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EDITOR’S DESK
10-10, 2 & 2
Some messages stay with you not just because they’re meaningful, but because of the person who said them.
Ken Macken had one of those messages:
10-10, 2 & 2.
Ten fingers, 10 toes. Two arms, two legs.
Go to work that way. Come home that way.
Ken was the director of safety programs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). He passed away unexpectedly in April after suffering a heart attack while driving near his home in Oklahoma. He was only 64.
Just two days earlier, Ken had wrapped up NRECA’s Safety Leadership Summit in St. Louis, where he led discussions on safe work practices for more than 1,300 cooperative line personnel and safety professionals.
I had just shared some laughs with him at the conference. Though we had met only a handful of times, he treated me like an old friend — pretty much the way he treated everyone. He made sure to give me one of his red “10-10, 2 & 2” wristbands, a gospel he never stopped preaching.
Across the cooperative world, that message became more than a reminder. It became a standard. Ken used it to keep the focus where it belonged: not just on the work, but on the people doing it and the lives waiting for them at home.
When lives are on the line, words matter more when they come from someone people trust. Ken was that person.
Colleagues across the country describe him the same way: positive, genuine and full of life. He had a gift for bringing people together and getting them to talk openly about safety — in a profession where those conversations matter every day.
To Ken, safety wasn’t about checking a box. It was about culture, consistency and connection. It meant making sure people felt comfortable speaking up, looking out for each other and doing the job the right way every time.
Ken’s passing is a deep loss for the cooperative community, but his message remains.
That wristband now sits in my car, wrapped around my gear shifter. It’s a reminder of that message — but also of the messenger.
PETER A. FITZGERALD
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
COAST TO COAST
World’s largest locomotive to make several stops in Pa. this summer
In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States, the world’s largest operating steam locomotive — Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 — will make stops in Pennsylvania as part of a historic coast-to-coast tour.
The tour, which launched April 10 in Sacramento, Calif., and is in collaboration with Norfolk Southern, will include a Fourth of July observance in Philadelphia, display events in eight cities and more than 50 whistle stops in 10 states.
While in Pennsylvania, the locomotive will be on display June 15 and 16 in Scranton; July 4 and 5 in Philadelphia; and July 9 and 10 in Altoona.
Whistle stops in Pennsylvania will include June 9 in North East; June 13 in Nicholson; June 17 to 30 at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton; July 2 in Reading and Pottstown; July 7 in Lebanon; July 8 in Lewistown and Altoona; and July 11 in Cresson, Leetsdale, and at the Horseshoe Curve National Historic Landmark in Altoona, a ticketed event.
The tour will end July 29 in Cheyenne, Wyo. For more information, visit upsteam.com.
FULL SPEED AHEAD: As part of the 250th anniversary of the United States, Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014, the world’s largest operating steam locomotive, will make stops throughout Pennsylvania this summer. (Photo courtesy of up.com)
GAME ONE
Pa. hunting, trapping seasons to include Sundays
The Pennsylvania Game Commission approved its 2026-2027 hunting and trapping seasons recently, and all — with the exception of migratory bird season — include Sunday hunting.
Here are a few key dates:
- Firearms deer (regular): Nov. 28 – Dec. 13, 2026
- Archery deer: Oct. 3 – Nov. 20, 2026, and Dec. 26, 2026 – Jan. 24, 2027
- Antlerless muzzleloader: Oct. 17 – 25, 2026
- Flintlock deer: Dec. 26, 2026 – Jan. 24, 2027
Small game (squirrel/grouse/rabbit): Various seasons starting Oct. 17, 2026, with most running continuously through Feb. 28, 2027
The Game Commission also announced 1,469,000 antlerless deer licenses will be allocated statewide, up from the 1,312,000 allocated for the 2025-2026 season. Those licenses go on sale June 22. Meanwhile, 155 elk licenses
(80 antlered, 75 antlerless) were allocated across four 2026-2027 elk seasons.
WE WANT YOU
Have you been married 50 years or more?
Penn Lines has reached a milestone — and we want to recognize cooperative members who are celebrating similar ones. If you’re a couple — or you know a couple — who’s been together 50-plus years, let us know. You could be featured in an upcoming issue. Please email your name, years married, address, daytime telephone number, and the name of the cooperative serving your home, business, or seasonal residence to PennLines@prea.com by Wednesday, July 15.
Are you feeling reflective?
Answer one of the following questions — and the best responses will be featured in the magazine:
- Where were you and what were you doing in 1966? (50-100 words)
- What would you put in a time capsule to be shared with readers in 2086?
- Write a letter to the future: What do you hope rural life looks like in 2086? (50-100 words)
Please email your name, response to the question, address, daytime telephone number, and the name of the cooperative serving your home, business or seasonal residence to PennLines@prea.com by Wednesday,
Aug. 19.
TIME LINES — February 2016
A decade ago, Penn Lines highlighted the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service (NPS) by showcasing the Find Your Park campaign, which included 19 NPS parks, memorials, battlefields and historical sites in the Commonwealth. Among those featured were the Gettysburg National Military Park and the Flight 93 National Memorial, which one volunteer stressed maintains its relevance to this day. “I really love that the Flight 93 site is among these national parks,” she said, “because it’s an important story and an important place to be protected.”
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