Whitefish Credit Union's Charlie Abell to retire in August

In 1965, Big Mountain was 18 years old, Whitefish was generally a logging and railroad community, and over at the Whitefish Credit Union, Charlie Abell was earning $350 a month as a collector.

That was 44 years ago. This August, Abell will step down from his post as president and CEO of the financial institution, a position he has held since 1967.

The time is just right, there is no other reason for it.

"All my aspirations for the credit union have been reached," Abell said, leaning back in his chair, surrounded by Whitefish and family memorabilia hanging on the walls of his Baker Avenue office. "I just turned 70, I've spent 44 years here, and the 75th anniversary of the credit union is coming up."

Although those Bulldog keepsakes will soon be cleared out of his south-facing office at the credit union, don't expect Abell to quietly walk off into the Whitefish sunset.

"I might even work again," Abell deadpanned, leaving one unsure if he's just joking or is earnest in the statement.

One thing for sure is that Abell will continue to be involved with the community he has served for nearly half a century.

"I haven't been able to get involved as much as I'd like because of work," Abell said, downplaying his accomplishments in the city throughout his career.

He spent six years on the Whitefish School Board and was chairman of the North Valley Hospital Board. At one time, he was the president of the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce, a member of the board of directors at Big Mountain Ski Resort and a board member of the Winter Classic.

Abell was instrumental in getting the Montana Lakeshore Protection Act passed, helping preserve Whitefish Lake, the body of water he grew up near and raced boats across.

The man was even named a Whitefish Citizen of the Century, an honor reserved for only five people in the city's history.

Still, Abell says that after getting started on a few projects at home - learning to tie flies, sorting through boxes of photos, writing a book - he'll be ready to get even more involved with the happenings of Whitefish.

"I might get involved with the school system again, and I'd consider city council," he said, reiterating that he's looking forward to having more time outside of his credit union office.

Throughout his career, Abell said he is most proud of the way the credit union has handled its customers, and the strong capital position he is leaving the institute in.

When Abell joined the Whitefish Credit Union, the institute held $780,000 in assets. It now has total assets of more than $1 billion, with about 57,000 members. The credit union also expanded beyond Whitefish to include offices in five other Northwest Montana communities.

"Mostly, I'm proud of the way we treat our people," he said.

Abell is reluctant to answers questions about what his legacy with the credit union will be, but one might guess it's the simple nature in which he conducts business.

Walk into Abell's office and conspicuously missing from his desk is a computer. In a time when many businesses would cease to exist without the Internet and e-mail, Abell continues to guide the state's largest credit union without the control of a point-and-click mouse.

This attribute is reflected in the business practices of the credit union as well. The institute offers no credit cards or checking accounts, only simple loans and savings transactions.

"Abell and this credit union are well known for a unique philosophy and operation," Leo Tracy, chairman of the credit union's board, said in a press release. "Whitefish Credit Union has remained 'plain vanilla,' thus allowing it to keep its cost of operations low and dividends returned to members high."

And it's that simple nature of dealing with people and business that you can bet you'll see from Abell in his future endeavors, wherever that might be.

"Do you have any openings at the Whitefish Pilot?" Abell quipped as he cut the interview short.

He has clients to meet with and a financial institute to run for another two months. There will be more time for reflection on his career later on. Now, it's time to get back to work.