The Federation of Greene County Federal Credit Union (FOGCE) dedicated its board Room to the late Mr. Willie Lee Carpenter, who served as manager and board treasurer of the credit union for over thirty years. Mr. Carpenter’s wife Bobbie J. Carpenter, his daughter Kimberly and friend Cheyenne Moore were present for the dedication held Thursday, April 21, 2022. Members of the credit union’s board, supervisory committee and credit committee, who worked very closely with Carpenter over the years, were also present.
The signage on the wall of the Willie Lee Carpenter Board Room displays a photo of Mr.
Carpenter; a circular plaque identifying the room as well as a photo plaque depicting the credit union’s office and a summary of Carpenter’s contributions.
During the dedication, credit union officials extended their deepest appreciation to Willie’s family for their sacrifices relative to the long hours of service in those 30+ years he gave to the credit union.
The dedication was followed by a reception which afforded all present more time to share
personal stories of how Willie affected their lives and participation in the credit union.
During Willie Carpenter’s managerial tenure, the FOGCE Federal Credit Union became a
Million Dollar Credit Union, with current assets of $1.4+ million. He also witnessed the credit union securing its own facility, after borrowing space to operate with various local organizations during its first 20 years of operation.
Mr. Carpenter’s remarkable service to the credit union and the community was evident during the more than thirty years he led the organization as Manager. He was active in recruiting individuals to join the credit union from his place of employment, Winchester Carton (now West Rock), as well as from the various institutions and businesses in the county, including the county government, the county school system, the county hospital and Greenetrack,. Inc.
In the 1990’s, Mr. Carpenter was a lead organizer in developing a Youth Credit Union Project in Greene County. The young people involved were trained in operating a credit union, including forming their own board of directors, credit committee and supervisory committee. They learned the value of saving by pooling their resources together and depositing as a group in the FOGCE credit union. He accompanied the members of the youth group to various workshop trainings to enhance their understanding and appreciation of a community based credit union.
Willie Lee Carpenter was known as the man who operated the FOGCE Federal Credit Union from his pocket. He carried membership cards with him, (and some say loan applications as well) always ready to enroll new members and serve them. In the county where he was loved so well, he was affectionately referred to as Mr. Credit Union.