What Yesterday Built

TVA Retiree Visits New SOC 

A reflection of the video screens at the System Operations Center glimmered in his eyes, glassy with tears.

“I just – I'm overwhelmed,” TVA retiree Hugh Gardner, 93, said. “I may just break out in tears.”

In the ’60s, Gardner was a power supply manager – a position similar to what we call the Balancing Authority now.

Back then, the technology and peaks were different, but the obstacles were the same. Droughts, storms and cold weather kept Gardner on his toes, challenging his operational prowess. What he lacked in technology at the time he made up for in strong relationships with other power companies and, as Gardner recalls, a lot of praying.

“I was a country boy, but I traveled and touched a lot of things at TVA,” Gardner said, reminiscing.

He started out in the Navy, and then the world opened up.

“The GI bill was a godsend. I was able to go to Mississippi State, then I started at Colbert as a test engineer.”

The rest is history. Gardner rose through the ranks at TVA, helping to lay the groundwork for one of the most reliable and resilient grids in the country.

And recently, on a cold, January day, he got to see it in action.

An entourage of TVA leaders guided Gardner and his family through the SOC, a place most will never see. The leaders described the specs of the physical facility, resilient as the grid itself. Gardner’s jaw dropped.

“I cannot believe I’m seeing this,” he said. More often than not, he was speechless.

The tour turned into something different than expected, though. Not just a list of facts or metrics. It became a moving story – one that unfolded as Gardner’s memories were unlocked.

“It’s all started to come back to me now,” he smiled, recounting his own days at the desk.

A lot of times, we don’t get to see what lies ahead. We cast light forward and illuminate the steps of those who will follow.

Gardner, on the other hand, is lucky enough to see the path he helped create – a series of tomorrows that led him here.

As we look toward our tomorrow, we remember that it's built on the shoulders of those who came before us – people like Gardner.

“This grid is strong,” Gardner said, beaming with pride. “It’s stout. And I feel safer knowing this is here.”