Robert Bigwood
Robert Bigwood, the fifth president of Otter Tail Power Company, was born on December 5, 1918, at St. Thomas, North Dakota.
Bigwood served as a meteorologist in the United States Army Air Force in World War II. After the war he continued his education at the University of Minnesota, graduating in 1947 with a degree in business administration.
He joined Otter Tail Power Company in 1948 as assistant personnel director, moving up to personnel director, manager employee relations, vice president management services, and executive vice president. In 1976 he succeeded Albert Hartl as president and chief executive officer, and in 1982 he became chairman of the board of directors.
Bigwood retired from the company in 1983 but he continued to serve as chairman of the board until 1991.
When Bigwood became president he brought in a consultant to examine and evaluate the company's current organization and allocations of functions to determine how they related to the company as it was then and as it was expected to be in the future. As a result of that study the top management team was restructured.
Bigwood, like his predecessors, was deeply concerned about the welfare of his employees. Perhaps that was in part because he had entered the ranks of top management through the personnel department. He personally had hired many of those employees. He took great pride in presenting the annual service awards, and he continued the Otter Tail family concept started by Cyrus Wright.
Bigwood's participation in community service was so extensive that it will probably never be equaled. At one time or another during his career, he was president, chairman, board member, or in some other leadership position with at least 24 separate community, regional, state, and national organizations. That participation continued long after he retired from Otter Tail Power Company.
Some of the local organizations that benefited from Bigwood's dedication were the Boy Scouts, YMCA, United Fund, Chamber of Commerce, Junior Chamber of Commerce, Fergus Falls Community College, and Fergus Falls Community College Area Foundation. And that is only a partial list. He was so highly regarded in the community that his name was placed on the Bigwood Event Center.
Bigwood was active in the Republican Party. He was party chairman for the Minnesota 7th District and vice chairman of the Republican State Central Committee. In 1964 and 1968 he was a delegate to the National Republican Conventions. On at least one occasion he was suggested as a candidate for governor of Minnesota.
Robert Bigwood died on February 4, 2006, at the age of 87.
Written by Myron Broschat, Otter Tail Power Company retiree
References: The Power People by Ralph Johnson, Otter Tail County Historical Museum
