Michael (Mick) Burkemper, a retired board member of Cuivre River Electric Cooperative, Troy, was honored with the A.C. Burrows Award by the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives (AMEC) at that organization’s annual meeting Oct. 2 in Branson.

The purpose of the award is to recognize directors and employees of electric cooperatives for outstanding service to their cooperative, community and service areas. Those who received the award were selected because of their leadership above and beyond the call of duty to strengthen and improve the economic and social conditions in their areas.

Mick became a member of Cuivre River Electric Cooperative in 1977. He was first elected to the CREC Board in 1994 and has since won election to nine consecutive terms. Mick is a Certified Credentialed Director. He also served on the AMEC Board from December 2009 to July 2021.

Mick holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Saint Louis University and served in the U.S. Army from 1966-1968, including a tour of duty in Vietnam. He has been a vital part of his community in Lincoln County, as a farmer, and as the owner and operator of an insurance broker office in Troy for many years. He is an active member of St. Theodore’s Parish in Flint Hill. While serving on CREC’s Board, Mick was a part of several community projects, including the creation of the Gateway West Industrial Centre in Wright City. Also, during Mick’s tenure, the board approved the launch of Operation Round Up, which to date has awarded nearly $8 million in grants.

From the time he joined the board in 1994, to his last year as a board member in 2024, Mick was a part of shaping the cooperative and its growth from about 32,000 meters to over 70,000. This included approving the construction of CREC’s new headquarters in Troy. He and his wife, Donna, raised four children and currently reside in Moscow Mills.

The award is named for the late Audrian Cleon Burrows of Van Buren, Mo., who rose through the ranks to become general manager of the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, which is the statewide service organization for Missouri’s 48 electric cooperatives. Burrows served in this position from 1968 to 1976. He was recognized as an outstanding leader in rural electrification and as a distinguished individual who dedicated his life to helping others.