Roycroft, CEO, MTA ECU, dies of cancer

BALTIMORE, Md. - John Roycroft, longtime Maryland credit union advocate died Feb. 1 from cancer. He was 53. Roycroft began his credit union career as a part-time employee for SECU in the late 1960's and eventually became vice president. In 1987, he left SECU to work for Callahan & Associates in Washington, D.C. where he built the TRUST for Credit Unions. He joined MTA ECU in 1991 as a part-time consultant and was hired full-time as CEO in April 1995 where he worked until his illness was discovered. Roycroft was also Chairman of the Board for the Credit Union Insurance Corporation (CUIC) from 1977 to 1990 and again from 1995 to the present, was a member of the Maryland Credit Union League's state legislative committee, and served on Central Credit Union's Board of Directors. Bob Steil, president, MCUL, described Roycroft as being "an extremely dedicated credit union professional who was well-thought of within the credit union community. He was a good personal friend of mine and the league, and he will be greatly missed." Maureen McAtee, president/CEO, CUIC echoed Steil, saying "From the very beginning, he (John) was supportive of what I had to offer the corporation, in spite of the fact that I was new to the credit union movement...he was gifted with the ability to sit with you, train you on the job, and never once make you feel inadequate. John taught me how to be a professional in the credit union movement and always respected me and treated me as one." Roycroft is survived by his wife and son.