LIBERTY — Norman and Clint Stevenson, along with their late brother Carroll, grew up working together on the family dairy farm. Decades later, Clint is back from a career overseas and again working with Norman.
“The world calls it good luck. I call it a God-thing,” said Norman, 53, who owns Miss-Lou Power Generation LLC, which sells, installs, maintains and repairs generators.
As young men, Clint, 52, and his twin brother Carroll both left home to seek careers overseas.
Carroll worked in the oil industry in 26 countries before his untimely death in the United Arab Emirates in 2007 at age 37.
Clint did electrical work in 17 countries, mainly at American embassies.
Ticket to ride
Clint got his associate degree in Southwest Mississippi Community College’s electrical program, then worked for Austin Electric and a Natchez tire plant before going on the road working on steam turbine power plants.
His employer, a major contractor, offered him a job at a nuclear power plant, which required security clearance. That enabled him to go overseas.
In 2004 he went to work doing electrical duties at the American embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria. He went on to live in a long list of countries, visiting a total of 37 in the process.
“I’ve got a map with pins of all my locations,” he said.
After Bulgaria he worked in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Haiti, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ecuador, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Malta, Germany, Guam and Alaska, among other locations.
A date to remember
Clint was in Kazakstan in 2005 when he met his future wife, Zharna (called Janna in the States), at a restaurant where she was a waitress.
“I have a lifelong love of shooting pool,” Clint said. “They had a pool table. That’s why I went there.”
He’ll never forget the date he met her — Oct. 15.
“Her English was poor. My Russian was worse,” he said. “I asked her would she teach me Russian.”
She was skeptical at first but agreed to give him lessons. After a while they started dating.
When Clint’s job required him to move, he returned regularly to Kazakstan during R&R, or met Janna someplace else.
He was working in Haiti in 2006 when he experienced partial paralysis, first his left arm, then his leg. He returned to Mississippi, where scans revealed a 3-inch lesion on his brain. He was prepared to undergo treatments, but within a month it started shrinking.
Janna came to America to help tend to him, and they got married at his camp overlooking a creek on the family farm.
Janna lived with Clint overseas when feasible. Their two daughters, Julia Catherine and Jamie Carroll, were born in Malta.
They also established a home in Hattiesburg, and Janna got a nursing degree at the University of Southern Mississippi, graduating with honors.
“She learned English from nothing, probably within a 10-month period,” Clint said.
Just average folks
Clint learned a lot about the human race in his travels.
In Iraq he became friends with his local coworkers.
“All of them were average people, just like Amite County,” he said. “Yes, they were Muslim. They would shake your hand, hug you. Just your average Joe.”
Ditto in Jakarta, Indonesia.
“The people are so friendly. The food is so amazing. I love spicy stuff,” he said.
Clint often found himself in the midst of historic events.
He was in Iraq when Saddam Hussein was hanged.
He helped build a military base in Afghanistan under near-constant bombardment, set up an emergency COVID hospital tent in Los Angeles, establish temporary housing for 15,000 Afghan refugees in Germany, and make massive repairs at Camp Lejeune, N.C., following Hurricane Florence.
“Our company did 432 roofs, 89 generators, 96 electrical meters, 78 water meters installed, 76 three-phase transformers,” he said.
When he returned to Mississippi last month, it seemed natural to help Norman in his new generator business.
Business venture
Norman spent most of his career on the three-generation family farm with wife Danielle and children Nathaniel, Nadellia and Daniel.
He also worked eight years as manager at Herring Gas in Liberty.
“The best job I ever had in my life was Herring Gas until my own business,” Norman said. “Herring Gas taught me how to do business with people.”
Last year he went to work for electrician Ricky Long, former manager of Natchez Electric.
“He hired me and within two days he informed me he was wanting to retire and sell his business,” Norman said.
After praying and consulting his wife and pastor, Norman bought the generator portion of the business last November.
In addition to selling generators such as Generac, “I can work on any generator, trouble-shoot, maintain, whatever the case may be, water-cooled and air-cooled,” Norman said.
“I’ve been doing it by myself except when I need a little help from my brother.”
Clint drives over from Hattiesburg and stays at his camp while assisting Norman two or three days a week. “It feels great,” he said.
Recently he stopped at the Amite County Co-op to pick up a part.
“I didn’t leave there till probably 30 minutes later because I had a conversation with every man that walked by. ‘Clint! You’re back!’” Clint said.
“The simplicity of Amite County, Mississippi. I forgot till, boom, that. You don’t meet a stranger.”
