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

Reed Peters - 1975

Reed A. Peters joined the First State Bank in July of 1967 as Cashier.

His prior banking experience included a summer in the Installment Loan Department of Fourth National Bank of Wichita and six years with City National Bank of Kansas City, MO. In 1961, fresh out of college, he went to work in City National's auditing department at $275.00 a month. After two years he was transferred to the Correspondent Bank Department where he spent four years. During that four years he was promoted to Assistant Vice President.

Reed Peters was born on May 11, 1938, at the old Larned Hospital located at 221 East 10th. The delivery doctor was Albert Earl Reed, younger brother of his grandfather Mont Reed. He would be the oldest of three children born to Kenneth H. Peters and Frances Reed.

At fourteen Reed got his first job at Dillons to stock shelves and sack groceries for 60 cents an hour. His first boss was Leo Skelton. At 16 he got a job at Safeway for 80 cents an hour. About a year later Ralph Wallace hired him as a photographer for the Tiller & Toiler at $1.00 an hour. He continued to work for the Tiller & Toiler until graduating from high school in 1956.

Reed graduated from Fort Hays State University in 1961, and from the Graduate School of Banking at Madison, Wisconsin in 1970.

In the summer of 1968, following the sudden death of his father, Reed Peters was elected as the tenth President of First State Bank. At thirty years old he was the fourth generation of the family to hold this office. He would continue as President until January 1990, over twenty-one years as President. Only his grandfather, Mont Reed, held the presidency longer. Reed was elected Chairman of the Board following the death of H. Leon Reed in 1977, and was both President and Chairman of the Board through 1989. He continues as Chairman of the Board today.

Locally Reed has served as President on the Larned Rotary Club, the Larned Chamber of Commerce, the Larned Community Development Corp., and the Pawnee County Area Development Corp. He has served on the boards of the Fort Larned Historical Society, the St. Joseph Memorial Hospital, the Jordaan Foundation, and the Pawnee Beefbuilders Feedlot. He served two terms on the Larned City Council and chaired the Larned Pawnee County Airport Committee. He has also served as a Deacon and an Elder in the First Presbyterian Church of Larned.

Outside of Larned he has served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Data Center, Inc. of Hutchinson, on the Board of the Kansas Bankers Association, and on the Board of Kansas Venture Capital, Inc.

Like his father, Reed enjoys flying. He has been a pilot for nearly 30 years and holds a Commercial License with instrument and multi-engine ratings.

Reed has three daughters, Leigh who lives in Kansas City, Jodi who lives in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and Christina who will be a freshman at KU. He and his wife, the former Ruth Olson of Garfield, live in the home built by his parents at 319 Morris Avenue here in Larned.

On March 27, 1967, Larned staged the Federal Land Bank Association's 50th anniversary celebration with Ambassador Arthur Goldberg as the featured speaker. More than 80 floats, 15 high school bands, and other entries paraded before a crowd of around 10,000 people.

Patty Yeager Smith began working at First State Bank on January 1, 1968, in the bookkeeping department. She moved to the position of head bookkeeper, and worked in that position until September 1, 1971, when she quit to raise a family. In November 1977, Patty returned to First State Bank in the safety deposit department and as a teller. In 1979, she became a personal banker and was promoted to Assistant Cashier in 1994. Patty is married to Allan Smith, and they have four children between them.

In 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. It was also in 1968 that Robert Kennedy was assassinated. In 1969, Richard M. Nixon was inaugurated as President of the United States, and the American astronauts landed on the moon.

On April 6, 1969, Reed Peters announced that First State Bank would be purchasing two new pieces of equipment in preparation for data processing at the bank. The new equipment consisted of a NCR 450 proof-encoder and a NCR 490 account number encoder. The purchase of the Remington Rad Checkveyer and a Diebold Alarm System took place in October 1969. The board also approved the banks purchase of a membership in the Data Center, Inc. of Hutchinson, Kansas.

Dean W. Bloom began his career at First State Bank as a Cashier in 1969. In 1971, he was promoted to Vice President and Cashier. Dean also served on the Board of Directors from 1974 to 1991. He retired from First State Bank on October 3, 1991, as Senior Vice President and Cashier with twenty-two years of experience at First State Bank.

THE 1970'S

Barbara Jantz began working for First State Bank on April 1, 1970, in the bookkeeping department. In 1971, she was promoted to head of the bookkeeping department, and in 1982. she moved up to Assistant Cashier. It was in 1991, Barbara was promoted to Assistant Vice President. She was the first woman to achieve that position at First State Bank.

In 1970, "Liquor by the Drink" was on the ballot, but it was defeated. Kansans could only buy intoxicants in a liquor store, 3.2 beer in a tavern and restaurant, or a mixed drink in a private club. The open "Saloon" abolished in 1880 still did not exist in the state. Private club regulations were later relaxed in 1979.

In the early 1970's the United States experienced a national recession.

In 1972, President Nixon visited China. Later that same year the Watergate break-in occurred. It was because of the Watergate scandal that Nixon resigned as President.

On January 7, 1972, First State Bank and First National Bank each pledged $25,000 to the Museum and Library project of the Santa Fe Trail Center.

Rae Barstow began her career at First State Bank in 1972, in the bookkeeping department. She retired on May 5, 1989, as a teller with seventeen years experience at First State Bank.

In 1973 the American citizens tighten their belts for the "Energy Crisis."

On January 27, 1973, the First State Bank board of directors approved the purchase of property on the northeast corner of 6th and Main for the new bank building.

On March 27, 1973, the directors discussed the purchase of the Helenbert Apartments. It was on June 6, 1973, that J.D. Elwell, of Buhler, Kansas was hired to be the interior decorator for the new bank.

In 1973, the Roe vs. Wade abortion issue went to trial. That decision is still being debated today.

D. RAY REEP

Ray joined the Bank on May 7, 1973, as Assistant Trust Officer. He currently serves as a Senior Vice President and Trust Officer and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 1989.

Born in El Dorado, Kansas, Ray graduated from high school and junior college at El Dorado and completed his education at Emporia State College. He was stationed in Germany during a two year tour of duty with the U.S. Army. Before joining First State Bank, Ray ran a successful life insurance agency in Larned for fourteen years.

Ray and his wife Joan have lived in Larned since 1959, and they have two daughters, Cindy and Lori.

Donna Nolde began her career with First State Bank on June 1, 1973, as a secretary in the trust department. She was promoted to Assistant Trust Officer on January 7, 1988. Donna is married to Don Nolde and they have sixteen children between them.

In 1974, Gerald Ford succeeded to the presidency after Nixon's resignation. In 1975, South Vietnam surrendered to North Vietnam.

The Financial Statement of First State Bank on

December 31, 1975, read as follows:

Board of Directors

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