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SAFETY FIRST
As Employees Continue Adapting to Changes Brought by the COVID-19 Pandemic, Celebrating Christmas Looks Different
early a year has passed since more than 95 percent of employees moved to a digital work environment back in March. Our teams have shown remarkable strength and resilience in not only getting the job done away from the office or service center, but also maintaining high- priority safety by wearing face coverings, practicing social distancing, completing the daily wellness check-in, and hand hygiene. With the new year approaching, adhering to these and other protocols is as imperative as ever.
In this third installment of the Visions Monthly series, discover how exemplary employees in the Colorado-Kansas, Kentucky-Mid-States, and Louisiana divisions continue rising to the challenge of the many changes brought about by the threat of COVID-19. As they will affirm, vigilance in wearing a mask in public, maintaining social distance, avoiding large crowds, and washing your hands often is just as important now as it was back in March.
Ricky Walker
Crew Leader, Owensboro, Ky.
My wife of 32 years, Jeanette, and I have been foster parents to 12 babies. We brought many infants into our safe home, knowing that returning the child to the parent was always the goal. But that does not keep you from falling in love with the infant. We would go through the normal joys of having a new baby and then the heartbreak of the child leaving after several months. We had no children of our own, but were given the opportunity in 2005 to take in Cassie, who was two months old and is now 15, and Brandon, who was three days old and is now 14. We were asked if we would be willing to give these two a forever home and were overjoyed, not thinking that they would someday grow up to be teenagers who know more than us, or so they think, ha, ha. Those mathematical algorithms you thought you would never encounter after graduating from high school? They came back to haunt us when the pandemic hit. Thank God my wife is a teacher’s assistant and good at math. She was wonderful working with the kids during their virtual classes at home. My father, Malcolm E. Walker Sr., was a 40-year Western Kentucky Gas (WKG) employee and pastor of Victory Temple in Central City, Ky., for 50 years. After he passed away in 2012, I earned my Ordination for Elders license and took over his church. In March, our little congregation came into the Wi-Fi age via
a Facebook page with a cash app instead of offering plates. My wife placed a picture of each member on pews in the building, so I at least have a visual of the members who are watching the service via our stream. Preaching to a computer is not easy, coming up with the
same energy you would normally have in a building full of people.
Yet, I have discovered that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. I was hired by WKG in 1987 and have worked in construction for the past 33 years. We rotate on call during the weekends and are 24-7 in emergency situations, locating, repairing,
and replacing natural gas lines. I’m an Operator Qualification (OQ) evaluator and subject matter expert in fusion OQ testing. With all these hats I wear, along comes the pandemic. We do our weekly safety meetings via Teams, email for job orders, and stay connected by cell phone, text, or satellite via LocusView. Adjusting to working remotely was not that difficult for us because our Atmos Energy trucks, which we travel in separately, are a fully stocked installation or repair company on wheels. There are long stretches without PTO, however, because there is nowhere safe to vacation without the fear of contracting the virus. This year, we celebrated Christmas with the four of us and Jeanette’s aging mother. In the past, we did Christmas with large family gatherings on both sides of our families.
Jason Gentz
Senior Service Technician, Herington, Kansas
My wife, Brandee, and I have two sons, Maddox, 9, and Micah, 2. She is a purchaser for Tri-County Telephone in Council Grove. We live in the country eight miles west of Herington on eight acres. Maddox rides a school bus to school every day. My wife and I trade taking and picking up Micah from daycare. We have been very mindful about social distancing, hand washing, and wearing masks. Before the pandemic, we would get together with friends who also have kids and watch football games on TV and have swim parties in the summer. In March, we planned on going to a friend’s wedding in Las Vegas. They have since rescheduled three times. We plan our trips to the grocery store when there is less foot traffic and use Amazon delivery a lot.
I was hired as a service technician here in Herington in 2016. This past year, I have been transitioning to construction. My day involves repairing leaks, replacing and installing services, and
Wearing their Don’t Wake the Bear shirts in Owensboro, Ky. are (from left) Brandon, Cassie, Ricky, and Jeannette Walker