Mister Hampton T
ed Hampton, ’62, is the longest serving manager/CEO of any rural electric cooperative in the United States. April 2022 marks 58 years in the position. He was just 24 years old when his uncle, Bill Hampton, who had been leading Cumberland Valley Electric (CVE) for 10 years, suffered a sudden heart attack and passed away in 1964. At the time, Ted was teaching at a local high school. The managers at CVE approached Hampton and asked if he would step into his uncle’s shoes and lead the company. He discussed it with his dad, who said, “Go for it.” He has been the manager ever since. The co-op’s headquarters consist of a set of buildings off US-25E in Corbin, Kentucky. Inside the main building sits Hampton’s office. It’s as though an office space moved into the living room of an old-school Kentucky home. 1970s-style wood paneling covers the walls, and a large, dark-stained wooden desk commands the room. One upholstered chair is placed off to the side of the room, and two more sit across from the desk. The desk is organized. A few piles of paper bound with binder clips lay neatly on top of each other, awaiting Hampton’s signature. Next to the stack is a Styrofoam cup with still-steaming black coffee. Hampton holds an impromptu meeting every morning to go over the day’s agenda; some staff have their mugs they sip from, he prefers a simple cup. In the left corner of the desk sits a red and pink Valentine’s Day coffee mug (go figure) with a miniature sock monkey inside – a gift from Hampton’s wife. On the right corner sits a small picture frame with an image of Hampton’s granddaughter, Tory, smiling for the camera. Hampton’s daughter Amy, Tory’s mother, who also attended Cumberlands, passed away in 2013. Hampton and his wife, Margie (Jones) Hampton, ’70, are raising Tory. In a feature story in Kentucky Living about Ted’s battle with COVID-19 – during which he was in the hospital on a ventilator for 31 days – Margie said that, when Ted was so sick he didn’t recognize anybody else, he still recognized Tory every time. She’s one of the reasons Hampton is still working at the age of 82. “I’ve got a baby to raise!” he says. But she isn’t the only reason. He shrugs, “I have just always liked what I’m doing.”
The Job The Cumberland Valley Electric co-op was formed by local business and community leaders back in 1940 to bring electricity to the more rural areas of eastern Kentucky. It now services more than 23,600 members/owners across nine counties in Kentucky and two counties in Tennessee. 26 |SPRINGL 2021
