Namesake Continued...

Richard Myles Johnson, or Dick Johnson, began his credit union profession after finishing a 30-year career in the United States Marine Corp, where he retired as a colonel. Many of the same strong personal values he developed in service to his country were then put to use in his service to credit unions. His hard work, dedication, loyalty, honor and commitment benefited credit unions for close to another 30 years as he made his contributions to the credit union movement. Most of his credit union career was spent in leading Western Corporate Federal Credit Union (WesCorp) to become the nation's largest and most progressive corporate credit union, recently retiring in May 2002 as President and CEO. Dick Johnson's visionary impact on credit unions was evidenced by the multitude of leadership roles he undertook at the state level of WesCorp and the California Credit Union League, at the national level for the corporate credit union system, and by those he held within the financial services industry. He demonstrated an unwavering dedication to improving the credit union movement and reinforcing its "people helping people" philosophy and spirit.

But what truly set apart his overall contributions to credit unions was the large number of leaders he helped build. He served as a mentor and inspiration to many who went on to make their own contributions in the credit union world. From the many individuals he guided as an instructor for Western CUNA Management School, the lives of the multitude of peers he has touched and enriched, to the careers of those he directly influenced, there are few individuals that will leave behind such a lasting imprint for their efforts in helping credit unions to promote financial education and independence for consumers as did Dick Johnson. In an effort to honor a living legend, the Richard Myles Johnson Foundation was renamed in 1999 from the California Filene Educational Foundation.