First State Bank History

Larned Background up to July 5, 1896 ● Founders of the Bank - 1900 ● Larned Business - 1904 ● H. H. Reed - World War I ● John Wagner - 1933 ● 1933-1949 ● 1949-1959 ● 1959-1967 ● Reed Peters - 1975 ● New Building - 1989 ● 1986-1996 ● 100 years ● Begin the Next 100 Years ● 2000's

1986-1996

James E. White joined First State Bank in June of 1986 as Vice President in charge of installment loans. A native of Sublette, Kansas, Jim is a graduate of Fort Hays State University. He brought with him six years of prior banking experience, two years at Home State Bank in Kansas City, and four years at Bank of Commerce in Chanute, Kansas.

Jim has been active in the community. He is a member and past president of the Kiwanis Club, a member and past president of the Larned Area Chamber of Commerce, is on the Board of Directors and current President of Sunrise, Inc., and is on the State Board of Directors of The American Cancer Society.

Jim and his wife, Jan, have one daughter.

Phyllis Foster first went to work at First State Bank in 1967, and stayed until 1976. From 1981 until 1986 she worked part time and in 1986 she returned to full time. She is currently the Head Teller. Phyllis is a native of Garfield, Kansas, and has two grown children.

The citizens of the United States were in shock on January 28, 1986, as they watched the Challenger Space Shuttle explode after lift off killing all seven crew members.

In 1986, the Iran Contra Affair was uncovered, and the Chernobyl Nuclear accident took place. Economic sanctions were imposed on South Africa in 1986.

In 1987 the United States faced the Persian Gulf Crisis.

Vickie Frisbie is a graduate of Wichita West High School. She worked for the Coleman Company for three years and lived for a short time in Arkansas. Prior to joining the bank she spent nine years with Reed Pharmacy here in Larned. In 1988 she was hired by First State Bank as a teller, a position she holds today. She and her husband, Bob, have two children.

In 1988, President Reagan made a historical visit to Moscow.

Pammy Shank was hired as a teller at First State Bank on May 4, 1989. In 1994 she was promoted to Assistant Cashier. Pammy had four years banking experience in Great Bend prior to coming to First State Bank.

A Kinsley High School graduate, Pammy attended Kansas State University for one year and Fort Hays State University for two years.

Pammy is married to Jan Shank, a Pawnee County native.

In 1989 George Bush was elected President of the United States.

On January 10, 1989, three new Board of Directors were elected to the board at First State Bank, include Larry L. Carr, Dale D. Lucas, and D. Ray Reep.

LARRY CARR

Larry L. Carr has served on the Board of Directors and the Loan Committee since January of 1990. He founded Carr Auction & Real Estate in 1964 which he continues to own and operate. Carr Auction & Real Estate conducts over 125 auctions each year and was selected "Business of the Year" in 1992. Larry is a member of the National Auctioneer's Association, State Auctioneer's Association, and the Kansas Association of Realtors. In 1972 he was Kansas State Auctioneer Champion.

Larry has been active in civic affairs. He is a member of the Kansas Citizen's Advisory Board on Alcohol & Drugs and is a director of the Western Kansas Assessment Center. He serves on the boards of KOOD Public Television and The Santa Fe Trail Center. He is a member of Rotary International, The Larned Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Grace Lutheran Church.

Larry is a native of Larned and a graduate of Larned High School. He and his wife, Marlene, have two grown children and three grandchildren.

DALE D. LUCAS

Dale D. Lucas was elected to the Board and appointed to the Loan Committee in January of 1990 and has held both positions ever since.

Dale grew up on a farm north of Macksville and got his undergraduate degree from Wichita State University. He earned an advanced degree from Emporia State University and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Wyoming. Dale's career includes teaching in Wichita and administrative duties in both Nebraska and Wyoming. In 1987 Dale came to Larned to accept the position of Superintendent of Schools of U.S.D. 495. He is now retired and lives with his wife, Grace, north of the Larned Country Club, and they have two grown sons.

In 1990 East and West Germany reunited and the Berlin Wall came down. U. S. troops were sent to Saudi Arabia.

Jan Smith started in the Trust Department of First State Bank on December 3, 1990 and is now Assistant Head Bookkeeper. Jan is a graduate of Hoisington High School and had thirteen years banking experience in Great Bend prior to joining First State Bank.

Jill Yeager, daughter of Bob and Geneva Pivonka, joined First State Bank on July 18, 1990, in the loan processing department and has since been promoted to Assistant Loan Officer.

Jill is a Larned High School graduate and has a degree in Business Administration from Emporia State University. She had eight years experience with an accounting firm prior to joining the bank. She is the current President of the Larned BPW and on the board of the Golden Belt Bankers Association. Jill and her husband Mike, live in Larned.

Brent R. Sherwood, a college graduate with twenty years prior banking experience, joined First State Bank in December of 1991 as Vice President and Cashier. Brent graduated from Lyons High School and Emporia State University. For the seven years prior to joining First State Bank he had been with the Kanopolis State Bank. In 1995 he received his degree from the Graduate School of Banking at Boulder, Colorado.

Brent is a member and past president of the Noon Lion Club, on the Board of the Santa Fe Trail Center and the Board of the We Care Project. He and his wife, Debi, and their two sons live in rural Pawnee County.

It was in 1991 that the United States and their allies defeated Iraq in the Gulf War.

In 1992, Bill Clinton was elected as President of the United States.

It was also in 1992 that the Cold War came to an end and we witnessed the riots in Los Angeles.

Two individuals were added to the staff at First State Bank in 1992, they were Paige Tyree and Marilyn Minson.

Paige Tyree, Loan Processing Manager, started with the bank on February 3, 1992. Paige graduated from high school at Laverne, Oklahoma, and has an accounting degree from Oklahoma State University. She is a member and secretary of BPW and a member of United Methodist Women. She and her husband, Tim, have two children.

Marilyn Minson joined the bank as a teller on June 14, 1992. She is a graduate of Offerle High School and had seventeen years of prior banking experience when she was hired by First State Bank. She is married to Larned Postmaster, Terry Minson.

Three individuals joined the First State Bank staff in the year 1993, they include Marsha Shultz, Lori Mertens, and Sharon Arnold.

Marsha Shultz started with the bank as Trust Secretary in January of 1993. She is a graduate of Dodge City High School and had eleven years experience at The First National Bank of Dodge City. She is second Vice President of the Fort Larned Lions Club, and is slated to be their first woman president. She is also a member of BPW. She and her husband, Barry, have two children.

Lori Mertens, the former Lori Springer, began with the bank as a Teller in April of 1993, and has just been promoted to Loan Secretary. She is a Larned High School graduate and had two years prior banking experience. Her husband is Ted Mertens.

Sharon Arnold joined First State Bank in December of 1993 after twenty-five years at State Farm Insurance. She is a graduate of Derby High School, but has lived in Larned since 1961. Sharon is a member of the Jordaan Library Board, BPW, and the First Christian Church. She and her husband, Ron have raised four children.

Donita Clawson, daughter of Don and Jan Gleason, joined the bank in 1995, and will soon be the Loan Processing Manager. She is a graduate of Larned High School and has a degree in Business Administration from Kansas State University. She is a member of BPW and is married to Darin Clawson.

JEAN B. MARTIN

Jean B. Martin has served on the Board since 1986. Jeannie, as she prefers to be called, replaced her mother, Marian Reed Burgess who had served on the Board from 1965 until her death in 1985.

Jeannie was born in Kinsley, Kansas, and graduated from Kinsley High School. In 1974 she graduated from Kansas State University and the University of Kansas School of Medical Technology. After 4 1/2 years at Edwards County Hospital she moved to Oberlin, Kansas. For the last seventeen years she has been with Oberlin Medical Arts and currently is manager of their laboratory.

Jeannie has been active in the United Methodist Church in Oberlin serving as a Junior High School Sunday School Teacher and UMYF leader. She is a twenty year P.E.O. member and was president of the Oberlin Swim Club for three years.

Jeannie and her husband, Lee Martin, have three children.

Karen Lewis is a graduate of Belpre, Kansas High School, attended Fort Hays State University for one year and graduated from beautician school at Pratt. She worked at The Toggery while in high school and for two years after graduation. She was a beautician for five years and helped her husband in his business, Pawnee Plumbing, for fifteen years. In 1982 she joined First State Bank in the bookkeeping department, where she remained until recently being transferred to Drive-In Teller. Karen is a member of the United Methodist Church and has one grown daughter.

Merlin Rippe has been the bank's custodian since 1991. A native of Oberlin, Kansas, and graduate of Oberlin High School, Merlin had worked for the Oberlin schools prior to joining First State Bank. He and his wife, Carolyn, have one grown daughter and two grandchildren.

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