The $176 million Holy Rosary Credit Union in Rochester,N.H., will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2012 and tocommemorate the milestone it has published a historical memoir.

Written by Rochester city planner Michael Berhendt, “Comme D'Or”(Good as Gold) chronicles the rise of the 17,000-memberinstitution and “explores the broader credit union movement and therich Franco-American experience,” Holy Rosary CU said.

The 196-page book begins with the credit union's 1962establishment by a group of parishioners of Holy Rosary Church toprovide credit to French Canadian immigrants who could not getloans from local banks.

It recounts how business was conducted in the basement of thechurch on Sundays after Mass where funds were collected andreserved in a shoebox. The credit union now has four branches insurrounding communities.

“Many mythic stories – some charming, some outlandish – arecaptured: the elderly lady who borrowed $20 every Septemberto play Beano at the Rochester Fair; the owner of a wreckingcompany, who had his truck hauled away for nonpayment, only to haveit returned by the credit union the very next day after he kvetchedto everyone in town; and many others featuring local and well-knownmembers of the community,” Berhendt said.

The narrative also is enlivened with cameos with Rocky Marciano,Marilyn Monroe and Marvin Gaye and encounters with arachnaphobiaand an aggressive eggroll, said the author, who is planning severalbook signings this month.

The book is selling for $10 during the holiday season withproceeds going to local charities.