A Tribute to a Special Friend and Mentor

By: MDEC GM Scott Bobo

Have you ever come across a person in life that was such an influence that they made you want to be better? I have had the honor of having such a person in my life for the last 24 years. When I began my career at the Cooperative, I already knew many of the employees and board members. I knew that the organization was in good hands and was excited to be a part of such a wonderful organization. One of the board members that I knew of but did not know very well would come to be a wonderful friend, supporter, and mentor. My friendship with Lavaughn Holcomb changed me as a person. Lavaughn helped teach me to focus on cooperation, community, and family.

Lavaughn Holcomb was the personification of cooperation. He lived the principles every day in his life and was always instrumental in helping us as employees remember it was about the members. I was honored to be able to spend a tremendous amount of time with Lavaughn traveling and serving on various boards across the state. Everyone that encountered him knew how important the members of the cooperative were. As a board member, he focused on how the members would be impacted by every decision that was made. He was dedicated to maintaining a balance between the needs of the cooperative, the employees, and the members. It was always about how we can serve the members betters.

Another area of focus for Lavaughn was community. Concern for community is the seventh cooperative principle and was a big part of who he was. Lavaughn always expressed the importance of our policies aligning with and working for the sustainable development in the communities we served. He realized that if the communities we served were strong then we would be strong as a cooperative. The history of electric cooperatives surrounded the community and members within that community came together for the common good of all involved. Rural Alabama was not attractive to electrification when the cooperative was started, but members of the community, like Lavaughn Holcomb, knew that growth was possible with the proper infrastructure. He served all the members of Marshall-DeKalb Electric Cooperative with dignity and a humble spirit.

The last thing that Lavaughn taught me was to always remember family. He and I seemed to hit it off so well because we were both the fathers of daughters. He had two girls and I have three. There was never a time we were together that he did not ask about my girls, and he would tell me about everything going on with his girls. During our travels, he would always make sure to check-in with Kathy and his girls were always calling and checking on him. I know how important family was to him, and he wanted everyone at the Cooperative to know they were family as well. Every board meeting, we had a discussion of the personnel and any matters that might be going on that needed attention. He treated us all like family.

Lavaughn Holcomb was the humblest servant that I have ever met. It was an honor for me to get to know him and call him my friend. The cooperative is going to miss his leadership and his caring spirit. I can only hope that I can continue the legacy of caring that he helped to establish.

August 12, 1952 - June 24, 2023