great applicants. It is special to be chosen as one of the winners,” Nowicki said. Huebner echoed that statement: “The opportunity and experience is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.”
Applicants were asked to list their academic accomplishments, extracurricular activities and community service work, and to submit a video answering the question, “If you had the opportunity to change one thing about your school or community, what would it be and why?”
Huebner had many compliments for her school in her video, but said she hopes more of her classmates would participate in extracurricular activities. That would lead to more engagement in the classroom and the community, she said.
In her video, Nowicki said she believes that schools should prioritize agricultural education. “In my ag classes, I am learning to be a good steward of the land and furthering my education about the livestock industry. More people should know about the importance of it,” she said.
This is the 58th year of the Government-in-Action Youth Tour program. It has more than 50,000 alumni, including CEOs, state and national elected officials, and countless business and community leaders.
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative’s Board of Directors unanimously voted during its April meeting to return $6.23 million in capital credits to member-owners of the cooperative, an increase of more than $500,000 over last year. Beginning in May, Bluebonnet’s members will receive a credit on their electric bill for their share of $6.23 million in capital credits.
“We are proud to return historic amounts in capital credits to our members year after year,” said Ben Flencher, Bluebonnet’s board chairman. “It demonstrates the commitment from our Board of Directors and employees to invest in and serve Bluebonnet’s members and communities for more than 85 years.”
Capital credits are revenue above what it takes to operate the co-op. Every April, Bluebonnet’s Directors approve the capital credits payment. When determining how much to return to members, the Directors consider the impact that the amount returned to members will have on electric rates and the co-op’s financial strength.
The amount each member gets back depends on how much electricity they used in previous years through 2023 and how long they have been a Bluebonnet member. Current members will see a credit on their May electric bill for their share of this year’s capital credits retirement. Former members who are still owed a capital credit will be mailed a check in May or June.
During the past 20 years, Bluebonnet has returned $94 million to members in capital credits.
“The continued, historic growth in Bluebonnet’s service area and sound fiscal management has enabled Bluebonnet to return record amounts in capital credits the past several years,” said Matt Bentke, Bluebonnet’s general manager. “In addition to having one of the lowest electric rates in the state, the credit our members will see on their bills in May is one of the most important benefits of being a member-owner of Bluebonnet.”
At Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, many have followed in the bootsteps of their family members. Today, the next generation of lineworkers keeps the lights on, builds new power lines, maintains the electric system and watches out for each other. It’s not just a job — it’s a calling.
Story by Alyssa Meinke
Photos by Sarah Beal
The Lockhart lineage
Four generations in this Central Texas family have carried on a tradition that began in 1917 and continues today at Bluebonnet.
Growing up, Joe M.T. Lockhart briefly dreamed that he might become a second baseman for the Texas Rangers. As they typically do, childhood dreams usually give way to adult realities. “I needed a career that would support a family. It didn’t take long for me to realize that career was line work,” he said.
Line work is what the Lockhart family does. The young man would follow the same path as his father, grandfather and great-great-grandfather.
He is the fourth generation of the Lockhart family to work on electric lines in Texas. The first was Tom Womack, a veteran of the Spanish-American War who got a job in 1917 stringing lines at a Waco military base. Joe M.T.’s grandfather, Joe P. Lockhart, was a lineworker and his father, Joe M. Lockhart, began his career as a lineworker. Now, Joe M.T. Lockhart, 32, is a journeyman lineworker at Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative.
Finding several generations of lineworkers in one family isn’t rare. Bluebonnet employs 118 lineworkers who restore power and help maintain more than 12,800 miles of power lines, and of those, 18 are following in their father’s — or grandfather’s or father-in-law’s — bootsteps.
“It’s an act of service that fosters a sense of pride and connection,” said Joe M.T. Lockhart, who works out of Bluebonnet’s Maxwell service center in Caldwell County.
The work is complicated and dangerous, and, as with police, firefighters and other first responders, line work can become part of who you are. Not many can do it. Communities and rural residents cannot function without the work of people who build, repair and protect the power lines that snake across Bluebonnet’s 3,800-square-mile service area. The lineworkers keep electricity flowing to homes and grocery stores, farms and hospital emergency rooms, small shops and big factories.
Still, the Lockhart family history is remarkable. In a rapidly changing world where fewer and fewer children step into their parents’ professions, four generations in the same challenging career is unusual. The Lockharts also reflect not just one family’s work, but that of the thousands of men and women, companies and politicians who brought electric power to Texas.
The story has played out for more than a century, beginning during World War I with a man named Foster Boone “Tom” Womack, skipping a generation and continuing through three generations of Lockharts, each named Joe.
The fourth generation: Joe M.T. Lockhart
As a child, Joe M.T. Lockhart would occasionally go to work with his dad. At age 6, he saw his father on the equipment loading dock as a lineworker. When he was 11, he watched his dad in a control center of Texas Power & Light as power lines were monitored and crews dispatched where needed.
Joe M.T. was 21 and working in the kitchen of the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park, an arena for sports, concerts and shows about 20 miles north of Austin, when he got the call. Heart of Texas Electric Cooperative, based in McGregor, wanted him in for an interview. He immediately told his supervisor, “Man, I’ve got to go. My dream job just called.”
He accepted the job the day after his interview.
Joe M.T. started linework at Heart of Texas in 2013, then spent four years with Nueces Electric Cooperative near the Texas Gulf Coast. After that, he worked for private power-line contracting companies until 2021, when he joined Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative’s apprentice lineworker program.
He completed training and received his journeyman lineworker certification from the Department of Labor in 2022.
On good days, Joe M.T. repairs streetlights and installs new meters and transformers. He connects new service and repairs electric equipment on Bluebonnet’s system. On bad days — when the weather is raging, wind is blowing and outages are occurring — he and other lineworkers brave harsh conditions to inspect lines and equipment, identifying and addressing issues to restore power to the cooperative’s members.
The work is more than just a family legacy. It’s about community, and one story in particular illustrates that.
He was working at Nueces Electric Cooperative, based in Robstown east of Corpus Christi, when Hurricane Harvey hit Texas in August 2017. It is one of many major storms Joe M.T. has worked over the years.
At the end of one 16-hour shift, he and co-worker Robert Vasquez had just finished restoring power to about 100 people on a county road in Orange Grove, 36 miles west of Corpus Christi. “As we were coming down this county road, all the cars had stopped and there were about 40 people on the road, blocking our way out,” Joe M.T. recalled.
The two men were worried that they were about to confront a mob of people angry because they had been without electricity for four days. “We slowly get out of the truck, thinking, ‘What’s about to happen to us?’ ” But to Lockhart’s and Vasquez’s surprise, they were met with water, brisket sandwiches, chips and smiles.
“They gave us their last food and water because we had just gotten their lights back on, and they didn’t let us leave until we finished,” Joe M.T. said. “It made me feel very special. These people just wanted to thank us. That was a big deal.”
Joe M.T. carried that connection to community with him when he joined Bluebonnet. He lives in San Marcos with his 10-year-old daughter, Faith. His parents, Cissy and Joe M. Lockhart, stay with Faith when her father is at work. Joe M.T. Lockhart’s parents understand the demands of the job, because his father worked at electric utilities for 39 years.
The third generation: Joe M. Lockhart
Cissy Lockhart, 64, remembers meeting Joe M. Lockhart in Bedford, 24 miles west of Dallas, in 1985. Joe M. was working for an electrical contractor. “He fell madly in love with me,” she said. Joe M. wanted to marry Cissy right away, but she told him he was crazy and needed to give it a year. So he did.
The couple married in 1986.
At the time, Joe M. was early in his lineworker training, and “line work was all he talked about,” even talking about it in his sleep, she said.
“His father talked about it when they got together,” she said. “It’s just part of their DNA.”
Joe M. became a lineworker in 1985 at Texas Power & Light — now a part of Oncor, an investor-owned electric provider based in Irving. Over time he became a dispatcher, then supervisor of the West Distribution Operations Center. Eventually, he became a district manager for Johnson City-based Pedernales Electric Cooperative, the largest electric cooperative in the United States. He retired in 2022, at 58 years old. He and Cissy now live in Spring Branch, west of San Marcos.
In his time, Joe M. saw advancements in personal protective equipment, fire-retardant clothing, and the shift away from manual and corded tools. But it remained — and remains — tough work.
“You could just about bet by the time a lineman hit his mid-to-late 40s, his shoulders were going to be gone, his elbows were going to be gone and his knees were going to be gone,” he said.
Some aspects of linework remain timeless: stringing power lines, positioning poles and restoring power in the wake of outages. “You still have to plan,” Joe M. emphasized, stressing the unchanged importance of preparation and foresight in the trade.
He learned it from his dad, Joe P. Lockhart, the second generation to carry on the family legacy.
The second generation: Joe P. Lockhart
Joe P. Lockhart started as a lineworker in 1957 at Texas Power & Light and spent 35 years with the company. He was an assistant superintendent in Tyler from 1969 to 1971, superintendent in Hillsboro from 1971 to 1976, and then held jobs in Waxahachie and Euless from 1976 to 1985.
Before he retired in 1992, he was the fleet manager for Texas Power & Light’s eastern region in Tyler. He passed away in 1999, at 59, in Tyler.
Service came naturally to his household. While Joe P. did linework and volunteered in the community, his wife, Kathryn, was an occupational therapist helping mentally disabled adults.
The couple had three children, all of whom would find jobs centered on helping people.
At home, father and son liked to duck hunt together, but Joe M. also got to go to work with his dad.
At that time, lineworkers still mostly scaled poles the hard way, digging spurs into the wood and climbing.
Joe M. recalls the moment, sometime around 1971, when his father, who by then was overseeing all lineworkers at Texas Power & Light in Hillsboro, brought home a new piece of equipment — one of the company’s first bucket trucks.
“They set it up in the middle of the street. We got in the bucket, and I figured out real quick that that was pretty fun,” Joe M. said, likening it to a carnival ride.
Bucket trucks marked a turning point in linework, heralding a new era of efficiency and safety. And the one parked on Joe P. Lockhart’s street more than 50 years ago helped give rise to his son’s career, continuing the legacy started by his grandfather-in-law Foster Boone “Tom” Womack.
The first generation: Foster Boone ‘Tom’ Womack
In 1917, electric lines were just creeping into major Texas cities, often constructed by the military to power streetlights.
After serving in the Army during the Spanish-American War, Foster Boone “Tom” Womack got a job building power lines at Camp MacArthur in Waco, a military training facility created for World War I. The sprawling camp closed down after the war in March 1919, but the power lines Womack built laid the groundwork for Waco’s electric system.
Womack’s daughter, Mary Billon Womack White, told later generations some details of her father’s work. Tom Womack went on to become an engineer, helping design a power plant in Robstown, according to family records.
In the mid-1930s, the Rural Electrification Act unleashed millions of dollars in federal loan guarantees, and power lines began stretching into the rural reaches of Texas. Within a decade, cooperatives, including Bluebonnet, were formed to get power to communities where private utilities saw little chance for profits.
Back then, a house was typically wired for a few appliances, and one overhead light and outlet per room.
Womack passed away in 1938 in Waco. At some point in his career, he started electrical contracting work, wiring Waco homes for electricity for the first time. “My grandmother said these people used to think the house was on fire because of all the light,” Joe M. said. “They weren’t used to that.”
Mary also remembered some unique memorabilia, including the metal hooks her father attached to his shoes to climb poles. Little did she know that the next iteration of these tools would resurface in the hands of her son-in-law, Joe P. Lockhart, bridging the gap between past and present as key to the family tradition of line work.
The evolution and allure of line work
Work on power lines demands a unique blend of physical prowess and technical expertise, and constant attention to life-threatening hazards. Over the years that the Lockharts have been tending the lines, some traditional tools, like Klein Tools’ lineman’s pliers and Super 33+ electrical tape are still in use.
Lineworkers have come to rely on specialized equipment to ensure their safety. This includes fire-retardant clothing, fiberglass tools designed for electric work and battery-powered drills that replaced manual and corded drills.
Hydraulic machines have replaced spears for drilling holes for power poles, further enhancing efficiency while keeping workers safe.
Training and equipment have improved, but lineworkers still must prioritize safety and focus on details to keep them and their coworkers safe.
“It’s a dangerous job and it’s not for everyone,” said Joe M. Lockhart, whose father always told him to “be careful.” That simple, gentle reminder of the challenges of line work is one that has been repeated hundreds – perhaps thousands – of times in the Lockhart family, from generation to generation.
***
Johnnie and Trevor Eckert
Father: Johnnie Eckert, 64
Lives in: Brenham
Years at Bluebonnet: 2000-2020
Previously: Journeyman lineworker
“I had been wanting to start working at the cooperative for a while, but I didn’t want to leave my work with my dad. So when he sold the business, I knew it was time to go to Bluebonnet. I enjoyed being a lineman and learning all I could in my time there.”
Son: Trevor Eckert, 35
Lives in: Brenham
Years at Bluebonnet: 2020-present
Currently: Journeyman lineworker
Previously: Seven years as lineworker for the city of Brenham
“I knew that it was in my blood. I knew what the reward was, as well as the sacrifices.”
Bubba and Trey Townsend
Father: Bubba Townsend, 52
Lives in: Bastrop
Previously: General electrician helper in high school, worked two years at Bluebonnet; lineworker crew supervisor for Austin Energy; lineworker crew supervisor for city of Bastrop
Years at Bluebonnet: 2022-present
Currently: Lineworker crew supervisor
Son: Trey Townsend, 23
Lives in: Rockne
Years at Bluebonnet: 2019-present
Currently: Apprentice lineworker
Previously: Worked on a ranch in Bastrop
“I would tell (would-be lineworkers) what my dad told me when I said I wanted to do this work: You have to be willing to work hard, but it is a very rewarding career. It is great to be able to see a problem through until the lights are back on for members.”
Monroe Bittner, Larry Bittner
and Kyle Kasper
Father: Monroe Bittner, died at 80 in 2013
Worked in: Giddings
Years at Bluebonnet: 1957-1993
Worked as: Journeyman lineworker
Previously: Built telephone lines for U.S. Army
Son: Larry Bittner, 63
Lives in: Giddings
Years at Bluebonnet: 1978-2022
Previously: Journeyman lineworker
“My dad taught me the most out of anyone at Bluebonnet. I worked with him as a helper from a young age. He taught me how to climb on a pole outside of our house.”
Son-in-law: Kyle Kasper, 40
Lives in: Giddings
Years at Bluebonnet: 2005-present
Currently: Lineworker crew supervisor
Previously: Member of Bluebonnet’s first class of apprentice lineworkers
“Larry has taught me how to manage the time away from family, the sacrifices your family has to make because of your job, and how to be there for them. I got pretty lucky with a wife who understands the nature of the job.”
Ernest and Izaac Estrada
Father: Ernest Estrada, 45
Lives in: Gonzales
Years at Bluebonnet: 2010-present
Currently: Contractor inspector
Previously: Lineworker crew supervisor, electrician
“When I joined Bluebonnet, I knew I would be home almost every night. My boys could count on that.”
Son: Izaac Estrada, 24
Lives in: Gonzales
Years at Bluebonnet: 2023-present
Currently: Apprentice lineworker
Previously: Army Reserves
“You have to sacrifice being comfortable. When it is hot, cold, raining, snowing, or any other kind of bad weather, the linemen are out in it.”
Walter, Vernon and Garett Urban
Great-grandfather: Walter Urban, died at 62 in 1965
Lived in: Giddings
Years at Lower Colorado River Electric Cooperative (the co-op's name before it was Bluebonnet): 1939-early ’50s
Worked as: Lineworker
Grandfather: Vernon Urban, died at 42 in 1966
Years at LCREC (Bluebonnet): Mid-1940s-early 1950s
Lived in: Giddings
Worked as: Lineworker
Lineage: His son, Gene Urban, 66, has worked at Bluebonnet for 33 years, and today is the cooperative’s manager of facilities
Great-grandson: Garett Urban, 36
Lineage: Gene’s son, Vernon's grandson and Walter’s great-grandson
Lives in: Giddings
Years at Bluebonnet: 2020-present
Currently: Journeyman lineworker
“It is a great trade to learn, and the field is ever-growing. It’s rewarding when you can get members’ power restored during a storm, but it is also a challenge. You have to be willing to work hard in bad weather.”
David, Douglas and Tyler Grimm
Father/grandfather: David Grimm, died at 67 in 2020
Lived in: Lincoln
Years at Bluebonnet: 1973-2020
Worked as: Lineworker crew supervisor, right-of-way superintendent
Son: Douglas Grimm, 42
Lives in: Lexington
Years at Bluebonnet: 2001-present
Currently: Contractor inspector
Previously: Lineworker crew supervisor
Grandson/nephew: Tyler Grimm, 25 (Douglas’ nephew and David’s grandson)
Lives in: Giddings
Years at Bluebonnet: 2022-present
Currently: Apprentice lineworker
“My grandfather taught me a lot about taking my time with a job. He showed a lot of patience and persistence when teaching me stuff when I was younger. That showed me how I needed to approach line work and the other linemen I work with. My uncle has taught me that you will learn something new every day, and to never stop learning.”
Kenneth and Tucker Saegert
Father: Kenneth Saegert, 52
Lives in: Elgin
Previously: Lineworker at Bluebonnet for two years in the early 1990s; worked at Austin Energy for 29 years, retired
Currently: Returned to work at Austin Energy in 2021, inspecting poles
Son: Tucker Saegert, 19
Lives in: Elgin
Previously: Manager of a Bastrop barbecue restaurant
Years at Bluebonnet: 2022-present
Currently: Apprentice lineworker
“I worried about my dad when he was gone when I was younger, but knowing the guys around him were going to make sure he got home safely made those worries go away as I got older.”
Lloyd Catchings and Joseph Carrillo
Grandfather: Lloyd Catchings, 73
Lives in: Bastrop County
Previously: Began working at electric utilities in 1968; lineworker at LCRA; lineworker and lineworker crew supervisor at Austin Energy; retired in 2023
Grandson: Joseph Carrillo, 31
Lives in: Cedar Creek
Years at Bluebonnet: 2022-present
Currently: Journeyman lineworker
Previously: In the electric utility business since 2011; power-line contract companies
“Being a lineman will teach you a lot about yourself and the things you can accomplish, both mentally and physically. My grandfather taught me to approach a job by breaking it down into steps, and to look for the safest way possible to complete a job.”
Dean and Colton Meinke
Father: Dean Meinke, 61
Lives in: Ledbetter
Years at Bluebonnet: 1983-2020 (full-time, started as lineworker), 2021-present (part-time)
Worked as: Lineworker crew supervisor, maintenance supervisor, other positions
Currently: Part-time maintenance specialist
Son: Colton Meinke, 31
Lives in: Ledbetter
Years at Bluebonnet: 2016-present
Currently: Substation technician; assists lineworkers with power restoration
Previously: Control center operator
“I’ve learned a lot from my dad, from names of parts to field lingo, how things work and their purpose. I call him a lot of times to get his reassurance that I’m doing things right.”
Jim, David, Joey, James, Dalton and Austin Tobola, Phillip Ellis
Father: Jim Tobola, died at 74 in 2022
Lived in: Giddings
Experience: 55 years at power-line construction contractors; majority on Bluebonnet's electric system
Previously: Built communications lines for the U.S. Army
Son: David Tobola, 48
Lives in: Giddings
Years at Bluebonnet: 2002-present
Worked as: Journeyman lineworker, lineworker crew supervisor, field operations superintendent
Currently: Manager of field operations
“The best part about this job is the bonds we have with everyone. They aren’t just co-workers, they are family.”
Son: Joey Tobola, 45
Lives in: Bastrop
Years at Bluebonnet: 2002-2014, 2019-present
Worked as: Journeyman lineworker, field operations superintendent
Currently: Manager of contractor operations
Previously: Lineworker and supervisor at power-line construction contractors
“My favorite part of line work is making something out of nothing and caring for power lines, equipment and people.”
Son: James Tobola, 51
Lives in: Bastrop
Currently: Lineworker crew supervisor at power-line construction contractors
Son-in-law: Phillip Ellis, 48
Lives in: Giddings
Years at Bluebonnet: 2005-present
Worked as: Journeyman lineworker, substation and transmission supervisor
Currently: Manager of technical services
Grandson: Dalton Tobola, 24, James Tobola’s son
Lives in: Bastrop
Years at Bluebonnet: 2024-present
Currently: Journeyman lineworker
Previously: Five years at power-line construction contractors
“Being able to help a team of people working toward the goal of getting the power back on is the best part of line work.”
Grandson: Austin Tobola, 19, David Tobola’s son
Lives in: Giddings
Currently: Lineworker at power-line construction contractors since 2023 high school graduation
Alton and Eric Sommerfield
Father: Alton Sommerfield, 63
Lives in: Brenham
Currently: City of Brenham’s deputy general manager of utilities since 2020
Previously: Lineworker for the city of Brenham since 1979
Son: Eric Sommerfield, 35
Lives in: Brenham
Years at Bluebonnet: 2018-present
Currently: Lineworker crew supervisor in Brenham
Previously: Six years at power-line construction contractors
“When I started, my dad always reminded me to wear my gloves and other personal protective equipment. Now that I have a family, I see why he was so adamant about that.”
Doug and Jakob Schlemmer
Father: Doug Schlemmer, 57
Lives in: La Grange
Years at Bluebonnet: 1984-2006; 2014-present
Currently: Contractor inspector
Previously: Meter reader, line-design technician, lineworker crew supervisor
“I tried to teach him to be safe. Something I always told him is that he should come home the way he left. And that he should always check these three things: hard hat, gloves and ground chains. I still worry about him every day, though.”
Son: Jakob Schlemmer, 24
Currently: Journeyman lineworker for Texas New Mexico PowerPreviously: Lineworker helper at Bluebonnet
Bill and John Matejcek
Father: Bill Matejcek, 69
Lives in: Giddings
Years at Bluebonnet: 1982-1995
Worked as: Lineworker, manager of safety
After: Ten years at power-line construction contractors
“If you want to become a lineman, make sure you go to a good company that cares about their employees, that is very safety-oriented, like Bluebonnet, and learn from them."
Son: John Matejcek, 45
Lives in: Giddings
Years at Bluebonnet: 2005-present
Works as: Journeyman lineworker
Previously: Eight years at power-line construction contractors
“What made my dad a good lineman was his patience in teaching someone who had no idea about the job. You have to do the job safely. That's the priority. So everybody goes home at night.”
Doug and Stephen Braneff
Father: Doug Braneff, 76
Lives in: Bastrop
Years at Bluebonnet: 1985-2006
Worked as: Lineworker crew supervisor, superintendent of operations
Previously and after: 33 years at power-line construction companies
"Even with all the safety practices, there are still elements out there that can be dangerous. A lot of people say you’re not your brother’s keeper, but whenever you’re on a line crew, you are your brother’s keeper.”
Son: Stephen Braneff, 34
Lives in: Bastrop
Years at Bluebonnet: 2023-present
Works as: Apprentice lineworker
Previously: 14 years as a lineworker at power-line construction contractors
“You sacrifice your time away from your family to ensure everyone has power, and as a lineman, there's no greater feeling than to get somebody's lights on who's been without power.”
***
Bluebonnet’s lineworker internship program
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative offers lineworker internships to hire and train the next generation of employees to master the difficult job.
The intern program began in 2018 and focuses on hiring local candidates, including recent high school graduates. The program starts with six months of classroom instruction and field observation at Bluebonnet.
There is a strong emphasis on safety, which is of utmost importance at the cooperative. Interns receive technical instruction about line work, earn climbing certifications and obtain commercial driver’s licenses.
After that, they start as apprentices, training in the field alongside journeyman lineworkers. After four years — 672 hours of technical instruction and 8,000 hours of on-the-job learning — interns who successfully complete the program can become U.S. Department of Labor-certified journeyman lineworkers.
The program is part of the cooperative’s investment in the communities it serves. It also allows Bluebonnet to continue providing safe, reliable electricity to its members, now and in the future.
Watch bluebonnet.coop and the cooperative’s social media for information about applications and when they will be accepted. For more information about the cooperative’s lineworker training program, go to bluebonnet.coop/careers.
Thank a lineworker
National Lineworker Appreciation Day is April 8. It is a chance to thank the men and women who work day and night, 365 days a year, to build, restore and maintain the nation’s — and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative’s — power supply system.
Electric cooperatives observe the second Monday in April as National Lineworker Appreciation Day, after a 2014 decision by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
Check Bluebonnet’s social media on April 8 for a video tribute to lineworkers, describing the qualities and skills their jobs entail. You can help us thank the cooperative’s lineworkers by leaving a comment on our video or by sending us a private message.
On Monday, April 8, residents of the Bluebonnet service area will be treated to a rare celestial event: an eclipse that will darken the midday sun across the region.
By Sharon Jayson
Students across the Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative area are readying special telescopes and protective eyewear. Astronomy experts and photographers are brimming with excitement. Public safety departments are preparing for the likelihood that drivers will abruptly stop to stare into the sky.
That is because Monday, April 8, will not be just a routine school and workday across Central Texas. It is a day that holds the promise of witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Just after noon, the path of a total solar eclipse will move from south to north over a 100-mile-wide swath of Central Texas. Only a slice of that “zone of totality” will be visible in the Bluebonnet area, in western Manor in Travis County.
If the sky isn’t cloudy that day in Manor, at 1:37 p.m. people will be able to see the new moon pass precisely between the sun and Earth, blocking the sun’s face and leaving only its outer atmosphere, or “corona,” visible.
But don’t fret if you aren’t in that ideal location. The eclipse will still be a super celestial event across the entire area.
“The sunlight will become dim and eerie, and trees will cast unusual shadows on the ground,” said Michael Zeiler, a geographer and eclipse cartographer.
Bluebonnet members will experience a significant partial eclipse that will darken more than 99% of the sun in Bastrop, Lockhart and Caldwell, as well as southeast Hays County and east Travis County. In Giddings, the moon will cover 98.8% of the sun at the point of totality, and in Fayetteville and Brenham, viewers will see a 97.6% eclipse.
In these areas of partial eclipse, observers will not experience complete darkness. The timing and duration of the partial eclipses, and when they are nearest “totality,” will vary based on location.
It will be quite a cosmic show. Those viewing the eclipse must use protective glasses, pinhole camera/projection boxes or other eclipse-viewing devices, or risk damaging their eyesight.
If you’ve got the time and plan to travel west on April 8, you have a chance to see something that hasn’t happened over Central Texas in 627 years — since 1397.
Thousands of residents of Manor’s ShadowGlen subdivision and nearby areas will briefly experience the April 8 total eclipse for anywhere from 6 to 43 seconds, starting at 1:37 p.m.
For viewers across the Bluebonnet region, the eclipse begins anywhere from 12:16-12:19 p.m., depending on your location. It gradually grows to its maximum, and then begins to return to normal. It will all be over from 2:57-2:59 p.m.
ShadowGlen resident and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative member Torvald Hessel is an astrophysicist who has seen many partial solar and lunar eclipses. But he’s never been in the area of totality of a solar eclipse.
“I decided that the 2024 eclipse is mine,” he said, noting that his neighborhood’s location in the path of the total eclipse means residents and workers there shouldn’t miss it: “It’s on your doorstep.”
Hessel, an engineering scientist with a master’s degree in astrophysics, conducts research at the University of Texas at Austin’s Space and Geophysics Lab. He spent a dozen years teaching astronomy at Austin Community College.
Hessel calculates that his ShadowGlen neighbors in far western Manor will experience a total eclipse lasting 43 seconds. Because it takes time for eyes to adjust to the darkness, seeing the eclipse for only a few seconds likely won’t give viewers a chance to spot the corona, Hessel said.
“Forty-three (seconds) is better, obviously, but still short, but you may see a star or two popping out,” Hessel said.
Zeiler, who also founded the website greatamericaneclipse.com in 2014, said the total eclipse’s path “neatly bisects the town of Manor.”
The last total solar eclipse visible over the contiguous United States was Aug. 21, 2017. It lasted just over 2 minutes on a path from the Pacific Northwest to South Carolina. Viewing the next total eclipse visible over the United States, on Aug. 23, 2044, will require a trip to Montana, North Dakota or South Dakota. On Aug. 12, 2045, another total eclipse will just clip the northeast corner of the Texas Panhandle.
“Somewhere on the planet, we usually have a solar eclipse every one or two years — on average about 18 months — but totality is often somewhere that’s not populated, or it’s in the middle of the ocean,” said astronomer Keely Finkelstein, a University of Texas at Austin assistant professor of instruction.
The next time a total solar eclipse is expected to come close to Central Texas will be on April 14, 2200, Zeiler said. That’s about nine generations away.
Claire Hodgin wants to make sure Manor Independent School District students have a memorable experience next month, however brief. “It’s a unique opportunity for students to experience science in their real lives,” said Hodgin, the district’s science coordinator. Older students will look through eclipse glasses. Younger students at Manor Elementary Early Learning Center will use pinhole camera (or projector) boxes — because persuading young children to properly wear eclipse glasses is virtually impossible, she said.
Learning about the eclipse
All of Manor ISD’s 18 schools and its central office will use special Dobsonian telescopes to view the eclipse, Hodgin said. This inexpensive, user-friendly, relatively easy-to-build telescope is popular with amateur astronomers. A group of students and teachers at Manor New Tech High School built 15 of the telescopes, and Hodgin will provide more.
In the Lockhart school district, students in science classes across the district’s nine campuses will watch the eclipse through solar glasses. “We hope this hands-on experience inspires our students to dream big, and that it fuels a lifelong passion for science,” said Ty Davidson, Lockhart’s assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction.
Third-graders in April Zapata’s class at Plum Creek Elementary in the Lockhart ISD had a Zoom conversation with Eliseo Reyes, a flight controller who works with NASA. He talked to students about his work as well as the upcoming eclipse.
Instructors across the Brenham Independent School District are preparing activities to take advantage of the educational opportunities the solar eclipse will offer. Students in science classes will have solar glasses or pinhole viewers to safely view and learn about the eclipse, which will cover 97.6% of the sun in that area. They will also have discussions with teachers, hands-on experiments and interactive simulations.
“By connecting classroom activities to real-world phenomena, we seek to instill a profound sense of curiosity and scientific exploration among our students,” said Brooke Trahan, Brenham ISD’s director of communication and community engagement.
The Houston metro area’s 7 million-plus residents are outside the total eclipse zone, and many of them — as well as others east of the Bluebonnet service area — will travel west through the region. That could snarl area traffic in the days before and after the event.
More than 1 million people might travel within Texas or from elsewhere to see the eclipse, according to Matthew Heinze, Texas Department of Transportation maintenance section manager.
City, county, regional and state governmental agencies responsible for public safety, transportation and tourism have developed plans to handle the crowds, Heinze said.
They sought advice from locations where the 2017 total solar eclipse attracted crowds. “The traffic basically just stopped,” he said. “It was not widespread on every road, but they did have issues with people just stopping to see that.”
On the pre-eclipse weekend, Austin area hotels are expected to be two to three times more full than at the same time last year, according to Visit Austin, a city agency. Expedia Group, a travel technology company, says based on bookings, Austin is one of the top destinations in the United States along the path of the eclipse.
Make plans now
If you were thinking about camping overnight in one of the 31 state parks where the total solar eclipse will be visible, you may be too late. Many are already fully reserved.
Central Texans may remember the annular, “ring of fire,” eclipse last October, when a smaller shadow of the moon passed between Earth and the sun.
Bluebonnet member Debbie Young loved that partial eclipse, which she saw from her and husband Allen Ambuhl’s home in ShadowGlen.
“I’m excited,” Young said of the upcoming event. “I’ve given glasses to some of my family and tried to keep people informed about when it’s going to happen and how to view it safely.”
Although Young is prepared, Hessel doesn’t believe many of his neighbors are aware of what’s in store.
“My experience is people wake up the day before the event in a big panic about who is selling glasses because ‘I need them right now,’ ” he said.
Katie Raney supervises a team at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department that educates park visitors year-round. She traveled to view the 2017 total solar eclipse in Nebraska and recalls the spectacle.
“The closer you are to totality, the more your body will notice the change in your environment,” she said. “You’ll feel cooler air, see a darker sky and sense a different world than the one you were in before the eclipse started.”
Of course, whether in the center of the total eclipse or in any part of Bluebonnet’s 3,800-square-mile service area, the vagaries of cloud cover loom large.
Hessel isn’t staying home for the eclipse. He’ll be in Bertram to see a little over 4 minutes of totality. If it’s cloudy, he might drive farther.
“I will do my best to find a clear sky,” he said.
Bluebonnet's communities and the solar eclipse
Most of the Bluebonnet service area, which spans about 3,800 square miles in all or part of 14 counties, will see a significant partial solar eclipse.
The light will dim like it does at dawn or dusk and the temperature will become noticeably cooler.
The sun will appear as a very thin crescent. Nocturnal birds and insects may briefly appear or begin making evening sounds.
If you are in the western portion of Manor, the eclipse will briefly be total. For less than a minute, the sky will appear like night and only the sun’s corona will be visible.
Solar eclipse facts for Texas
- The April 8, 2024, total eclipse passes over Texas in about 22 minutes
- Total eclipse begins at the Texas/Mexico border at 1:27 p.m., moves northeast, and leaves Texas at 1:49 p.m.
- Statewide partial eclipse lasts longer, from 12:10-3:06 p.m.
- Most populous area in the path of total eclipse is Dallas/Fort Worth, with about 7 million residents
- 12 million people live within path of total eclipse in Texas, more than any other state in the U.S.
Tips on safe eclipse watching
- Do not stare directly at the sun during the eclipse without protective solar lenses! Looking at the sun at any time without protective lenses can damage the retina quickly and permanently.
- The protective lenses must have a certified mandatory rating of ISO 12312-2.
- Supervise children closely to make sure they are using viewers correctly.
- The American Astronomical Society lists recommended manufacturers of glasses or viewers online at eclipse.aas.org/resources/solar-filters. You may also find viewing glasses at Home Depot, Lowe’s or Walmart.
Safe ways to view
- Eclipse glasses or handheld viewers: They can be inexpensive paper or plastic glasses or viewers, not sunglasses. Certified glasses or viewers are at least 1,000 times darker than sunglasses. Wear them over eyeglasses; check them for scratches or tears. Put them on before you look at the sun.
- Pinhole or box projectors: A pinhole projector is great for children, and can be created as easily as using two pieces of paper, or a colander. Let the sun shine through the pinhole (or the holes of a colander) onto a white piece of paper or surface, then watch the face of the sun disappear and reappear on that surface. A slightly more elaborate but simple box pinhole projector is easy to make: Get directions online or watch NASA’s YouTube video at bit.ly/42dvtDC
- Camera, binocular or telescope lens covers: You can tape the lens from a pair of solar eclipse glasses over the camera lens of your smartphone. Cameras, binoculars and telescopes require special solar lenses that fit over the lens or front of the devices. Consult an expert on recommended filters for these devices.
Sources: Space.com, American Academy of Ophthalmology, astronomer Keely Finkelstein
Planning a public eclipse event?
If you are in the Bluebonnet area and are planning a public solar eclipse-watching event, let us know by emailing socialmedia@bluebonnet.coop. We’ll share it with our followers.
Free eclipse glasses
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative members can pick up free eclipse viewing glasses, while supplies last, at any of the cooperative’s five member service centers in Bastrop, Brenham, Lockhart, Giddings and Manor. Limit: Two pairs of glasses per member. Member service centers are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Get addresses at bluebonnet.coop/contact-us.
Want some advice?
Thinking about traveling to see the total eclipse? Heed these warnings:
“I really ask for people to have patience. There will no doubt be delays and backups at signals. Everybody be patient.”
-— Matthew Heinze, maintenance section manager,
Texas Department of Transportation
“Do not come to a state park unless you have a reservation, either camping or for day use. And no matter where you go — to a state park or an event — go early and stay late because of the traffic.”
— Katie Raney, field interpretation coordinator,
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
“If you want to go somewhere to see it, you should go on Saturday or Sunday. Don’t think you can get up and go to your friend’s house that day to watch it, because you’ll get caught up in this traffic that’s coming.”
— Ann Howard, Travis County commissioner, Precinct 3
Get eclipse information
greatamericaneclipse.com/texas-2024-eclipse
eclipsewise.com/2024/2024.html
science.nasa.gov/eclipses Click on the red arrow to get details and maps
timeanddate.com/eclipse/map/2024-april-8 Click on PathMap; then zoom in on the map to locate your area. Click on your area to see details of the full or partial eclipse; “maximum” time is when the eclipse will be at its peak near you.
