Remembering Jerry Clower
By: Jennifer Boeck and Kaia Hicks
Our 85th anniversary celebration continues as we look forward to our upcoming Annual Meeting on Saturday, September 30, 2023, at the Pontotoc County Agri-Plex in Ada. This month we ‘flashback’ to 1988, when Grand Ole Opry star, Jerry Clower was People's Electric Cooperative's (PEC) headline entertainment at the 1988 Annual Meeting celebrating PEC’s 50th Anniversary.
An American stand-up comedian, Clower was born and raised in the state of Mississippi. He was best known for his stories of the rural South and was given the nickname “The Mouth of Mississippi.”
A few days before PEC’s 1988 Annual Meeting, Manager of Administration Carlton Tilley (ret.) received a phone call from Clower’s agent regarding an unexpected travel conflict. The day prior to his scheduled performance at PEC’s Annual Meeting, Clower was set to be inducted into Mississippi State University’s Football Hall of Fame (HOF). Commercial flight schedules showed no available flights to Oklahoma City to accommodate Clower’s HOF induction in Mississippi and subsequent noon performance two states away.
Tilley was faced with the dilemma of how to transport Clower from Starkville, Mississippi, to Ada, Oklahoma, in less than 24 hours. Clower could catch a flight to Dallas (TX) following the ceremony, but with no flights available from Dallas to Ada in time for the show, what was he to do?
Determined to make it happen, Tilley reached out to local Ada businessman, Mike Cantrell who at the time, hangared one of the few private planes in the area at Ada’s Municipal Airport. Mike, in turn, put Tilley in touch with his brother, Bob, who graciously agreed to the plan of bringing Clower back to Ada via the private plane owned by the two brothers.
Cantrell and Tilley set out in the early morning hours of September 10, 1988, to make the trip to Dallas to ensure Clower could arrive for his mid-day performance at PEC’s 50th Anniversary show.
During final arrangements, Clower asked how he would recognize his escort upon his arrival in Texas. Tilley advised that he and Cantrell would both be wearing red PEC shirts. Tilley remembered when Clower stepped off the plane in Dallas, he too was wearing a red shirt. 253104900
As the men prepared for takeoff in the twin engine East 55 Beech Baron, tail number N30RM, Tilley recalled a brief discussion of Cantrell’s flying credentials. Any slight apprehension Clower may have had in the moment was put to rest when he posed his final question.
Clower asked Cantrell, “well, are you a born again Christian?”
Bob answered, “yes sir, I am.”
Clower replied, “I’ll fly with you anywhere!” And so the three men, dressed in red, flew north to Ada with Bob Cantrell in the pilot’s seat.
Once the men landed safely at the Ada airport, Clower expressed that he was hungry. Their next stop would be at long- time Ada favorite, JD’s Café located on North Broadway, just up the street from Main Street where PEC’s Annual Meeting was already in progress. 563601102
Clower looked over the menu and when he couldn’t decide what he would like to order, he told the waitress, “I just want it all.”
So that’s what he got.
“JD’s cooks and wait staff brought him some of everything. Jerry was eating with one hand and signing autographs with the other,” recalled Tilley. Clower continued to sign as many autographs as possible prior to leaving for his performance that began at 12:15 PM.
Clower’s performance made PEC’s 50th Anniversary extra special. Later that evening, he eagerly accepted the invitation to a steak dinner with PEC’s CEO Randy Ethridge (ret.) and PEC’s board of trustees at Ethridge’s home. They all had a great time together before Manager of Operations John Hudson (ret.) drove Clower to Oklahoma City for his commercial flight back home.
“We are thankful for all the wonderful performers and talented artists who have graced our stage throughout the years. Annual Meeting memories have been shared throughout the past 85 years that can never be replaced. We look forward to continuing the tradition,” said current Executive VP and CEO Kevin Wood.
PEC’s 85th Annual Meeting celebrates our deep appreciation for our membership, our trustees, leadership, and employees who continue to shape PEC and improve the lives of our 16,000+ members located in the eleven south central Oklahoma counties we serve.
They say, “time flies when you’re having fun.” Join us for another day of fun and great entertainment as we celebrate 85 years of service on Saturday, September 30, 2023, at the Pontotoc County Agri-Plex in Ada, beginning at 9 AM.
We can only imagine what is in store for our cooperative in the next 85 years.