What’s your Power Principle?
My power principle is, “May the works that I’ve done speak for me.” Every positive thing that I have been blessed to have accomplished was made possible through a loving and supportive family, and with strength through my faith, while having fun along the way.��

Outside of the office, what makes you the most proud?
Each day I wake up and find myself surrounded by people who love me; this is what makes me proud.

How active are you in your community?��
Entergy is committed to helping make better, the communities in which we live. And I am very involved in my community. In addition to my past work with Habitat for Humanity, I continue to work with The United Way of Washington County Housing Project, where I serve as a board member assisting low-income families, and the disabled and elderly. Annually, our group volunteers to make exterior repairs for elderly and disabled homeowners; so far this year, we have helped 20.

What is the best work-related advice you have ever been given? ��
Do the best you can, when you can, how you can, while you can!

What do you want others to know about Entergy?
Entergy is a great place to work. It’s a company that embraces diversity as well as opportunity for advancement!��

Steve graduated from Mississippi State in 1969 with all intentions to teach history; he received a degree in the Teaching of Secondary School Social Studies. However, he never had a chance to do so. Right after college, he enlisted in the military, and after returning to the states from Vietnam, he started his career. Steve eventually retired from Entergy at the end of 2013, with 27 years of service.

Retirement allowed Steve to finally put his love of history to use. In early 2014, he contacted The Mississippi Department of Archives and History for volunteer opportunities, and they suggested that he should be a tour guide at the State Capitol, one of the most historic buildings in downtown Jackson and one of the most beautiful in the nation. “I didn’t even know they did tours at the State Capitol,” said Steve. “The volunteer coordinator said that I’d be good at it.”

The coordinator was right; Steve was a natural. “I carried notes with me while giving my first tour, but it was too much trouble. So I decided just to wing it,” he said. “After you get the first two out of the way, you feel pretty comfortable.”

Steve loved volunteering so much that he soon began giving tours at the Governor’s Mansion (the second oldest continuously occupied governor’s residence in the United States) and the Eudora Welty House (the actual home of the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer). He now volunteers about eight hours a week.

Steve doesn’t have a favorite site. “The locations all have different appeals to me,” he said. “The State Capitol is a magnificent building with lots of good architecture. The Mansion has beautiful furniture and a great history. The Eudora Welty House is very intimate, and I can make more of a connection with the people on tour. The house is displayed so that it feels like Eudora was there yesterday. The gardens are also beautiful and were restored to its 1940s peak.”

Interested in volunteering for MDAH? Email Elizabeth Coleman at ecoleman@mdah.state.ms.us or call 601-576-6985.

PHOTOS BELOW: Steve Kelly gives of a tour of the Governor’s Mansion to Patrick and Monica Fox from Chicago.

“I was chosen out of more than 6,000 parents that make up the school district. My son will be in second grade this upcoming school year. Since he was in kindergarten, I’ve always used my flex day to volunteer in his classroom. Normally, I would assist his peers that needed additional help in an area of deficiency. When I became PSTA President at his school, my theme for the year was ‘Parent Power.’ I believe it to be the power all parents have to make a difference in their child’s education as well as other children with a parenting deficiency. Since Entergy’s motto is ‘We Power Life,’ as an employee I am supplying ‘Parent Power’ at my son’s school to improve the communities we serve through education. Also, I am grateful to Entergy for supporting and powering my efforts through our community connectors program.” ~ Rock Ingram, senior analyst

“We were packing to move when our neighbor’s teenage daughter ran over, screaming about her nephew,” said Hall. “I went to help and discovered the boy had fallen into a pond and was unconscious and unresponsive.”

Hall said the child had neither breath nor pulse, so he immediately began cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. He said several minutes later, water sputtered from the child who began to breathe on his own.

“I’m glad I was there when help was needed,” said Hall, “and that I knew what to do, thanks to the training I’d received from the company. But, really, I was merely a tool that helped bring the child back to life.”

Entergy Mississippi President and CEO Haley Fisackerly recently presented Hall with the President’s Lifesaving Award. “We’ve given out 16 President’s Lifesaving Awards since 2008.��Charles is one of the first two non-craft employees who have received the award,” said Fisackerly. “When we talk about safety being a way of life, Charles is a prime example of that.”

Hall is grateful for the positive outcome of this experience. “The joy we shared with the family after medical personnel confirmed that the child was fine; it was overwhelming,” he said. “I can’t even contemplate the memory I would have now if I had not been trained properly to help save this child.”

Porter learned the Heimlich maneuver through safety training at Entergy. “I believe instinct kicked in, but the safety training that I had been exposed to certainly helped in this situation,” said Porter. “It’s very important to Entergy employees to familiarize themselves with CPR, the Heimlich maneuver and other techniques that could save a life. I never dreamed this would happen at lunch that day, but it did.”

Entergy Mississippi President and CEO Haley Fisackerly recently presented Porter with the President’s Lifesaving Award. “In the last eight years, we’ve given out 16 President’s Lifesaving Awards.��The two we most recently gave were the first ones not issued to a craft employee that works in the field,” said Fisackerly. “It goes to show that we all can be in a position where our actions can impact someone’s life, and that training in lifesaving skills can make all the difference.

“More importantly, the greatest act of kindness is when someone does something to help a complete stranger. That says a great deal about the kind of person Ed is. I’m proud he’s one of our own.”

“I never intended this act to be an act of heroism. I was just in the right place at the right time and took action,” said Porter. “God has a plan for us all, and that day I was where He wanted me to be.”

“It’s not every daughter that can truly see her dad as a hero in action,” said Porter’s daughter Holly. “I’m so proud of my dad and for what he represents: community, dedication to what‘s right and an unselfish desire to help whenever he can.”

Luckily, the trainers at the KAST Center in Clinton, Mississippi, help prepare some of Entergy’s future. Entergy Mississippi has 13 new linemen out in the field, and Entergy Louisiana has added one to its ranks, thanks to the most recent Lineman’s Boot Camp graduation.

The 2016 graduates are:

• Michael Shane Arnold
• Barry Lloyd Blackwell
• Darren Thomas Cox
• Brett Wayne Craig
• Nathan Allen Enriquez
• Craig Gilbert
• Joshua Ross Jones, Sr.
• Jamarcus Keathen
• Kutter Lambert McLaughlin
• James Kenny Thompson, Jr.
• Marlin Turner
• James Zachary White
• James Nicholas Wooten
• Nathaniel Young, Jr.

“We’re very confident about the group we’ve hired,” said Robbin Jeter, Entergy Mississippi vice president of customer service. “Many of the trainees have previous lineman experience, and we have a couple who are legacy linemen, growing up knowing the importance of the job.”

“Working at Entergy is a dream job,” said Brett Craig, lineman trainee. “I want to thank Entergy for giving me this opportunity.”

Rankin linemen Steve Hammons and Don Smith started off their work day like they had many times before, by stopping at a local gas station for coffee. On this particular October morning, the line was extraordinarily long. Only one cashier was working, and he was having a hard time with what should have been a normal routine.

He was sweating profusely and only using one hand to handle the cash. His other hand was balled into a fist, and he was using it to hold himself up by pushing against the counter. The cashier was also moving at a slower pace than usual.

Smith was ahead in the line and asked the man if he was OK, to which he replied, “Yes.” Hammons later did the same, receiving a similar response. Once they got outside, the two men discussed how something wasn’t right with the cashier and thought he might be having a stroke. A policeman was in the parking lot, so they asked him to check on the cashier. He called the local fire station to come to the store after speaking with the man.

A bit later, Hammons asked one of his coworkers to drive by the store to see how the man was doing. He saw that the man was being put into an ambulance.

They went to the store the next morning to check on him and discovered that he indeed was in the middle of having a stroke the previous day. Because of their instincts, first-aid training and persistence, the cashier was taken to the hospital in a speedy manner and is “really good,” according to Smith. “We didn’t perform any life-saving measures on him, but we were there at the right time,” he said.

“The first-aid training we went through taught us the warning signs of a stroke,” said Hammons. “The first thing we learn to do in training is to ask if a person is OK,” added Smith. “However, you also have to be aware of your surroundings and know if something doesn’t look right.”

“Steve and Don set a high bar for us all,” said Entergy Mississippi president and CEO Haley Fisackerly. “It says a lot about us as a company that we train our employees to notice signs and act when needed.”

“They saw the warning signs and didn’t give up when the cashier said that he was OK,” added Fisackerly. “They spoke up, which says a lot about the character of Steve and Don. I’m really proud of them.”

��

How Little Diamond’s Got Its Name

“Diamond Jim” Brady was a successful New York City multimillionaire in the late 19^th century, whose love of precious jewels earned him his apt nickname. The legend of his lavish behavior put his name into the American vocabulary and still infuses culture today with mentions in books, songs and movies.

Jim Luttrell was a storekeeper at South Street in Jackson when he received the popular nickname. “One of the lineman started calling Eric’s dad ‘Diamond Jim,’ and it stuck; everyone started calling him Diamond Jim,” said Bruce Hulitt, operations coordinator.

The nickname birthright continued for Jim’s son, Eric, who continues his father’s legacy by working as a storekeeper in the Rankin office. “As a young adult, I was given opportunity to go to the South Street storeroom during the summer(s) to sweep, stock and just help out in any way needed. Bruce first nicknamed me ‘Little Diamond,’” said Luttrell.

“So, the name of my catering business is a tribute to my dad,” he said. “That’s also why the street sign reads ‘St. Jimmy Charles Avenue.’ My dad’s middle name is Charles.”

What Makes Little Diamond’s Special

Eric Luttrell is a musician—he’s been in metro bands including NOx and Dixieattle. He is also a vinyl enthusiast. His catering business directly ties into his love of music and records, as so far he has only sold his food at vinyl sales.

“It started as a way to fill a need at 4 the Record, a record swap in Midtown Jackson,” said Luttrell. Scheduled caterers never showed at the event, so both customers and vendors were unable to eat. Luttrell began cooking crawfish chowder, gumbo, and red beans and rice to bring to the record swap, and his efforts were a big hit. “Several of the vendors gave my chowder the nickname ‘Crack’fish Chowder, because it’s so addictive,” he said.

His success at the record swap built confidence in his side venture. “I’ve upgraded all of my cooking equipment and have decided to take the steps to go legit and turn this into an ongoing business,” said Luttrell.

His last catering event was in December at a record convention at Duling Hall in Fondren. He sold out of the chowder within an hour and the other food hours before the end of the event. The next time there is a big event involving vinyl, Eric and Little Diamond’s will probably be there, feeding the attendees’ bodies while the music feeds their souls.

I was able to see a lot of beautiful scenery that I’ve never had a chance to go back to. I was stationed in Germany for 17 months and traveled to several areas in the U.S., including California and San Antonio, Texas. Being in the military gave me the chance to meet a lot of different people and hear a lot of different languages.

Mark was a sergeant for the United States Marine Corps. He served from 2004-09 in the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, which was an��infantry��battalion.

Other than a few months of initial training at Fort Polk, Louisiana and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, Hale served his entire military commitment with the Army’s 87^th in Vietnam from September 1966 to January 1968. Ronnie held the rank of Specialist E5 at the time of his discharge and joined Gulf States Utilities in February 1968.