MEDIA CONTACT:
Stan Whiteford
PSO Corporate Communications
918-599-2574
sawhiteford@aep.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PSO Turns 100!

TULSA, Okla., May 29, 2013 – Today, Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) commemorates 100 years of serving Oklahomans.

PSO's origins date back to 1889, 18 years before statehood, when the Vinita Electric Light, Ice and Power Company was chartered to provide electric service in Indian Territory.  PSO was organized and incorporated on May 29, 1913, combining the original Vinita firm with small electric companies in Tulsa, Atoka, Coalgate, Lehigh and Guthrie.

In its early years, PSO's People's Ice Company subsidiary was larger than the electric business, producing and delivering ice before home electric refrigerators became available.  As PSO purchased additional small electric systems, it also acquired other side businesses, such as municipal water systems, a meat packing plant, an inter-urban passenger railway…and even a soda pop bottling plant.

From those humble beginnings PSO has grown into a world-class electric utility serving more than 540,000 customers in 232 communities across 30,000 square miles of eastern and southwestern Oklahoma.

"Looking back on our first 100 years, it's easy to see how much has changed," said Stuart Solomon, PSO president and chief operating officer.  "But many things remain as true today as they were 100 years ago: our commitment to customers, involvement in the communities where we live and work, and working for the growth and development of our communities and our state."

PSO’s team today numbers nearly 1,500 employees – including distribution, transmission, power generation, shared services and customer services.
In recognition of its Centennial, PSO has received a special commendation from Governor Mary Fallin, a citation from the Oklahoma Legislature and proclamations from several Oklahoma cities and towns.
   
PSO, a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), is an electric utility company serving more than 540,000 customers in eastern and southwestern Oklahoma.  Headquartered in Tulsa, PSO has 4,269 megawatts of generating capacity and provides electricity to 232 cities and towns across a service area encompassing 30,000 square miles.  News releases and other information about PSO can be found on the World Wide Web at PSOklahoma.com.