Celebrating 75 Years of Connection
General Manager
This year, South Central Rural Telecommunications Cooperative celebrates a milestone that few organizations reach: our 75th anniversary. It’s an opportunity not only to look back at where we began, but also to reflect on the values that continue to carry us forward.
Beginnings matter—and ours was rooted in a shared commitment to progress. On Sept. 21, 1950, SCRTC was officially incorporated. Just a few weeks later, our first board of directors gathered at the George J. Ellis Building in Glasgow to lay the foundation for something lasting. By August 1953, 160 members gathered at the first annual meeting at Gamaliel School—a powerful reminder of how deeply our cooperative roots run.
Through the years, our evolution has matched the changing needs of the communities we serve. In 1977, we made the leap to touch-tone dialing. By 1981, we moved into the building we still call home today. We helped usher in the age of mobile communication in 1991 as part of the largest cellular network in Kentucky at the time. And in 1995, we took our first bold step into the internet age with dial-up service—paving the way for the high-speed world we live in today.
From opening new offices in Munfordville in 1997 and Greensburg in 2015, to launching digital video services and ad insertion in the early 2000s and introducing fiber-to-the-home technology in 2008, we have never stopped investing in the future.
But our story isn’t just about infrastructure and innovation. At the heart of SCRTC are the people—our 136 dedicated employees who work each day to connect and support approximately 28,000 customers across 11 counties. Their commitment, paired with the strength of our cooperative model, is what has sustained us for 75 years and will continue to drive us forward.
Because we are a cooperative, we don’t answer to shareholders. We answer to you— the members who use our services. That structure is a source of strength, flexibility, and community-centered purpose.
As we mark this anniversary, I want to offer my deepest thanks. To our employees, your hard work and heart make all the difference. To our retirees and former board members, thank you for laying the foundation we continue to build on. To our current board of directors, your leadership continues to guide us forward. And to our members, your trust and support have brought us here. To the communities we serve, we are proud to be your partner, past, present, and future.
Here’s to the next 75 years.