
When George Peabody wrote a Sunday column for the Rapid City Journal, back in 1995, lamenting the lack of Internet access in the South Dakota city, he got a high-speed call from Gregory Stone, an officer at the nearby Air Force base.
“At 7:15 in the morning when my column appeared — I had barely finished my first cup of coffee — he called me up and said, ‘Hey, it’s happening,’ “ Peabody said.
In fact, Stone and an Air Force buddy were already bringing a high-speed line to the city. Within weeks, the three men were business partners — despite Stone’s day...