2006 unfortunately saw some tragic deaths of rising credit union stars such as Mike Osborne and Kelly Purcell. Longtime pioneers like John Arnold also passed, as did well-known experts like William R. Mapother.

Credit Union Times pays tribute to these leaders in this special section. Please note this listing is not exhaustive. We respectfully regret any oversights. Southwest Corporate Founder, Corporate Pioneer John Arnold Dies DALLAS — Southwest Corporate FCU founder John Arnold died July 17. Arnold, 74, suffered a heart attack. Arnold is recognized as one of the true pioneers of the corporate credit union network He was the first CEO of Southwest Corporate and one of the founding fathers of today's corporate network. Prior to his corporate career, he served as a part-time manager with ADA Credit Union, manager of Monsanto Chocolate Bayou FCU and vice president with the Texas CU League. After retiring from Southwest in 1995, Arnold stayed active in the industry as a consultant to several credit unions and he also authored "The Journey, A History of the Corporate Credit Union Network on behalf of the Association of Corporate CUs in 1992. Bankruptcy Guru William R. Mapother Dies After Long Struggle with Disease ST. LOUIS — William R. Mapother, 68, died June 22 after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis and cancer. Mapother was renowned in the industry for his knowledge of bankruptcy law and collections. He specialized in helping credit unions employ policies and strategies to protect against bankruptcy and recover seemingly lost loans using collection techniques. He authored 13 books on bankruptcy. Mapother was a regular speaker at credit union conferences. First Tech's Mike Osborne Dies from Pneumonia

BEAVERTON, Ore. — Considered one of the industry's innovators, Mike Osborne, executive vice president and CFO at First Tech Credit Union, died on May 13 at the age of 49 of pneumonia.