Augusta 5-year-old named honorary lineman after Helene

AUGUSTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Augusta has one more “honorary lineman.”

Meet Ryan Dial. This week, the 5-year-old was on a walk with his mom in their neighborhood and ran into some linemen from Texas.

They formed a special bond.

Ryan now has his own hard hat, and they surprised him with his own T-shirt with the O’Bar Electric logo.

Those linemen, and one in particular, have become like family.

As a lineman, Devin Rockholt’s job is to bring light.

“Been doing it since I was 19. Took me to a lot of places. I met a lot of good people,” said Rockholt.

He’s the general foreman for a crew here all the way from Fort Worth, Texas.

“Ryan calls them light-lights because they turned on our lights and they were lights,” said Maura Dial, Ryan’s mom.

Lights in a dark time for everyone whose power they restored, but especially for Ryan.

“He’s very sensory-oriented and needs everything to be routine,” said Maura.

It’s why Rockholt and his power crew became so powerful.

They restored Ryan’s routine but also found a way to disrupt it in the best possible way.

And the rest is nothing short of electric.

It’s not just the megawatt smiles. You can actually feel their spark.

“When Ryan was first born, everybody said children with special needs default to love, and that’s just what he is. He’s just pure love,” said Brandon Dial, Ryan’s dad.

Rockholt had a sister with special needs.

He lost her in 2012.

“She was only 4, so around the same age as him. I actually volunteer for the Special Olympics. I do a lot of stuff like that,” said Rockholt.

Rockholt’s also a father to a 3-year-old girl, who he misses desperately.

But they’ll likely be heading to Florida next to help with Milton.

“We’ll go home when the work is done, I guess,” said Rockholt.

Spreading even more light to other families who need his light, too.