I am tall. I am mighty. I am Daryll, the Luther College wind turbine.

And I am ten years old. On November 1, 2011, I was commissioned by General Electric and began sending billions and billions of electrons to power Luther College. In fact, I provide between 25 and 30 percent of Luther’s electricity. Not bad for a ten-year-old!

You have probably seen me on the bluff across highway 52, west of campus. My nacel (nuh-SELL), which is like my head, is the size of a mobile home (12’ X 30’). And when I extend one of my blades straight up, it reaches nearly 400 feet, or the length of five long semi trucks stacked end-to-end.

I’m not bragging, you know. I just do my job, spinning away and helping Luther reach its goal of being carbon neutral by 2030. I didn’t think anybody even noticed or cared about me. But, a few years ago, some anonymous student dubbed me “Daryll.” Nobody said who named me, but the name caught on. So, Daryll I am.

So, imagine my surprise when I began receiving happy birthday wishes a few days before my 10th birthday. People are so nice. Here, let me share some of the sentiments I received from students, faculty, staff and community members:

Happy Birthday, Daryll. I love watching you outside my office window every day. Keep on rolling!

HBTY, Daryll! Watching you go 'round calms me, thank you!

You're a rock star, Daryll! Still going strong after 10 years and millions of kilowatt hours—incredible!

Besides complimentary, there were some that were reflective or philosophical:

Happy Birthday, Big Fella! You have shown me that even if I’m just moving in circles, I’m still moving and can still be productive!

Whenever I am driving back to Decorah and I see Daryll, I know I'm home.

There were even poems and love notes:

A Haiku for Daryll

It's your special day
A decade of wind power
You are the best! King! Slay!

I know Daryll is always looking out for me and I'm always looking out for him. Love you man. Keep spinnin’.

He shines so bright and shares a name with my dad. <3

Maybe my favorite, though, were the notes that sent appreciation for the value of my work:

I feel so at peace when I see you turning slowly throughout the day. When you are not turning I get sad. Thank you for giving Luther sustainable powers and making the view from the Union even more beautiful.

To me, Daryll represents Luther's commitment to creating a better future.

He works hard to give Luther some energy. Daryll just gives me the inspiration to be constant and push forward.

Listen to me going on about myself. But I guess you don’t turn 10 every day. If you want to know more about the work I do, you can visit my “fan” page.

Here you can read all of Daryll's birthday wishes, or post one yourself.