An inspirational quote Richard once heard is “A young boy asked a veteran why he enlisted in the military. The veteran replied, ‘I gave my yesterday for your tomorrow’.” That reply from the veteran tells the sacrifice veterans are willing to make for our country and for the freedom we have today. One of Richard’s uncles was killed in action in New Guinea during WWII, and that is why this quote has special meaning to him.
Richard was born in 1932 on a farm near Belfry, Montana during a raging blizzard. The doctor was not able to get there to help with his delivery (doctors made house calls in those days!) so his 2 aunts helped bring him into this world. Growing up on a farm, there were many types of chores to do so Richard and his brother, at an early age, learned the meaning of responsibility. When he was 15, he worked for a ranch in the Beartooth Mountains during the summer months. Many of his relatives lived on farms nearby. Most of them were of German descent so the country road they lived on was named “Dutch Lane”.
Richard enlisted in the Air Force when he was 19 and served as an Armament Technician during the Korean War. His brother and cousins joined about the same time; some in other branches and they all ended up serving in different parts of the world. It was quite an experience going from a small farming community to an entirely different environment and culture in a foreign country. Serving in the military gave him a deep sense of patriotism and love of his country.
After his discharge from the Air Force, he was employed by the Montana State Highway Department for a few years. In 1959 he began his employment at Cenex Refinery in Laurel. He worked many different jobs during his 35 years there. He served on the Cenex volunteer fire department for that length of time also.
In the 1950s the main entertainment for young people was either going to the movies or Saturday night dances in small neighboring towns. That is where he asked his wife Joanne for a date. They have been married for 67 years and have lived in Laurel most of that time, where they raised 3 sons. They have, of course, seen many changes over the years. One memorable change is their first home which was a nice 2 bedroom, 1 bath house that cost $7,500 at 9.75% interest! They were finally able to save enough money after 4 months of being married to buy their first television!
Richard’s lessons for children to achieve success in whatever they choose to do is:
- At an early age, learn to be responsible financially because one day “you” will be paying the bills!
- Earn some money, be it an allowance, small job, etc. Learn how to manage and save some of it.
- Educate yourself and work toward a future goal.
Ray Harris was Altana’s first CEO; the credit union was called the “Laurel Federal Credit Union” at that time. Ray lived by the credit union’s purpose of people helping its members with financial needs, which is of course, its purpose for today. He was highly respected in the community and known throughout Montana as “Mr. Credit Union”. Richard’s first time as a volunteer board member was in 1973 whereby Ray taught him much about credit unions. Richard is retiring from the board this year and said it has been a pleasure serving on the Board of Directors for over 50 years!
