A Seymour rancher visits England

With the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in Great Britain’s history, it’s fascinating how quickly one can make a direct connection from the throne of England to Tri-County Electric Cooperative.

King George VI died on Feb. 6, 1952, launching his daughter’s 70-year reign. Less than a month later, on March 1, the United States Electric Light & Power Utilities Study Group – power plant managers and operators, union officials and engineers – arrived for a six-week tour of England, Scotland and Wales. Its members were brought in “to discuss common problems with the British electricity supply industry at all levels… and to exchange views on the practices of both countries [regarding] generation, transmission and distribution, engineering and construction, labour, personnel relations and commercial.” The 17-member group included eminent leaders in the U.S. electricity industry, from New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Atlanta, Washington, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Portland and other major cities.

One of them was an electric co-op manager from Seymour, Texas.

Tom Craddock, CEO of B-K Electric Cooperative for its first 30 years, flew to London as a member of the group and toured power plants, offices, manufacturing facilities and field installations. They also saw the sights: Winchester Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, Stonehenge, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Hadrian’s Wall and a cavalcade of castles. Craddock took a special interest in English agriculture: a file box Dennis Thompson found in the warehouse this year contained two envelopes filled with 80-year-old hay which had been mailed to the Baylor County rancher.

The box also held Craddock’s passport, a trove of letters, pamphlets and notes, photos, postcards and other mementoes from the trip. The group returned to New York Harbor on the Cunard Line ship Britannic, arriving on April 18. Back in Seymour, Tom gave a program for the Seymour Chamber of Commerce, noting how his appreciation for the English had grown after seeing what they went through in World War II – without whining.

The affable rancher left an impression on his hosts, enjoying the cooking and adding a few West Texas colloquialisms to the local vocabulary. The newsletter for the Merseyside and North Wales Electricity Board referred to “the delightful way in which Mr. Craddock, of Texas, expressed his appreciation of what had been done for the team. He said, ‘You guys certainly lean over backwards to be hospitable – and I don’t say that for applesauce.’”

For years afterward, Craddock corresponded with the British and American friends he made on his journey to England.