By Melissa Segrest

Kenneth Mutscher, a member of the Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative Board of Directors for more than two decades and vice chairman since 2014, died May 20 after a brief illness. He was a respected business and community leader in Brenham and Washington County.

During his tenure on the Bluebonnet Board, he helped usher in significant technological advances in the face of rapid growth.

“Bluebonnet has lost more than 20 years of experience and history on our Board of Directors, but we have also lost a close friend,” Board chairman Ben Flencher said. “Ken was so easy-going and level-headed. He was blessed with the ability to really think things through and make the right decision. That made him a valuable asset on our Board and for Bluebonnet’s members. This is a tough loss for everyone who knew Ken.”

Matt Bentke, Bluebonnet general manager and CEO, described Mutscher as “a kind and gracious gentleman. He was a tremendous leader and advocate for Bluebonnet’s members. I will forever respect and miss Ken’s thoughtfulness and the fiscally conservative approach he brought to every discussion and decision as a director.”

Mutscher worked for the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, then established his own financial services business in downtown Brenham. After retiring from that job, he raised registered Brangus cattle on his ranch.  Along with raising cattle, Mutscher enjoyed golf, fishing, hunting, traveling and spending time with his grandson.

He was active in the region’s community groups, including being a director of the Blinn College Foundation Board. He had served as president of the Brenham Noon Lions Club and director of the Washington County United Way. He was a tireless supporter of Washington County Little League and an elder and chairman of the building committee at Grace Lutheran Church in Brenham. Mutscher was an organizing member of the Bluebonnet Beef Breeders Association of Washington County and was on a committee for the Washington County Fair.

He met his wife of 47 years, Sarita Dickmann, on a blind date to a Texas-Arkansas football game. Their son, Kevin, is an attorney in Brenham.

Mutscher had a strong work ethic, starting with a job cleaning the classroom at Grace Lutheran School, where he was a student. As a youth, he worked for a local furniture store and picked cotton in the summers.

Sports played an important role in his life. Mutscher lettered in football, baseball, basketball and track while at Brenham High School, where he graduated in 1961. He attended Blinn College for two years on a baseball scholarship and played on the school’s first team to reach the National Junior College Tournament. That love for baseball led him to coach and manage Little League teams.

From Blinn, Mutscher transferred to the University of Texas at Austin, graduating with a degree in business administration in 1965. During his time at UT, he worked for the Texas Senate’s sergeant-at-arms and, after graduation, worked for a year in the payroll department at Houston Lighting and Power. Then he returned to Brenham for an 11-year career as an investigator for the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. In that position, he traveled the state and worked with federal, state and local law enforcement. In addition to that career, he attained the rank of lieutenant during eight years with the National Guard.

Mutscher’s knowledge of pensions, health insurance and auditing made him an invaluable member of the Bluebonnet Board. His goal was to represent Bluebonnet members and he believed it was the cooperative’s responsibility to provide excellent service and low-cost power. He spoke of setting good policies and employing the best people as a win-win for Bluebonnet’s members.

While on the board, he obtained the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Credentialed Cooperative Director status and completed the association’s Board Leadership Program. Members had re-elected Mutscher to the Board at the cooperative's recent Annual Meeting.

He is survived by his wife, Sarita Mutscher; son Kevin Mutscher and his wife, Renee Mutscher; grandson Kaden Mutscher; sisters Rose Marie Prenzler and Carolyn Kuenstler; and numerous aunts, uncles, nephews and great-nephews.

Pictured, from left to right, are: Barbara Shelton, Caldwell County commissioner; Ray Chandler, Caldwell County deputy constable; Martha Aiken, club treasurer; Avenell LeMar, club vice president; Kathy Hutto, restoration committee member; Lori A. Berger, LCRA Board member; Margaret D. “Meg” Voelter, LCRA Board member; Candyce Mueller, club secretary; Rick Arnic, LCRA Regional Affairs representative; Joyce Buckner, Bluebonnet community development representative; and Pat Parsons, club president.

The McMahan Community Center will undergo a major renovation thanks to an $18,880 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative.

The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $4,720 in matching contributions, will allow the McMahan Community Women’s Club, which maintains the community center, to upgrade the center’s electrical wiring and install new ceiling and wall paneling, energy-efficient lights, rain gutters and rain collection. The pot-holed driveway also will be repaired.

Martha Aiken, club treasurer, says some of the electrical wiring was installed in the 1930s and is well past time for needing upgrades. Rain gutters will protect the wooden building from wood rot.

“The community center is centrally located and is one of the few community gathering places in the area,” Aiken said.

“Various organizations and the community rely on the space for regular meetings and family gatherings. We truly want to make it a welcoming space and are pleased to leave it to the next generation in good shape: functional, comfortable and lovely.”

The community grant is one of a number of grants recently awarded through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which provides economic development and community assistance grants to cities, counties, volunteer fire departments, regional development councils and other nonprofit organizations in LCRA’s wholesale electric and water service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and a partner in the grant program.

Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted July 1-31. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.

The Fayetteville Volunteer Fire Department will soon begin construction on a helipad that will significantly reduce patient transport time during medical emergencies, thanks to a $25,000 community development grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative.

The grant, along with matching funds from the City of Fayetteville and the VFD, will help the fire department eliminate the time spent looking for landing sites and conveying location information to helicopter crews and first responders. The time saved coordinating resources could be critical for patients.
Fayette County has no Level I trauma centers. People needing that level of emergency care must be transported by helicopter to Austin or Houston.

“The City of Fayetteville has an aging population and our volunteer fire department assists with about one medical transport a month,” said former Fayetteville Mayor Stephen Cushing. “Having a safe, secure landing spot for helicopters is a priority for our community.”

The new helipad will be constructed in a field near Fayetteville City Hall this summer.

“LCRA helped the New Ulm VFD construct a similar helipad last year and I’ve seen first-hand how it has helped that community,” Cushing said. “With a helipad of our own, I know we will feel safer and more capable when responding to medical emergencies.”

The community grant is one of a number of grants recently awarded through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which provides economic development and community assistance grants to cities, counties, volunteer fire departments, regional development councils and other nonprofit organizations in LCRA’s wholesale electric and water service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and a partner in the grant program.

Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted July 1-31. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.