For 39 years, Paul David Poston has served the members of York Electric Cooperative. He’s seen your co-op grow and adapt to continue serving members with excellence. His love of people and this community have been invaluable to your co-op. Most importantly, he has dedicated his time to ensuring the voices of members and exceptional service continue to be at the heart of cooperative business decisions.
Although serving on your board of trustees hasn’t been his only job, serving you, he says, has been a great honor. The honor, though, is really ours. Mr. Poston’s wisdom, leadership, vision and grace have been integral parts of your cooperative’s success. He was never afraid to disagree with the crowd, but always exhibited courageous serenity when making his point. He brought balance to the table, wanting more for your co-op while encouraging conservative approaches to spending money and new technologies to keep rates low.
I have been blessed to learn from him both professionally and personally. After losing my mom at a very young age and my father halfway through my career, Mr. Poston has been like a father to me, as well as a grandfather figure to my three kids. He has always stressed the importance of family, something that resonates deeply with me, our YEC employees and this cooperative. He has never pushed an agenda on me or anyone else. Rather, his institutional wisdom, calm spirit and gentlemanly character make it easy to follow his lead. Like him, I try to follow Matthew 7:12, treating others as I wish to be treated.
A well-known local farmer, Mr. Poston continues to spend a great deal of time outdoors, growing vegetables and flowers. Don’t be alarmed if you hear gunfire coming from his living room after dark. It’s likely John Wayne starring in one of his favorite old westerns on TCM. At 94, he has seen many things, including serving his country as a Marine at the very end of World War II, working as a brick mason, developing land, growing and selling fresh vegetables at his roadside stand and contributing to a brighter future for our community.
Thank you, Mr. Poston, for a job well done.
Sincerely,
Paul Basha
President and Chief Executive Officer