Dennis Daniel loved the man who gave him life and who always supported him through the good times and the bad, but he made a promise years ago not to follow in his father’s footsteps all the way through his working career.

The 39-year Cleveland Utilities veteran, who has served as manager of the company’s Electric Division since the late 1980s, is sticking to his pledge. He is retiring when he still has time to enjoy retirement ... and the sweet spot of living.

For his personal commitment, and his decision to see it through, Daniel is thankful. Like a freshly baked pumpkin pie, it is why this Thanksgiving is all the more savory.

“My dad had 38 years of service at his company and he passed away at 57,” Daniel said from his upstairs Cleveland Utilities office just 48 hours before Thanksgiving Day.

Shuffling through four decades worth of design, engineering and project files in order to make room for his eventual successor, Daniel added, “Dad worked there at the same company for most of his life. He passed away before he had a chance to enjoy retirement. He just kept pushing it out. I promised myself I wasn’t going to do that.”

He is keeping his promise.

Turning 62 in January, Daniel’s retirement doesn’t actually take effect until Feb. 1, but a combination of unused vacation days and leave time means his final day on the job will be Dec. 13.

He isn’t necessarily thankful to be leaving because he has loved all phases of his career at Cleveland Utilities dating back to his April 1973 start as a distribution engineer, but he is thankful that he has not allowed himself to renege on his prior goal.

“Tom [Wheeler] did try to talk me out of it,” Daniel said with a chuckle after a big swig of sweet tea from a plastic cup almost lost amid his clutter of leftover paperwork. Speaking of his boss, the CU general manager, Daniel had nothing but praise.

“Cleveland Utilities could not ask for a better manager than what we’ve had in Tom Wheeler,” Daniel said. “Tom had just started here when I was co-oping (as a University of Tennessee at Knoxville student). I have followed Tom all the way through. [Because of] his leadership, his abilities and his integrity, Cleveland Utilities has become one of the top utilities in the Tennessee Valley.”

It was Wheeler who announced Daniel’s pending retirement at last week’s monthly session of the Cleveland Board of Public Utilities. The longtime CU manager touched on highlights of Daniel’s career and pointed to his importance — through an uncanny knowledge of new technologies, and a calm style of natural leadership — that played significant roles in CU’s conversion in the 1970s into a bigger, broader and more modern public utility.

“Tom and I have been together for a long time,” Daniel reminisced. Wheeler used almost the same words at last week’s board session.

Remaining with the same employer since Richard M. Nixon was U.S. president, Daniel has accumulated decades of memories — so many of which are cause for his thankfulness during this season of the harvest and time of Thanksgiving.

From big to small, his list of reasons for being thankful include:

n People: “It has been great,” Daniel said. “When you get good people in key positions, they will perform. They always go the extra mile, just whatever it takes to get the job done. Everybody at Cleveland Utilities comes to work with a real positive attitude each morning. They come in ready to go to work and they’re looking for ways to improve things.”

For that, he is thankful.

n Leadership: From Wheeler’s style of management to the CU board’s open-minded approach, Daniel feels he has been blessed with quality leaders who share a progressive mindset. “We’ve seen a lot of changes because of the growth of Cleveland,” Daniel noted. “One thing about an electric utility, you have to stay ahead of that growth. You’ve got to have the facilities and the power ready for when industries move in ... or new subdivision development. You have to stay ahead of the game. Our board has been progressive.” Of Wheeler’s stewardship, Daniel called it a widely respected style throughout the region.

For that, he is thankful.

n Culture: The CU work environment has had as much to do with Daniel’s tenure as any feature of the company. “There’s a culture about Cleveland Utilities,” he offered. “We try to do things right the first time. Everybody has bought in to that. They are looking for ways to improve the electric system, to keep the customers happy and to keep the rates low. All these things are important to an electric utility.”

For that, he is thankful.

n Attitude: CU employees have a positive attitude that is best described as “can-do,” Daniel explained. Its legacy dates back decades to when Daniel first signed on under former general manager M.E. “Joe” Beavers who hired him to his first CU engineering post.

For that, he is thankful.

n Professionalism: CU employees understand how to work with one another and how to treat the customer. Collectively, the group is knowledgeable, educated and well-versed in customer service, Daniel noted.

For that, he is thankful.

n Full-time employment: As with any Cleveland and Bradley County resident during the ongoing Great Recession that has led to double-digit unemployment across much of the country, Daniel appreciates the security of full-time work. And it’s not just “work.” It is a home away from home, one that he admits to loving.

For that, he is thankful.

n Pride: Calling it a part of CU’s culture, and a component of Wheeler’s leadership style, Daniel pointed to what he sees as a “sense of pride” among Cleveland Utilities workers who want the job done right, on time and cost effectively. “I’m thankful for how the public thinks about us,” he said. “I think most believe we are a good utility and we are trying to do the best we can.”

For that, he is thankful.

n Public partnership: Daniel doesn’t hesitate in describing the nature of the relationship between Cleveland Utilities, its customers and the public at large. “As far as total effort, I think we are way above average in how the community feels about the work we are doing,” he declared. “I can’t think of too many instances where we are not seen in a good light by the public.”

For that, he is thankful.

n Community patience: It is a key, especially with the surge of growth in Cleveland and Bradley County over the past few years. Its timing has tested the resolve of area residents, but Daniel said the public is hanging with CU as it tackles all of its growth-related challenges. “Sometimes we have to change how we operate, and sometimes just the uncertainty of change can cause people to be concerned,” Daniel said. “But we have the people here [at CU] who are able to explain these changes and to make smooth transitions for when changes do occur.”

For that, he is thankful.

n Opportunity: Daniel’s rise through the CU ranks has been predicated upon ability, performance and knowledge. He started as a distribution engineer, then moved to senior engineer/assistant manager of engineering, chief engineer/manager of engineering and the manager of the Electric Division. After completing his CU co-op in 1972, a full-time job was not available so he joined Florida Power & Light in Sarasota. It wasn’t long before Beavers was on the phone offering Daniel the chance to return to full-time work in Cleveland. “I didn’t even ask how much it paid,” Daniel laughed. He was that anxious to return to Southeast Tennessee.

For that, he is thankful.

n Working in the South: Some might see it as funny, but Daniel considers the chance to spend his entire working career in the Deep South as a gift. “To live and work in this part of the country, it’s such a blessing,” he stressed. “The interaction with the public, the whole attitude of working in the South ... it has just been great.”

For that, he is thankful.

In retirement, Daniel plans to spend quality time with his wife, Misty, who just retired from Duracell last year. They plan to travel, to pursue their mutual interests in scuba diving, to stay busy with a string of home projects and to offer up plenty of love to their new 9-month-old granddaughter, Claire James Daniel.

For that, he is thankful.

“I have never looked back and have never regretted coming back,” Daniel said of his return to Cleveland following the brief stint in Florida. “It [the early 1970s] was a great time to come to work for Cleveland Utilities. At the time, we had about 60 employees. I knew all the employees. I knew their spouses. I knew their children. It was a nice, hometown feeling.”

And for that, he is thankful.