Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Chee Secody, a 94-year-old Navajo man, received electricity for the first time.
- The connection was facilitated by Murray City Power and Navajo Tribal Utility Authority.
- Secody's family and neighbors celebrated, highlighting the emotional impact of this event.
TONALEA, Ariz. — In a part of the country where roads are dusty, homes are scattered and power lines seem to stretch beyond the horizon, 94-year-old Chee Secody has lived his entire life without something many of us take for granted: electricity.
But on a sunny Wednesday morning in Tonalea, a small Navajo Nation community in northern Arizona, that changed.
"I'm very happy," said Betty Tso, a neighbor and long-time friend. "Today, he's going to get it. So, I'm very happy about that."
Secody, a Korean War veteran, lives a quiet life in his humble home.
He has been on the waiting list to have his house connected to the power grid since 2017.
When the moment finally arrived, family, neighbors and a group of linemen from Utah were there to witness it.
"You can't really explain it," said Eric Bracewell, who is the operations manager for Murray City Power. "Goosebumps in the back, and your hair stands up. It's a really great feeling. It's awesome."
Bracewell and his crew from Murray came all the way to the Navajo Nation as part of a joint program with Navajo Tribal Utility Authority.
While the trip gave Murray's newer line workers a unique training opportunity and needed hours for their apprenticeship, it also gave them the unique chance to change a life.
"To see the people's faces and the emotion they go through to get power, it's pretty amazing," Bracewell said. "To think people don't have power in this day and age, it's kind of mind-boggling."
Murray Mayor Brett Hales also made the trip.
He's proud linemen from his city can make a such a positive difference for others.
"Honestly, I don't know how anyone here can keep a dry eye when these residents get their first spark of electricity," said Hales.
For Secody's granddaughter, Rose Nelson, who was translating to others for her grandfather who speaks Navajo, it was emotional to see her grandfather finally plug in.
"He likes electricity coming into his house for his power tools," she said with a laugh. "I guess that was more important than his refrigerator."
It was just a flip of a light switch.
But for Secody, and others who are finally getting connected, it means so much more.
"Now he'll probably have his porch light on when he gets home," Nelson said. "He says he loves it."
