Legacy of Service: The Campos Family's Line Work Tradition at PEC

As lineworkers nationwide celebrate Father's Day this Sunday, June 21, some are also celebrating the tradition of line work in their families. For example, Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) is celebrating the legacy of the Campos family. 

The cooperative has become a place where families, like Regional Operations Supervisor Lonnie Campos and his two journeyworker sons, Gilbert and Bradley, take pride not only in their work but in the name they share. 

Lonnie has been with PEC for 33 years. After high school, he began pursuing a college degree and quickly realized he preferred a more hands-on, outdoor learning environment. 

In 1993, Lonnie started at the cooperative as a groundman, a position similar to today's apprentice role. Over the years, he worked his way up to regional operations supervisor, overseeing a maintenance crew of three apprentices and two journeyworkers. 

The determination and drive that helped Lonnie build his career are among the qualities his sons admire most. 

Built By Example 
It was Lonnie’s passion for his work that piqued Gilbert and Bradley’s interest when they began considering their own careers. 

“Growing up, I saw how much pride my dad took in his work at PEC. And it wasn't just a job to him. It was about serving people and helping keep the lights on for communities. I wanted to be a part of something that mattered the same way that it mattered to him,” Bradley said. 

Along the way, Lonnie passed down values that would shape both sons, on and off the job. They followed in their father’s footsteps because they say the values they learned growing up translated naturally to line work and answering the call to serve. 

“I've always raised them to be honest, hardworking and volunteers,” Lonnie said. “Be willing to help somebody, work hard, and be safe.” 

Before choosing PEC, Gilbert tried on his dad’s gear to make sure line work was something he could see himself doing. He later joined the apprenticeship program and now works as a journeyworker in Liberty Hill. 

“I had a sense of accomplishment when I journeyed out, because I felt like I was following in his footsteps,” Gilbert said. “Becoming a journeyman and accomplishing that goal was a real proud moment.” 

Though the three work in separate districts, there are moments that make working at the same cooperative feel full circle.   

“I work with a lot of people that I knew as a kid who were on his crew,” Gilbert said. “It’s been a privilege to work under people who came up under him and to see how they’ve learned from him.” 

Many of the people that Lonnie supervised have since become Gilbert’s supervisors, a connection that makes the experience more meaningful. Gilbert said some of the knowledge being passed down to him traces back to his dad. 

For Bradley, who is a journeyworker in Bertram, hearing stories about his father from employees only deepens his pride. 

“Hearing longtime employees talk about the kind of worker and person he's always been makes me proud. Seeing the respect people have for him and knowing the reputation he built over the years makes me proud to carry on the name and connection here at PEC.” 

Keeping the Lights On
For the Campos family, the work goes beyond poles and power lines. At its core, it is about the people PEC serves. 

“Keeping reliable power means helping families, businesses, schools and the entire communities continue their daily lives without interruption,” Bradley said. “It's easy to take electricity for granted until it's gone. So being part of the team that restores power and serves our members is something we take seriously. There's a lot of pride in knowing the work we do truly makes a difference for the people.” 

As a maintenance crew supervisor, Lonnie’s crew inspects equipment such as feeders and transformers and determines when infrastructure needs to be repaired, replaced, or upgraded. Whether responding to growth in an area or damage caused by storms, the team’s work helps keep PEC’s system reliable and allows other crews to restore power more quickly when outages occur.  

The commitment to reliability and safety has remained central to Lonnie’s career. 

“I’ve always taken great pride in what we do as lineworkers,” Lonnie said. “I’ve seen so many outages and different challenges over the years. Getting the power back on is most important, in the safest way possible and as efficiently as possible.” 

He continues, “We must make sure everybody goes home at the end of the night. The biggest thing is watching out for each other to make sure no one gets hurt.” 

That is why tailboard meetings before heading out for the day, and proper personal protective equipment, are essential for keeping crews safe, he emphasized. 

Lonnie recalled a memory that has stuck with him over the years, when he and Regional Operations Supervisor James Demars went out on a cold Christmas Day to help an elderly woman get her power back on. She insisted they come back another time and spend the holiday with their families, but Lonnie and James wouldn’t leave until her power was restored. After they finished, she invited them in to share some pie. 

“There’s nothing greater than getting the lights back on,” he said. “Hearing people tell you how grateful they are after an outage, especially after ice storms and lightning storms. It’s humbling. Serving our members and keeping their power on is probably what I enjoy most.” 

A Lasting Legacy
After 33 years at PEC, one of the most rewarding parts of Lonnie’s career has been watching his sons choose the same path. Gilbert and Bradley now carry forward many of their father's values: hard work, service and showing up for others when they are needed the most. 

“It’s a career, but it’s not,” Lonnie said. “It becomes something that you enjoy doing every day. Your sons and daughters see that. Who knows, maybe my grandson will be doing this someday.” 

 For the Campos family, Father’s Day carries an extra layer of meaning. Bradley was born on the holiday, a fitting coincidence. Their story serves as a celebration of the many fathers whose leadership and example continue to shape the next generation.

Editor's Note: If you have the legacy of line work in your family, we'd love to put you in the spotlight. Email your photos and stories to Amy Fischbach, Head of Content for T&D World and host of the Line Life Podcast.