Multi-Generational TVA Family a Living Legacy to Core Values

“I remember when I was young, I would sit in Dad’s garage, and we'd talk TVA,” said Terry Williams, a third-generation employee entering his 45th year of service in the Valley Region. “He'd tell some of the best TVA stories. His storytelling gave you that sense of belonging.” 

Terry Williams, a reliability operation manager at TVA, oversees a group of reliability coordinators who evaluate power flow and congestion constraints on the transmission system. He and his sister, Carolyn Wilson, a project control specialist scheduling land transactions at TVA, recalled their favorite and most profound of those stories their dad used to tell. 

Terry Williams, in back, with sister, Carolyn Wilson, and son, Tre Williams.

Terry Williams and Wilson’s grandfather was a sharecropper in northwest Alabama when electricity finally reached the farm. Their dad was just a little boy when he saw those line workers on the transmission poles. 

“My dad was only six or seven years old at the time,” Wilson said. “He looked up at the lineman stringing transmission line, waved and asked, ‘How do I get a job like you?’ The lineman called down to him, ‘Go to school, study real hard and you can do anything.’” 

And the rest is history. 

That little boy, LC Williams Sr., never lost sight of his dream — to be an electrician with TVA. He helped break ground at Browns Ferry Nuclear plant as a laborer and then was accepted into an electrician apprenticeship program. He worked at the Power Service Shop in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, for 37 years. 

“When I was growing up, if you got a job with TVA, you hit the jackpot,” Terry Williams said. “It really set the tone for our family.” 

The journey was a rocky one at times, though. Wilson earned a scholarship to Auburn when she graduated from high school. But after LC sustained a significant injury, she had to stay at home and help tend to the family during her father’s recovery. This prompted her to join an engineering aid program, and she’s been at TVA ever since. 

“It was hard starting out,” WIlson recalled. “I was at Bellefonte Nuclear Plant while it was under construction. There were catcalls from the scaffolding and people telling me I took a job away from a man. But I just kept reminding myself of what Dad would say: ‘It doesn’t matter how you get there; it’s you who’s going to keep you there. If someone opens a door, walk in and prove that you’re qualified.’ And that’s just what I did.” 

Now, Wilson holds the title of the first black female president of Engineering Association. 

But these accomplishments have come with more than their fair share of obstacles. The Williams’ legacy of service is one of fortitude but also hardships — ones they faced with a dignity that often was not afforded them in return. 

“When I started out in the training program for plant operator,” Terry Williams recounted, “there was little or no support for people who looked like me. Our experience was not a smooth one back then. We, as people of color, had to navigate things that other people didn’t.” 

To Terry Williams, values like Inclusion with Diversity are much more than boxes being checked. It’s things like equitable footing, psychological safety and actionable change that create a core value — one that lasts.  

“Diversity should never be a season,” Terry Williams said. “It’s a journey, and we aren’t there yet. But I feel like we at TVA are now actively working toward a goal — making sure everyone is recognized and has a seat at the table.” 

One way TVA is committing to Inclusion with Diversity is by investing in long-term goals like labor development and education to support more diverse candidates in the workforce pipeline. By empowering future employees and investing in their growth, TVA is fortifying this core value. Because what is a core without its strength and its seeds?

Terry Williams and Wilson reminisced about tough times, saying you chose one of two paths — to be bitter and complacent or move things forward and tell your story. Together, they’ve found that conversation and empathy are key to rooting Inclusion with Diversity deeper within the hearts of employees. 

“Terry is the smartest person I know,” Wilson said, bragging about her brother. “He was a hydro operator at 20 years old and the first black dispatcher at TVA. I’m so proud of him and his accomplishments.” 

“Most people flip a light switch and don’t understand what all goes into that,” Terry Williams said. “It’s all about maintaining the integrity of the grid across our footprint.” 

And integrity is something Terry Williams and his family are fluent in. They’ve maintained a stoic hopefulness despite barriers, and their resilient perspective is helping make a difference that will last for generations to come. 

“Our legacy is holding on and always doing your best,” Wilson said. 

Fourth-generation employee Tre Williams, a software engineer with TVA, is a testament to that. 

“I’ve had it a lot easier than my dad and aunt did back then,” Tre Williams offered. “From the moment I met my team, I felt that camaraderie, and for that, I’m grateful.” 

Persisting is part of the Williams’ legacy—one that began so long ago on that dirt road in Alabama. 

“You know, Dad always told me keep my head up,” Terry Williams said. “And that’s what I’ll do.” 

Keep your head up — the same mantra that had LC Williams Sr. look toward the sky and see powerlines.