One of the implications of the democratic governance structure of credit unions is that ordinary members have the power to exert a great deal of power in helping to determine their institutions' paths. While the histories of more hierarchical organizations might be told with relative accuracy by examining the activities of a handful of leaders, the "one-member, one-vote" principle means that the values of a credit union's members can be (and have often been) translated into policy with relative ease. As such, when studying the development of credit unions (both individually and as a movement), uncovering members' understandings of, beliefs about, and aspirations for their credit co-operatives is an essential task.
Unfortunately, this is also one of the most difficult jobs for historians. In the historical record, the so-called "great men" (and women) tend to leave behind voluminous sources about their lives and opinions, while ordinary people often fade into the mists of time with nary a trace. Since, however, the full credit union story cannot be told through the eyes of the leaders alone, Credit Union History hopes to help uncover the pasts of rank-and-file members by collecting and organizing oral histories. Below you will find a full list of interviews; if you would like to contribute in any way to the success of this project, contact CUH's Editor for further information!
Interviews:
1975/12/05 - Dr. Roy Bergengren, Jr. (Son of Roy Bergengren)
2010/03/03 - Yvonne Gratton of the Chittenden County College Employees Credit Union (Founding Treasurer, 1965-1969)
2010/12/01 - Terry Macaig of the VSECU (Member, Director)
2014/02/28 - Milton Carr of the Arabi Sugar Workers FCU (Member, Fmr. President)
