A recently dedicated statue honoring the line workers who helped restore power in southwest Louisiana after Hurricane Laura may look familiar.

That’s because it was constructed in the likeness of Southwestern Electric Power Company Troubleman Hunter Mathews.  

American Electric Power Board Member and Lake Charles philanthropist Oliver “Rick” Richard commissioned the bronze statue and tapped Texas-based sculptor Janie Stine LaCroix to create it. To ensure the figure was as accurate as possible, LaCroix needed to see a line worker in their equipment. Richard asked AEP leadership for photos of a properly equipped lineman that she could use for reference.

SWEPCO was quick to help.

Last summer, SWEPCO took photos of Mathews in the tools and equipment that line workers take up with them on a pole. SWEPCO also loaned LaCroix the actual tools used so she could get a feel for their shape and texture.

Mathews said he was happy to help and thinks the statue turned out great.

“It’s nice to be recognized for the things we do,” he said. “There are a lot of people in this industry who work hard to get the lights back on, and this statue represents all of us.”

Richard said he was inspired to commission the statue after seeing the caravans of utility trucks driving down the interstate after natural disasters to aid local line workers in power restoration.  Often referred to as mutual aid, the practice of sending workers across the country to help a fellow utility following a disaster is unusual in other industries, he said. 

“I have a great amount of respect and admiration for the men and women who get out when everyone else is staying at home,” Richard said. “After Hurricane Laura, it occurred to my wife Donna and I that line workers are sort of the Marine Corps of the electric utility industry, and we wanted to honor them.”

Richard had worked with LaCroix on previous statues, including the “Working Man” in downtown Lake Charles, and immediately thought of her for the project.

On Sept. 1, the statue was unveiled in front of the Phoenix Building at the corner of Ryan and Kirby streets in downtown Lake Charles. It is dedicated to “those stalwart linemen and women from near and far who, after Hurricane Laura’s devastation, toiled tirelessly day and night to restore our power and light. God bless them all.”