Verla Yelton was the first manager of the credit union. Verla and her husband, Lloyd, provided space in their home at 417 E 1st for the credit union office. The office was located there until the mid 1950’s, when it was moved to the 5th floor of the Wiley Building. Jane Harden went to work for the credit union in March, 1959. Yelton decided to retire in May, 1959. With the help of the Kansas Credi
t Union League staff, Mrs. Harden was trained to take over the job of manager. By 1969 Bell Credit Union had grown to 300 members, outgrowing the current office space and so moved up to the 6th floor in the Wiley Building. All account posting was done by hand since computers were not a part of the office equipment at that time. Harden opted to retire in 1985 after serving the Credit Union for over 25 years. Orletha Martens had worked for the Credit Union and then left to stay at home and raise her three sons and then agreed to return and become manager when Mrs. Many changes happened, the addition of computers, checking accounts, increased member growth, increased services available, moving from the Wiley Building to the Trade Center on Lorraine Street, then purchasing our own building and adding Drive-Thru capabilities. Martens retired in 2000 and Mrs. Claudine Corkins was hired to assume the responsibilities of manager. Corkins continues the legacy of her predecessors, always striving to improve and strengthen Bell Credit Union, for you, our members. In 1938 Bell Credit Union was chartered to serve the employees of Southwestern Bell, today we are open to any resident of Reno, Stafford, Rice, Kingman, McPherson, Harvey, Pratt, and Sedgwick Counties in Kansas. In 1938 we only offered savings accounts and loans, today we offer so much more! Our growth has been possible due to many factors, solid planning and leadership by past Board of Directors and Managers, and loyal membership now in the third and fourth generations in many cases.
