While Freeman never quit, his body finally did on January 17, 1996.
In his lifetime, Freeman created a legacy in the rural electrification movement with his many, various accomplishments. It's a legacy that will continue as long as power lines dot rural landscapes.
But as a man, he was also able to create respect and admiration in the people who worked for him and with him.
That he could do both is one of the things that made Freeman such an exceptional person.
"He was a very gifted individual who had excellent people skills," said Gloria Enervold, who served as Freeman's executive secretary for many years. "He had high ideals and standards for himself both personal and professional, which in turn instilled in us the desire to strive to do our very best."
"He had the ability to allow his employees to stretch their minds and yet keep us focused on the big picture," she said.
"He was a very religious man," she added. "And religion wasn't just a buzz word for him. His faith was a way of life. The Bible meant a lot to Mr. F. and oftentimes I would see him pick up the Bible during the workday and read a few passages."
"Mr. F.," as she fondly called him, "had a saying which I heard many times: 'If everyone would only do what they learned in Sunday School, we would all live in a better world.'"
"In many ways he was an idealist," wrote his successor as general manager, Lyle Lund. "He liked to think of how things should be, considering the resources available, the human talent that could be mustered and the long-term needs of the community. He tended to minimize obstacles and focus instead on the possibilities. The frequent frustrations had only transitory effects on his basic optimism. His ability to rebound quickly from setbacks was considered by many of his associates as the key element in his long and fruitful career."
Freeman, however, may have considered the people who worked for him and with him a key element of his successful career.
When named the Electric Industry's Man of the Year in 1981, Freeman counted working with Minnkota's employees as one of his most gratifying experiences.
"...equally rewarding has been the satisfaction of hiring young men and women fresh out of college and seeing them develop into talented engineers, accountants and technicians," he said in his acceptance speech.
In a news article published in the Electric Light & Power announcing Freeman as Man of the Year, the reporter may have found out why the men and women Freeman hired did develop so well.
"Asked what had been the basis for his management success over the years, Freeman stood up, walked over to his desk in his modestly-appointed paneled office, and removed a yellowed news clip from under a piece of glass on the right-hand side board," the reporter wrote. "'I tend to follow this,' Freeman said, handing his interviewer a short article from an old Forbes Magazine."
"'The most successful, highest-up executives follow this formula,' the article began. It described the importance of carefully selecting the understudies, the necessity of trusting others to do their job. It stressed the value of freeing the mind for time to think, for time to receive important callers, and to pay worthwhile visits. The short article closed with a reiteration of the wisdom of delegating duties."
Freeman's employees testify that he did indeed follow the article's advice.
"I always felt that Mr. Freeman had faith in me that I could do the job," said Sherry Meiers, graphic artist. "He'd give me a project and left it up to me how I handled it to get it done. He never second-guessed me. 'You're the expert,' he'd often said when I'd ask for approval of a job."
Before they became industry buzz words, Freeman made empowerment, teamwork and ownership a reality at Minnkota.
"When I started in Minnkota in 1951, I was a groundsman, which was the lowest job at the company," remembered Leroy Sletten, a Minnkota retiree. "I waqs a temporary at that. Yet, if Andy talked to me about sweeping the floor he knew what he was talking about because in his lifetime, he had once pushed a broom."
In fact, Freeman pushing a broom is one of the memories that stands out for Craig Rustad, accounting services supervisor.
"Shortly after I moved to Grand Forks and started working at Minnkota in 1976, I began looking into various churches," Rustad said. "One church I looked into was Andy's church and I attended several services."
"One of his duties in this church was arranging the meeting room. This included, among other things, setting up chairs and cleaning up afterward. It was refreshing to see the general manager of Minnkota serving in such a simple, physical way."
"He encouraged staff and employees to have ideas - and he listened to them," said Marvin Gebhardt, a retired Minnkota associate. "He always took care of his employees and had their best interests in mind."
Ed Rekkedal, engineering assistant, is one of many employees who can attest to Gebhardt's statement.
"We were working on a storm job, I don't remember what year," Rekkedal said. "We were all working long hours. I had worked a 24-hour day. Andy arranged to get cots for us to sleep on. He thought about the comfort of his employees. I always thought that was pretty nice."
"He was the type of manager who had no problem delegating responsibility to those on his staff," said Lloyd Hillier, a retired Minnkota employee. "He was a great idea man and would ask his staff to work with him in that area. He'd asked their opinion and when someone showed an interest in a project, he'd make use of that person's talents."
Over the years, Freeman was recognized many times for his contributions. His awards included the Inventor of the Year Award, the Rural Electrification Administrator's Award, the Nikola Tesla Award, which he helped convince Westinghouse Electric Corporation to institute, the distinguished UND Sioux Award and many others.
His satisfaction over the years, however, did not come from such honors.
In his acceptance speech for the Man of the Year Award, Freeman may have summed up his accomplishments best when he said: "I have had many satisfying experiences in being manager of Minnkota. I have experienced the thrill of seeing the lights come on in a farm home, and they joy and happiness that it brought to the farmer and his wife and family who never knew what it was like to have electricity."