ADVERTISEMENT
Glasgow News 1
South Central Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (SCRTC) celebrates its 75th anniversary with a Birthday Bash for everyone.
The special occasion from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Friday, July 25, serves as both a milestone celebration and a gesture of appreciation to the members and communities that have supported SCRTC throughout the decades. There will be a bounce house and obstacle course for children, and “Touch-a-Truck” type exhibits that features technology and equipment used in the telecommunications industry.
The event is free to attend and open to the public.
“We’re honored to celebrate 75 years of serving south-central Kentucky,” said SCRTC General Manager Jeff Eaton. “This event is our way of saying thank you to the community that has supported us through every advancement, challenge, and opportunity. We hope to see our members, neighbors, and friends join us for a fun and meaningful day.”
There will also be food trucks available, including Pelican’s SnoBalls for everyone in attendance, along with a free choice between a BBQ sandwich or two tacos, with one meal ticket provided per person. Full menus from Double D’s BBQ and Layo Tacos will also be available. Visit the SCRTC tent on the front lawn for food tickets and birthday bash details.
COMMUNITY COOPERATION BUILT SCRTC
The company that has grown into the SCRTC everyone knows began as an idea to fill a need for telephone services in the rural areas of south-central Kentucky. On October 31, 1950, several community leaders acted on this idea and met on the public square in Glasgow at the George J. Ellis Building. It was decided to move forward as a cooperative business model. SCRTC is owned by the very people it serves—not outside investors. Its members are more than customers—they’re neighbors with a voice in how the organization operates. This community-first model allows SCRTC to reinvest in local infrastructure, expand services, and stay focused on the needs of south-central Kentucky. For 75 years, that approach has been more than a business strategy; it’s been a promise to grow with the community, stay connected, and always put people first.
James J. Crouch of Glasgow, Paul L. Young of Horse Cave, Robert E. Eaton of Fountain Run, A.W. Ross of Cave City and Roger Glass of Edmonton were the five men who took the bold step to incorporate SCRTC while on the square in Glasgow that day in 1950. They also served as the very first board members, placing a strong foundation on which the next 75 years would be built.
Pictured are the first five board members for SCRTC — A.W. Ross, Paul Young, J.J. Crouch, Roger Glass and Robert Eaton. SCRTC file photo
The Ross brothers of Cave City had the first accepted application on October 31, 1950. It was for a residential 4-party line on the Hiseville exchange. There were four other applications accepted on that same date, each of which also associated with the initial board members.
A membership drive kicked off in 1952 to service the first 500 members. Also in 1952, SCRTC purchased the Southern Continental Telephone Company with properties in rural Glasgow, Cave City, Hardyville, Hiseville, Horse Cave and Munfordville bringing the total membership to 1,700.
The first annual meeting was held just a short time later on August 5, 1953 at Gamaliel School. Over 160 people attended. From the Glasgow square to the Gamaliel School and surrounding areas, SCRTC was bringing the power of communication for the first time to this rural area. Now, SCRTC is in eleven counties with approximately 28,000 subscribers.
The first line crew, which ensured the telephone stayed connected, was introduced. They were Billy Joe Albany of Cave City, Billy Miller of Temple Hill, Ernest Terry of Glasgow, Gillbert Bush of Horse Cave, Ed Taylor of Glasgow, Orville Estes of Cave City, William Adwell of Glasgow and Bill Higdon of Glasgow. W.R. Bacon served as general manager and James E. Gillenwater was the cooperative’s general counsel.
First Line crew – Kneeling, from left: Billy Joe Albany, Cave City; W.R. Bacon, Manager; Billy Miller, Temple Hill; Jim Lewis, Owensboro Coop Engineer. Standing, from left: Ernest Terry, Glasgow; Gillbert Bush, Horse Cave; Ed Taylor, Glasgow; Orville Estes, Cave City; William Adwell, Glasgow; and Bill Higdon, Glasgow. SCRTC File photo
The cooperative rapidly grew over the next decade and a half. In 1968, the 10,000th telephone was installed in Mrs. Myrrell Bunnell’s residence.
There has been tremendous growth in the phone industry since the 1950’s. Some will remember the party lines that were shared with multiple subscribers. When one home received or made a call, all other subscribers on that line could hear it. By 1985, the transition from those party lines to single service lines had been completed.
The cooperative has continued to upgrade the services offered as technology has progressed. With a bold move in 1991, SCRTC branched into a cellular network by partnering with four other companies to form Bluegrass Cellular and its subsidiaries, becoming one of the largest cellular networks in the state.
But perhaps the most important addition came in 1995, when SCRTC began providing dial-up internet service. At that time, not everyone was sure the internet was here to stay. It did stay, and it grew. Beginning in 2008, fiber technology was introduced, increasing internet speeds to what was once thought impossible. Now ninety-two percent completed, Fiber-to-the-Home expansion continues to replace all of SCRTC’s copper plant.
In 2002 video service began. This progressed and now SCRTC offers over 120 channels, including DVR, HD, Digital Music, Premium channels, and a streaming network called “My Stream TV”. There are packages for basic channel lineups, expanded packages and premium combo lineups.
Frances Spillman is pictured working at her desk at SCRTC in March 1963. SCRTC file photo
With the added broadband infrastructure, SCRTC continues to expand and improve the services it offers to both residential and business customers. Through the Data and Business Solutions Department, it has added security and various Wi-Fi solutions, including point-to-point Wi-Fi that can connect multiple buildings on a property to internet access. Dedicated special equipment experts provide free consultations on simple yet effective communications solutions. Hosted PBX is SCRTC’s internet-based voice over Internet Protocol phone system for businesses that manage multiple phone lines.
From its beginning in 1950 with five community-minded people, SCRTC has grown to cover over 2,100 square miles throughout 11 counties in south-central Kentucky. The cooperative (ILEC) and South Central Telcom (CLEC) service approximately 13,000 Telephone lines, around 8,000 TV households, and over 26,000 Broadband Internet customers.
The real strength of SCRTC remains as it did back in 1950 — with its people. From the meeting of five, to now over 130 employees, it is the SCRTC personnel who make the cooperative strong through dedication to the communities in which they serve. And the SCRTC cooperative members continue to power the company’s growth that began 75 years ago.
The first office for SCRTC in Glasgow on Main Street is pictured. SCRTC file photo
Comments