February 2026

A black and white portrait of Granville T. Woods

The Black Edison. Such was the nickname bestowed upon Granville T. Woods, an African-American inventor who held more than 50 patents. Born in Columbus in 1856, he attended school only to age 10, leaving due to family poverty and the necessity of work.

Villagers of La Soledad smile for a group photo.

Late this month, 17 volunteers from Ohio’s electric cooperatives will fly to Guatemala, take a two-hour ride up a very steep mountainside and spend 14 days helping to electrify the remote village of La Soledad. The project, undertaken through the auspices of the international program of the National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (NRECA), has had monetary and material support from all 24 of Ohio’s electric cooperatives and from employees and other friends of the statewide network of electric cooperatives.