Myron W. McKinney Elected President andCEO.

JOPLIN, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 23, 1997--Myron W. McKinney was elected president and chief executive officer of The Empire District Electric Company effective April 1, 1997 at today's quarterly board of directors meeting.

He will succeed Robert L. Lamb, president and CEO, who will retire

McKinney joined the company in June 1967 as a sales consultant. He held various positions in the company's Customer Services Department before being elected vice president of Customer Services in 1982. In 1994, McKinney was elected executive vice president and in 1995 was named executive vice president -- Commercial Operations. McKinney has served on the board of directors since 1991.

A native of Bolivar, Mo., McKinney attended Missouri Southern State College, Joplin, Mo., and graduated from Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, Mo., in 1967 with a Bachelor's Degree in business administration.

McKinney has long been an active community leader. He currently is serving on the board of directors of the Joplin Business and Industrial Development Corp., Ozarks Public Telecommunications and Joplin Southern Corp. He is a member of the Joplin Rotary Club and the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce where he chairs the committee on re-accreditation to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Previously, McKinney served as a member of the board of directors of Freeman Hospital, the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, Joplin Family Y, Joplin United Way, Joplin Rotary Club, the Jasper County Association for Social Services, and as a member of the Education Committee of the Missouri State Chamber of Commerce.

McKinney also served on the General Management Division Committee and Public Relations and Public Affairs Committee of the Missouri Valley Electric Association.

McKinney and his wife, Janet, have two daughters, Shannon Bowman and Rebecca McKinney, both of Joplin. -0-

Note to editors: Photo to follow via mail for print media.

CONTACT: The Empire District Electric Company

Amy Bass, 417/625-5100