Duck River Electric Membership Corporation (DREMC) celebrated its 90th anniversary Saturday, Aug. 15, at Harris Middle School. A total of 407 cooperative members registered, and an estimated 520 attended, packing the auditorium and spilling into overflow space. The milestone marked the cooperative’s founding in 1936, when 386 residents gathered to become its first members.
“Ninety years ago, Duck River Electric was formed because people believed rural communities deserved a stronger future,” said DREMC President/CEO James Wright. “That belief still guides us. We have every reason to be confident in the future we are building together.”
DREMC’s annual meeting featured a complimentary breakfast, door prizes, and a special video presentation commemorating the cooperative’s history, from its humble beginnings to its current membership of more than 87,000 across 17 counties in Southern Middle Tennessee.
Attendees met and took selfies with “Watts the Lineduck,” DREMC’s new mascot. Bedford County resident Kevin Smith was named the winner of the grand prize, a retired DREMC fleet vehicle — an F-150 4×4 pickup truck.
“The people who built this cooperative did not know every challenge the future would bring,” said DREMC Board Chairman Anthony Kimbrough. “They could not have imagined every appliance, every device, every business need, or every modern expectation that would someday depend on the system they started. But they understood something that still matters — when people come together around a shared need, they can build something lasting. That is what this 90th anniversary is about. It is not just a look back. It is a reminder of who we are, what has been entrusted to us, and what we owe to the members who will come after us.” GN
