<p>In regard to Mike Welch's February 13th "Kudos" publisher's column, I'm not in favor of changing from "credit union." I really don't think it's necessary, especially since the advent of share drafts. Besides, credit union logos are seen every day by the American public. They've become commonplace. They're out there, all over the place. Most people know that credit unions are cooperative financials. Only Martians, Rip van Winkles, or the blindly anti-union would have a problem with the words, "credit union." Mike's column mentions my father, Charley Eikel, being threatened with bodily harm while organizing credit unions in the South during the `30s and `40s. Actually, the threats weren't made because of the word "union." In most cases, organizing credit unions threatened the livelihoods of loan sharks, the predatory lenders of the day. My dad was indeed threatened by loan sharks. Or the threats came because a credit union recognized the equality of African-Americans in a democratically controlled environment. Klansmen didn't like that. He was threatened by Klansmen in a number of places where he organized among black church congregations. If Old Charley were alive today and heard this proposal to change the name, he would, without a doubt in my mind, utter his favorite comment upon hearing something he didn't like…… "Not for five damn minutes!" Chuck Eikel, Associate Coordinator- Public Relations Department CUNA Mutual Group Madison, Wis.</p>
Continue Reading for Free
Register and gain access to:
- Breaking credit union news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Shared Accounts podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical coverage of the commercial real estate and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, GlobeSt.com and ThinkAdvisor.com
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.