Pub. 13 2016 Issue 3

O V E R A C E N T U R Y : B U I L D I N G B E T T E R B A N K S - H E L P I N G N E W M E X I C O R E A L I Z E D R E A M S 22 and Las Cruces and an LPO in El Paso. In 2014,m the bank entered the Arizona market with offices in Scottsdale and Peoria. n In Memoriam Richard “Dick” L. Ledbetter, 79, beloved husband, father and grandfather, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, Spetember 6, 2016 due to complications from Parkinson’s disease. Dick was born to Robert and Allie Ledbetter on March 4, 1937 in Tipton, OK. He spent his childhood in Missouri and Eastern New Mexico. In 1953, his family moved to Gallup, NM and later to Farmington, where he graduated from high school in 1955. In 1959 he married Laura Lee Moore of Durango, Colorado. They spent their 58 years of marriage living in Farmington. Dick attended Fort Lewis College, the University of New Mexico and earned his degree in banking from the Colorado Graduate School of Banking. He served his country in the Army Reserves from 1959- 1964. He began his career in banking at First National Bank of Farmington in 1958 and worked his way through the ranks to become President and CEO of First National Bank, eventually becoming one of the most respected bankers in the Southwest. From 1998-2000 he was Chairman and CEO of First Place Financial Corporation, a four bank holding company which included banks in Farmington, Gallup, Durango, and Albuquerque. From 1992-1998, he served on the Board of the Denver Branch of the Federal Reserve Board of Kansas City. He served as President of the New Mexico Bankers Association for the term of 1989-1990. Dick was honored by the New Mexico Bankers Association as NMBA Banker of the Year in 2002 during it’s annual meeting and convention. n n BANK NEWS  continued from page 21 visit us online! www.nmbankers.com www.nmbankers.com www.facebook.com/pages/New-Mexico-Bankers-Association/371559049590485 NEW MEXICO BANKING PROFESSIONAL RECEIVES DIPLOMA FROM GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BANKING AT COLORADO The Graduate School of Banking at Colorado (GSBC) announced the graduation of Drew Lynch of the FDIC, Albuquerque as a part of the class of 2016. GSBC awarded 159 total graduates from across the nation with a certificate in banking in a ceremony which took place Thursday, July 28 at the Folsom Field Skyboxes on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder, Colo. n