A few celebrities are so well known their first  names bring instant recognition: Madonna or Beyonce, for instance. Across the Alabama Power electric system, employees know they can call “Top Cat” for assistance at Miller Steam Plant’s Warehouse. 

The moniker doesn’t bother Generation’s Tommy Charles Roberts, who, with 49 years of service, owns Alabama Power’s longest work record. When he started at the company, the “Top Cat” cartoon – whose main character is called T.C. – was popular.

“People all over the system know me because of my initials,” Roberts said. “They hung the nickname ‘T.C.,’ or ‘Top Cat,’ on me. I never minded it.”

Roberts has seen many changes during his journey with the company, and though he will be 71 in July, he has no plans of retiring. He was hired in 1964, not long after graduating from Calhoun Community College with a two-year electrical degree. Working as a laborer at Smith Dam, within a month, Roberts said, then-supervisor Grady Lewis urged Roberts to apply for higher positions.

“Bid on those jobs, I will recommend you,” Lewis told the young Roberts.

Within a month, Roberts was stationed at Plant Greene County as a lab helper. In January 1967, he became an assistant operator at Jordan Dam, where he performed switching operations, took plant readings and worked with dispatchers. He stayed in that job two years before moving to Plant Gorgas as assistant turbine operator.

As a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Roberts later “rolled” into a job as unit 10 switchboard operator. In 1978, he left Gorgas for a switching position at Plant Miller, where he assisted in placing all four Miller units online.

In 1995, Generation phased out switchboard jobs. Roberts was certified as a warehouseman and – the same year he received his 30-year watch – took that position at Miller.

“For years, I worked rotating shifts,” Roberts said. “But in this job, I moved in as the senior man, with weekends off. I’ve always said this job is one of the best things that ever happened to me.”

While Roberts enjoys the camaraderie and busy routine of working at Miller Warehouse, which is larger than a football field, he keeps his attention on the job.

“We all stay focused because we do a lot,” Roberts said. “Safety is No. 1 with everything we do. We have some heavy lifting, and we’ve got trucks moving through for shipping and receiving, so it’s a really busy place. If we have to get on a picker or forklift, we can call on our compadres for help. That makes working here enjoyable.”

Being healthy and happy in the workplace, with less than a year and a half to go before he reaches the 50-year service mark, Roberts has no intention of leaving Alabama Power.

“Everyone asks me all the time when I’m going to retire,” Roberts said. “I have a few more aches and pains than I used to, but why quit now? I enjoy working now more than I ever did.”

Roberts said working is his hobby. When he’s not at Plant Miller, he’s busy tending his 130-acre family farm in the Curry community, about 10 miles north of Jasper. The only time Roberts has been away was when he worked at Plant Greene County and Jordan Dam.

He joins six generations of Robertses in tilling the rich farmland, which is mostly pasture. Roberts plants hay for his 40 cattle and a saddle horse, keeping the fields neatly cut. This past year, Roberts planted two cornfields, and stored the corn for the horse and use in hunting. His son, Greg, and grandchildren, Kayla, Zac and Gage, enjoy taking care of the land and animals.

Roberts said he will “keep on keeping on” at the warehouse and on the farm.

“I’ve been at Miller 35 years, and it’s been a real good job,” Roberts said. “I’m planning on staying.”

By Donna Cope