Arnold really made his mark at Southwest Corporate, helping to found it and grow it into one of the largest and most successful corporates in the country. This past year he assisted in compiling a 30th anniversary reflection on Southwest Corporate that was published in the corporate's annual report. In that history, Arnold wrote: "The blessing of working and achieving many financial and personal goals for credit unions and working with those in the credit union movement are the highlights of my career." Francis Lee, who succeeded Arnold at Southwest in 1995 and who is now CEO of U.S. Central, said Arnold was a remarkable man, personally and professionally. "He was genuinely interested in the lives of others. He was so approachable. It always amazed me his ability to remember people's names, the details of their families," said Lee.

Lee said Arnold wanted his management team to succeed. "He really surrounded himself with a solid team of people. That became a solid foundation for Southwest to grow and prosper. Without that foundation, I couldn't have done anything," said Lee.

Arnold was active with credit unions well after he departed Southwest in 1995. He served as a consultant to several credit unions and served as interim president at TANG Federal Credit Union and Carter Federal Credit Union. He also authored "The Journey, A History of the Corporate Credit Union Network" on behalf of the Association of Corporate Credit Unions in 2002. Arnold was inducted into the Texas Credit Union Hall of Fame this April.

Arnold is survived by his wife of 50 years, Wilda, and his two sons, Steve, of California, and Mark, who is a senior vice president of Neighborhood Credit Union in Dallas. Arnold is also survived by his mother, Edna Arnold, a sister and four grandchildren.