From Digging Ditches to General Manager Ali James | Freelance Writer Shopper News / Knoxville News Sentinel
Article reprinted with permission from the Knoxville News Sentinel, which can be found online at www.knoxnews.com
G
regg Morgan did not see himself attending college when he graduated from Carter High School in 1979. He was 18 and pictured himself with a baseball bat in his hands. Instead, he ended up with a shovel.
Photo by Ali James/Shopper News
“College was not an option,” said Morgan. “The grades probably weren’t good enough to get an academic scholarship and it would have been a great hardship for my parents without it.”
After applying for every industry including the railroad, he felt rejected. A Gregg Morgan started his career digging ditches and worked his way up within the ranks at contact at the Northeast Northeast Knox Utility District. He was appointed General Manager in 2018. "I started out as a Knox Utility District told laborer; I was a shovel operator and swept and cleaned a lot," he said. Morgan about a vacancy; he applied and got the job. “I remember what I did the first day,” said Morgan, who started as a “shovel” operator. “We had to do a meter set and get from the main line across the road using a jackhammer and lay iron pipe. I was laying in the ditch wondering what I had done – this is much harder than hitting a baseball.” The second day was spent reading meters. “We used to ride on the back of a truck bumper and get off the truck at each meter,” he said. “Those days were difficult, but I enjoyed being outside, and a couple of men took me under their wings.” 24
TENNESSEE UTILITY NEWS | www.taud.org
