200 East
Broadway
Hobbs, New Mexico
was formerly the home of
--------------------
First National Bank
First National Bank of Lea County
First City National Bank
Moncor Bank
United Bank of Lea County
United New Mexico Bank
Norwest Bank
If you ever spent any time working at the address above, I'd love
to hear from you. What have you been up to since then? Ever
wondered what happened to the people you worked with? Send me (Mark Cotton) an e-mail
and tell me your story. With your permission, I'll post it here
and we'll start keeping better track of each other. Or, if you
prefer, simply sign the guest book below. Unfortunately,
guestbook entries are LIMITED TO 500 CHARACTERS, so if you'd like to
say
more, just put it in an e-mail and I'll post it here. Send along
any pictures you'd like to see posted too (and don't worry, we've ALL
gotten older!)
Special
thanks to Charley Smith for the use of his bank pins.
Remembering Ann Kelley
I am
sad to report that longtime First National Bank employee Ann Kelley
passed away on Saturday.
Services
will be held at 10 AM, Wednesday, June 25th at Chapel of Hope Funeral
Home, with burial to follow at Prairie Haven Memorial Park.
Memorial
contributions can be made to the American Diabetes Association, 2225
Pennsylvania NE No 225, Albuquerque, NM 87110
Some
of you may already be aware that Alan Hunton died on about May 12th,
2008. There will be a gathering to celebrate his life on
Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 1:00 p.m., at Asbury Methodist Church, where
Alan and Jackie had been members. The church is located at 10000
Candelaria NE in Albuquerque. There is a nice photo of Alan and
Jackie posted online by one of the members of the Albuquerque Rose
Society. Alan and Jackie were both very active and supportive
members of the group for many years. Click
HERE to see the photo. REUNION GATHERING RECAP The
Grand Opening of the new
City Hall in the old bank building took place on Saturday, January
5th, 2008. In addition to local dignitaries, the event was
attended by many of us who spent part of our lives in the building.
We
all had a great time, and agreed that we need to schedule another
reunion at a time when more people are able to travel to Hobbs from out
of town, possibly during the summer months. We'll keep you
posted on what develops.
Although I'm sure we missed some, here is a partial list we compiled of
bank people who attended the Grand Opening or the Get-Together at the
Hobbs Country Club, or both.
Reed Chittim,
Mark Cotton and Cindy Abbott
Anneta Cheney
Martha Harris
Judy and Jim Britton
Charley and Julee Smith
Kay Doss
Beverly Bearden and daughter, Kelly
Ernest & Veta London
Cindy Chism
Betty Moore
Gina Palmer
Pat Duran
Lilah & Ralph Koenig
Mary Selman
Ann and Danny Kelley
Rita Neal
Pat Wise
Joe, Karen, and Megan Loving
Mike Tinley
Gary Don and Nedra Reagan
Wilma and Jerry Parks
Gary Beal
Maria Madrid
Norma Faught
Steve Cyr (Sheila's husband)
Amy Robledo
Nina Lyles
Louisa Ojeda
Darlene Lambert
Dan & Sandy Socolofsky
Phyllis Barnes Eggimann
FNBee Players on DVD!!Martha Harris Stites
has transferred videos of some of the skits that were performed at the
bank to DVD, and can have additional copies made for those who are
interested. There are two DVDs - one has the bee skit (Bee My
Honey) plus the two rehearsals for that, and the other has Fractured
Fairy Tales and the Christmas Story. The cost will be somewhere
around $12 to $15 each. If you are interested in obtaining a
copy of either or both, please send me
an e-mail and I'll forward your information to Martha. NEW (OLD) PICTURES!! Anneta Cheney has sent me some
great photos from the 1970's. CLICK HERE to see them. REUNION NEWS: Anneta Cheney has been working
on making arrangements for a reunion of all former bank employees to
coincide with the Grand Opening of the new City Hall in our former
building. One of the things we want to do is try to come up with
a listing of everyone who worked for First National, First City,
Moncor, United, Norwest, etc. Anneta started the ball rolling
by trying to remember her co-workers during her time at the bank
(pre-1981) by mentally walking around the bank and writing down the
names of the people who worked in different departments. Try
doing this yourself and jot down the names you come up with that we
don't already have listed here, and then send them to me in an e-mail.
If you know their e-mail address, please include it so we can contact
them and make sure they know about the reunion. Starting with
Anneta's list and adding names I can remember, I've created an
alphabetized listing shown below.
Abbott,
Floyd
Aduddel,
Joyce
Aguilar,
Tony
Alexander,
Ben
Allison Aaron, Rae
Alvare, Anne
Andrew, Gary
Anderson, Judi
Armijo, Vicky
Baker,
Margie
Baker
Squires, Kristi
Baker, Tom
Barnes Eggimann, Phyllis
Barrett, Morris
Bartkofsky,
Ken
Beadle, Sherry
Beal, Gary
Bearden, Beverly
Bell, Lynda
Berryhill, Elray
Bird, Scott
Bishop, Millie
Black, Gussie
Blevins, Guy
Blymn, Scotty
Booth, Doris
Bosch, Pat
Boynton, Virginia
Brady, Connie
Brand, Mary
Brazier, Tom
Brey, Orville
Britton, Judy
Brown Nelson, C.c.
Brown, Cecil
Brown, Rick
Buhalts, Joy
Burnham, Glenn
Busby, Jan
Bush, Sandee
Bussell, Gayle
Byerly, Lisa
Byers Romain, Lisa
Campbell, David
Canon, Julie
Cantu, Teresa
Carney, Richard
Carter, Garry
Carter, John
Chambers, Brenda
Chavez, David
Cheek, Billie
Cheney, Anneta
Cheney, Chris
Cheney, Mike
Chism, Cindy
Chittim, Reed H.
Christensen,
Kim
Clark, Rosie
Claunch, Sandy
Clauson, Charlie
Cobb, Margie
Collins Cunnington, Debra
Collins,
Frank
Collopy, Jean
Comiskey, Scotty
Condarco, Lorena
Connolly, Joyce
Cook, Pete
Cotton, Ann
Cotton, Mark
Cox, June
Cox, Steve
Cranfill, Angela
Cyr, Sheila
Dailey, Lucille
Daniels, Jack
Davidson, Calvin
Dean, Bob
Denton, Jimmy
Determeier, William
Diggs, Linda
Dilworth, Faye
DiPaula,
Paul
Dodson Hunton, Jackie
Doss, Kay
DuFrain,
Kathy
DuFrain,
Mike
Duran, Patricia
Early, Lonnie
Edens, Kirk
Edwards, Dixie
Encinio, John
Evans, Barbara
Evans, Dick
Faught, Norma
Ferdinand, Mark
Fidel, David
Field, Greg
Finch, Tim
Firestone, Ronnie
Fisher, Amber
Fisher, Mike
Foust, John
Foy, Dick
Franks,
Richard
Frier,
Phillip "Fip"
Frizzell, Kerri
Galyean, Marcia
Garcia Kesner Long
Murray, Soki
Gonzales, Patsy
Gossard, Bob
Graff, Frank
Greer, Rita
Hagar, Ronn
Hamilton Henderson,
Rhonda
Hamrick,
Sandy
Hancock, Beth
Harris Stites, Martha
Harrison, Bill
Harrison,
Polly
Hartless, Denzil
Haykus, Sandy
Hernandez, Lino
Hillis, Ken
Hinshaw,
Luke
Hobbs, Doug
Hobbs, Jim
Hobbs, Randy
Hogan, Rosemary
Hoggard,
Dale
Hooten,
Peggy
Hornback, Connie
Humphreys, Ron
Hunter, Donna
Hunton, Alan
Imke, Denise
Jackson, Jo
Johnson, Theodore R.
Jondahl, Loren
Jones, Carol
Jones, Kiki
Jones, Neta
Jones, Richard
Jordan, Albert
Jordan, Angela
Jourdan, William A.
Kane, Denise
Kanz, Dani
Kelley, Ann
Kelly, Winnie
Kennedy, Jack
King, Ruby
Koenig, Lilah
Koontz, Joan
Koontz, Terri
Lambert, Darlene
Land, Garnice
Landreth, Donna
LeBlanc, Jim
Lee, Bill
Leyva, Pete
Linthicum, Finis
London, Bill
London, Ernest
Lopez, Martha
Love, Leah
Lovejoy,
Barry
Loving, Joe
Lyles, Nina
Lyons, Vicki
Maddux, Charlotte
Madrid,
Maria
Mahan, Ronnie
Mansur, George
Martin, Gail
Martin, Jackie
Mayton, Bill
McCants, Linda
McCasland, Dallas
McClannahan,
Debra
McClure Myers, Julia
McCombs, Helen
McCormick, T.G. Jr.
McDaniel, Helen
McKee, Jay
McMinn, Mark
McVey, Betty
McWilliams, Glenn
Megchelsen, Jo
Millender, Phill
Miller, C.
Michael
Miller, Mike
Millersmith,
Gayle Mitchell
Mills, Michelle
Montgomery,
Anita
Montgomery,
Peggy
Moore, Betty
Moore, Garland
Moran, Bob
Morgan, Eunice
Morris Dunn, Kathy
Morris, Terri
Morrow, Andy
Mullins, Ron
Mulvihill, Charles
Murray, Mike
Nance, Lewis
Neal, Rita
Neel, Lynda
Nelson, Brad
Nelson, Jim
Newland, Danny
Newman, Melissa
Newman, Stan
Noseff, Debbie
Oberfell, Bob
Olson, Joan
Orr, Hanna
Ottino, Dee Dee
Ottino, Jim
Owensby, Randy
Palmer, Gina
Parks, Wilma
Pate, Jim
Patterson, Vernon
Patton, Don
Perry, Hub
Perry, John
Peters, Barry
Pinson, Jacque
Pipal, Norma
Pistole
Fidel, Cyndi
Porter, John
Potter,
Carla
Pruett, Mary Ruth
Purvis, Joe
Rahe, Linda
Rash, Kay
Rather Lampe, Gwen
Ray, David
Ray, Linda
Register, Birdie
Renfrow, Jim
Reyes, Ralph
Richards, Alan
Richardson,
Gerry
Robason, Mark
Robledo, Amy
Rodolph, Max
Romero, Mel
Sadler, Cindy
Sanderson, Lynn
Schnaubert, Thomas
Schorze, Richard
Schrimsher, Vera
Selman, Mary
Shearer,
Jimmy
Shelton, Earlene
Shorey, Leon
Simon, Patty
Skarda, Carol Scheller
Newman
Skarda, Danny
Sliger, Tim
Smith, Charley
Smith, Gayla
Socolofsky, Dan
Solomon, Mickey
Sooter, Laura
Soria, David
Spikes, Sam
Springer, Donna
Stevenson, Cyndi
Stewart, Sharon
Stone, Doug
Stone, William C.
Stowers, Fern
Stretz, Jim
Strickland, Bob
Sullivan,
Wanda
Tadlock, Melissa
Tarin, Ivonne
Tavarez, Linda
Taylor
Miller Johnson, Sandy
Taylor, Dean
Taylor, Debbie
Taylor, Delores
Taylor, Rob
Teague Jones, Becky
Thomas, Ronnie
Thompson, Susan
Tidwell, Pam
Tinley, Bob
Tinley, Mike
Tracy, Wanda
Triplett, Bessie
Tucker, Becky
Wade, Kathy
Walters, Rick
Walton, Ivon
Ward, Barbara
Ward Mathews, Lisa
Warden, Jimmy
Warren, Mike
Wedge, Louise
Wheat, Glenda
Whitaker, Don
White, Terry
Whitsell, Dan
Wiberg,
David
Willard, Larry
Willey, Bill
Williams, Linda
Wilson, Adam
Wilson, Vicky
Wise, Pat
Wiseman, Kathie
Wolfe,
Teresa
Woodfin, Christine
Young,
Zearl T.
NEW PICTURES!!!!I've added a page containing some
pictures provided by Rhonda (Veteto, Hamilton) Henderson of people at
the Eunice Branch, Bender Branch and elsewhere. Thanks Rhonda!!
EXTRA!!
EXTRA!! There are 10 new pages filled with
pictures taken mostly in the early to mid-1980's. Click any of
the numbers below to be taken to the picture pages. (once there
you can navigate back and forth using the links at the bottom of each
page)
NEW!
I've started a page to remember those employees, officer and
directors who are no longer with us. However, I need your
help. If you know of somebody who has passed on that I don't have
listed, please contact me. I know there are many I haven't
thought of or am not aware of their passing. If you have pictures
of anyone listed that you would like posted, please send those too.
NEW!
Hey, even though I've just finished adding about 100 pictures to the
website, WE NEED MORE
PICTURES!! Lord knows our memories aren't that good anymore and we need faces to go with the names.
So, e-mail me those pictures
of you holding your grandkids or winning the seniors shuffleboard
tournament. And, if you've got any old pictures of the bank or
the people who worked there, send those along too. I've posted
the best of what I have but would enjoy seeing your pictures of
different people from both before and after when mine were taken.
There are lots of folks missing from my pictures that we need to get
shown on here. - Mark Cotton NEW!
Would you like to be updated each
time somebody new signs the guest book or this page is updated?
Just submit your e-mail address to me and I'll put you on the mailing
list. I WILL NOT add your name to the mailing list unless you ask
me to. I don't want to be one of those people sending you mail
that you don't want. And, if you ever want to be removed from the
list, just let me know. I promise not to take it personally.
:-) - Mark Cotton
NOTE: If the
Guest Book doesn't appear below this line, refresh your browser and
give it a chance to load again.
Please be sure to read the
other pages of the guest book so you don't miss anyone's entry!April 26, 2008 - A few days
ago, I received word from his daughter that Denzil Hartless had passed
away. Here is what she wrote:
“Just saw this web site and wanted to let you know that Denzil Hartless
passed away February 19th, 2007, here in Austin TX. He was very
ill for the last several years due to cardiac problems and end stage
renal disease. Denzil was retired and lived in Austin with me,
his wife, Linda. He spent lots of quality happy time with our
grandson, Austin, who was his best buddy.
Best regards,
Linda Noack Lockney”
December 2, 2007 - I
received an e-mail from Wanda Tracy Harber this week. Here is a
picture of Wanda and her husband Don Barber, and her e-mail is below:
Hi Mark,
I have just gotten
word about your site and the upcoming reunion. I will be unable
to attend but do wish I could, it would be so much fun to see everyone.
As you may/may not
know, I married July 27, 2002 to Don Harbert who had his home here in
northern California, a small town outside of Modesto Calif. and we are
very happy.
I heard
about your site from Jackie Martin, thru my son Wallace who now
lives in Woodland Park, Co. This is great and I am reliving my Moncor
days. I firststarted my employment
as Wanda Tracy, with First National Bank in the old Turner
building working as a Teller for Fern and she gave me the job of
trainingnew
tellers. I left and came back once again to work in the new
building, quit there once more, and then came back again in1974, and
once again a teller. After Birdie left,
I was given the position of Vault Supervisor and remained there until
Moncor went down, after being an employee for over 10 years.. I
was one of
the first to "let go" and was hired immediately by the F.D.I.C. in
Midland in the Investigation Department to determine what caused the
banks tofail.
I went on many "bank closings" gathering confidential documents, such
as Director's Minutes & Examiner records to help us with this
determination. Iwent on several
"details" to various banks from one week at a time to three months at a
time. What fun! I We dealt with Attorney General's Office,
FBI and Attorney Law
Offices. I ended my wonderful employment with the FDIC December
31, 1995, after more than 10 years of employment when I returned to Hobbs to help care for
my terminal ill mother who passed away Nov 2001. I married Donald
Harbert July 2002 and moved to his home in Salida, Ca, just outside of Modesto Ca
in the San Joaquin Valley. Don & I are both retired and I
enjoy searching for my "roots"; I am heavily into genealogy. Don
is a Model Railroader and has
a 25 ft. building "out back" for his many trains, many of them he has
built himself.
BTW, Wanda
Sullivan, who also was hired with the FDIC in Midland, like myself, was
transfered to San Antionio. Then later we both were transfered to
Dallas, tho
not at the same time. As far as I know, she is still in Dallas,
though not with the FDIC.
I would love to
hear from anyone.
Mark, this is a
great site and thank you for setting it up and giving all of us "EX's"
an opportunity to get together.
Wanda Tracy Harbert September 1, 2007 - Lately,
I've been working a lot on some webpages that feature photographs of
Hobbs during earlier days. There are a few of the bank's former
home at 111 North Turner. Click
HERE if you'd like
to see them.
I recently received an e-mail from another former employee, Sid Barrett
a few days ago that I'd like to share:
Mark, I am enjoying your
website tremendously, and I also worked, though periodically (summers
& holidays), for the First National Bank in Hobbs. I
worked there part-time as a student while attending Texas Tech in the
early to mid-sixties. As I see the photos I can't help but recall
working with many of the bank personalities of the time, Ann Kelly,
Christine Woodfin, George Mansur (also remembering his yearly Christmas
sauza), AC Kimbrough, Bob Tinley, Jack Daniels, training Andy
Morrow (at the time a banking beginner learning to roll coins), Reed
Chittim, and so many others too numerous to name.
During the time
that I worked there, the bank was controlled primarily by Carl
Landrum. I attended high school in Hobbs with one of his
daughters. I also worked there during the transition of primary
controling interest to Jack Daniels. My father, Morris Barrett,
served on the Bank Board for those many years including its tremendous
growth and expansion through its eventual demise as Moncor. Its
failure was traumatic to many of us. Thanks for
bringing back the memories of so many of the wonderful people I worked
beside. Sid Barrett
PS I have
included a link to your site from my own Hobbs info site at - http://forhobbsansonly.tripod.com/
I hope you don't mind. Your site is a "Must See Site!" in Hobbs,
America. As far as I know my Hobbs site was the first
public Hobbs info website created & dedicated to Hobbs &
Hobbsans."
On June 10, 2007 James A.
"Jimmy" Warden was killed
in an
accident while riding his bicycle near Bernalillo. Jimmy was
training
for an upcoming 100-mile ride to raise money to fight multiple
sclerosis.
Jimmy was an Executive Vice President at First Community Bank. He
was with the company for close to two decades.
Funeral Mass was be held at Our Lady of Annunciation
Church and attended by hundreds of Jimmy's friends including many that
he worked with over the years.
Jimmy is survived by his
daughters, Jami and Jessica; parents, Guy and Patsy Warden; sisters,
Patti Cawthon and husband Randy, and Judie Ruiz and husband Leo; soul
mate Gail Eaton and her sons, Chris and Michael; the mother of his
children and friend, Arlene Warden; very dear friend Nestor Villas and
wife Judy; nephews Taylor Silva, Adrian, Cameron and Koby Ruiz and
Tyrel Cawthon; nieces Aylssa Cawthon and Erica Ruiz; and many other
family and friends.
Jimmy loved the outdoors,
hunting, fishing, golfing, running and cycling. He was a wine
connoisseur and enjoyed music and art. He graduated from Tularosa High
School in 1976, and went on to get his bachelor's and master's degrees
from Eastern New Mexico University where he graduated summa cum laude.
Jimmy was very dedicated to his position as executive vice president of
retail sales and branch administration at First Community Bank.
Those wishing to may send memorial contributions to:
Lance Armstrong Foundation
National Mail Processing Center
P.O. Box 6003
Albert Lea, MN 56007-6603.
May 14, 2007 - I'm saddened
to report the passing of Kathy Anne (Morris) Dunn, one of our group on
January 16, 2007. Here is her obituary from the Orange County
Register:
Dunn, Kathy Anne, Our precious Kathy Anne, went home to
be with our Lord January 16, 2007. Kathy was born in Erie Penn.
September 16, 1952, growing up for the most part in Pomona California.
Graduating from Pomona High School, she was a cheerleader and popular
student. Kathy followed in the banking profession, rapidly becoming a
valued employee and executive for several banks. Kathy retired in 1999
after 15 years at the Union Bank Fullerton branch where she was a
Priority accounts manager and vice president. Kathy was always seen for
her sparkling personality, good humor, lively spirit and unquestioned
integrity. She was known to be an avid Angel's fan, and always enjoyed
family, beaches, travel, Mexico, Laguna Beach. Kathy was put to rest
January 20, 2007, at a service of many friends and family, officiated
by Fr. Eamon O'Gorman of St Catherine of Sienna Church of Laguna Beach,
where she was a member. She is survived by her loving husband Lonnie
Dunn, of Laguna Beach, her mother Anne Marie Stagner of Placentia, CA,
step mother Jeanie McKendrick of Salt Lake Ute., and two sisters, Robin
Dee Long of Havasu, AZ, and Helene Morris of Hobbs, NM. Kathy had two
daughters Keri Anne King of Colorado Springs, CO. and Robin Lynn Saltow
of Spokane, WA. She was blessed with five grandchildren: Taylor, Kori
Michel, Ryden and Jayna,. We loved her dearly and treasure every
memory. Kathy we miss you.
Published in the Orange County Register from 3/4/2007 - 3/5/2007.
February 11, 2007 - Today's
issue of the Hobbs News-Sun had an article updating progress on the
renovation of the old bank building for the new city hall. Wade
Construction has been selected to do the remodeling work. Much of
the work up to this point has been done by city workers and inmates
(okay, no jokes about fellow co-workers!). Wade Construction is
expected to begin the project in March and plans on being completed by
September 30, 2007. Here are a few details revealed in the
article:
- A receptionist area will be located just inside
the main north entrance.
- The Utilities Department will be to the left as
you enter and will utilize a drive-up window (presumably the old
"commercial window")
- City Commision chambers and meeting rooms will be
on the third floor of the annex building
- The other two floors of the annex are to be rented
out to non-profit organizations
- Parks & Recreation will bein the northwest
corner (where Installment Loans was)
- The Fire Department and code enforcement offices
will be along the west side of the main floor
- The City Clerk's office will run along the south
wall (where the Note Department was) and use the old Credit Vault for
storage
- City Administration offices will be on the second
floor of the main building on the west side, wrapping around the north
and south corners
- The two-story entrance on the west side (with the
big indoor chandelier) will have a floor put in between the first and
second floors to put an office on the second floor, which will probably
be the mayor's.
- The Personnel Department will be on the second
floor of the main building on the south side and southeast corner
- The old board room will be used for staff meetings
and will be dividable into two rooms
- Planning and Engineering will be located in the
basement
- The basement will receive natural light from holes
cut in the floor of the first floor and two large skylights on the roof
of the building
- The mayor stated that the City will be in the
building for the next 100 years. December 24, 2006 - I
recently received an e-mail from John Encinio, who worked in the
Installment Loan Department at the bank. John is now an
entertainer, fronting a popular band that plays in Las Vegas, Laughlin
and all around the southwest. The next time
you travel to Las Vegas be sure to look for John Encinio and the Full
House Band. You can reach John at JEMCOPROD@aol.com, or you can call
him at 702-349-7392. You can learn more about the band at: www.myspace.com/johnencinioandthefullhouseband
or at www.soundclick.com/johnencinio
Here are some pictures John sent.
October 7, 2006 - Here's a
picture from the October 5th edition of the Hobbs News-Sun showing the
removal of the escalators from the old bank building..
September 29, 2006 - Recent
additions to the mailing list have included Ernest London and John
Carter. I was talking to Joe Purvis the other day and he has a
contact who is working on the renovation of the bank building. He
said in addition to taking the escalators out, there will be skylights
that will provide natural light to the first and second floors and
additional skylights that will let the light filter through to the
basement! He also said that there will be an office built on the
second floor above the west side entrance, where the huge orange
chandelier used to hang (which would put the new office just outside
the windows in the president's office that used to look down into the
entrance foyer--the foyer won't be two stories high after adding the
office). Other changes mentioned in the newspaper recently
will be the replacement of the metal and wood railing around the second
floor balcony with glass block. It will certainly be interesting
to see all of the changes. I wonder if we'll recognize the place. September 11, 2006 - Phyllis
Barnes and Gary Andrew asked to join the mailing list this week and
Phyllis made an entry to the guestbook. I also received the
following e-mail from Ron Mullins:
"Hey Mark and Cindy You did an
unbelievable job in setting up the "Broadway Website!!" It is so neat.
Well...Marianne and I have had a whirlwind 6 months. In April, I became
President and CEO of First Financial Bank in Stephenville. I also have
offices in Granbury and Glen Rose. My main office is in Stephenville
and our bank reminds me soooo much of the United New Mexico Bank
days---I actually can make decisions and we don't sell credit cards
(ha! no really...we don't even offer them!). We moved to
Granbury and live at Harbor Lakes golf course (2310 Vienna Drive--in
case you guys are ever our way). We are exactly 32 miles southwest of
Ft. Worth. We are building a home also in Stephenville and hope it will
be complete by Christmas. Courtney (24 years
old) started her fist job with Care Max Home Health Care in Dallas two
weeks ago, Meagan (21 years old) was married on August 19th in Midland
to Scott Young and they live in San Antonio, and Emily (19 years old)
finished her freshman year and just moved to the Woodlands to attend
the Aveda Institute to study "spa treatments." I told her she can
practice the facials on her old man. Anyway, we are all
doing fine and just trying to adjust to the humidity of central
Texas---quite a change from West Texas and Southeast New Mexico. We
miss our friends in Hobbs and in Midland and got to see some at
Meagan's wedding last month. Some of my very
best memories are of the times and people in Hobbs and Lea County and
I'll always treasure the work ethic and care for the customers and
co-workers at our bank in Lea County. Keep in touch and
come see us if you can. Ron N. Mullins F1rst Financial
Bank, N.A. 254/918-6237 Office 254/918-6277 Fax rmullins@ffinbank.com From the September 10th
edition of the Hobbs News Sun:
September 9, 2006 -
Richard Jones and Ron Mullins both asked to be added to the mailing
list and I also heard from Tim and Gina Chittim. Ron is at First
Financial Bank in Stephenville, Texas. (I'll twist his arm to
give us some more details on what's going on with him.)
Richard Jones had this to say:
"Hi Mark: It was great to
see the pictures. Brought back a lot of good memories. I'm in
Albuquerque working for a local title company. Been here ( and Clayton
for a short stint) since Dec 1998. Both our daughters live here and we
have 4 grandkids. I forwarded your info to Kiki so you should be
hearing from her also. Keep up the good work and post some more
pictures when you get them.
thanks
Richard Jones Rio Grande Title
Company Inc 6400 Indian School
Rd NE Albuquerque, NM
87110 505-883-6969 / Fax
505-888-0990" - Richard Jones
And, Tim and Gina Chittim wrote to say:
"Thank you Mark
for sharing these great memories with us. My
husband is Tim Chittim, Reed's son. He has such great memories of
these times. He wants to thank you for bringing them back to
him. My husband spoke of George Mansur, Stan Newman, Sam Spikes,
Anita Cheney, and many many more employees. Reed also shares the
great memories with us. Reed has told us stories of how he was
recruited from Farmington, New Mexico by Jack Daniels, moved to
Hobbs with Barbara and the kids. Starting with the oldest,
Kathleen and her husband Rudy are in Baltimore, M.D. , Kevin and
his son Austin are in Austin, Tim and his wife, Gina are in
Burnet, they have the Brady Bunch 6 kids, Teresa Chittim is in
Albuqerque, N.M., and is retired from State Farm, and works with her
sister Virginia Chittim, Virginia Chittim and Daughter Marisa Mendosa
lives in Albuqerque, N.M. She owns the El Modeldo Mexican Factory,
Bridgette Chittim Sab, lives in Bandera, Texas with her husband David
and two children, Jeanna, and Blake. Mary Chittim Fields lives in
Austin, Texas with her husband Robert Fields, daughter Katherine and
Ireland Rose Fields. Margrete Chittim Blythe, lives in Fort
Collins, Co. with her husband J.B. and Son Joesph, Charlie Chittim the
youngest Chittim lives in San Diego, CA. and will be soon transferring
to the Bay Area with his girl friend Jessica. Reed lives in
Albuqerque, N.M. with his wife Pattie, Barbara is in Southern
C.A. with her significant other Tom Black. All are in good
health and we want to thank all of you for the good memories and
may God Bless You All and Keep You in His Care. Tim wants to thank
all of you, the many people of Lea County and
the people of Hobbs. Thank you for the great
memories. I only hope my children have the same great memories as
I did as a young man, growing up in Hobbs. I give all the credit
to my dad and mom for these great memories. He worked hard at
growing that bank and she worked hard at raising nine of us kids.
It took a tole on our family, but despite it all we survived and are
doing great. Please let us know if there is a get together and we
will come to it. Sincerely, Tim Chittim and
Family" September 6, 2006 - Recently
we've had Andy Morrow, Gary Beal, Beverly Bearden, Kay Doss and Pat
Wise all sign up for the mailing list. Here's what Kay Doss had
to say:
"I have just spent
all morning reading about "THE BANK" and looking at the pictures.
What wonderful memories!!! We had so much fun while working our
fannies off. I was at the bank from Feb 1978, until 1984.
My last day at the bank was the first day they called it Moncor.
I remember leaving with tears streaming down my face, but the stress
had finally gotten to me. I moved back to my hometown of
Carlsbad, and have been here ever since. I am a
stockbroker/financial advisor and have been since 1984. I now
have my office at home and love it. I live on #1 fairway so the
scenery is always good. When I'm not working I'm playing
golf. I play lots of tournaments and lots just for fun. I
hope we can have a reunion some time. I would love to see
everybody. Thanks for all your hard work in setting this
up. Hope to see you soon." - Kay Doss
I also heard from Pat Wise. Here's what he had to say:
"Mark Mark: Post on website .
. . I am serving the
City of Lovington as City Manager. Wife Sharon and I have five
daughters between us and an even dozen grandkids. Life is good. Hats off to Mark
Mark!! What a great idea. Best wishes to everyone. Pat Wise, Manager City of Lovington Phone 505.396.2884 Facsimile
505.396.6328 pwise@lovington-nm.org September 1, 2006 - It was
great to hear from Martha (Harris) Stites this week as well as having
guestbook entries from Scott Bird and Beth (Wingrove) Hancock and
mailing list signups from Debra (Collins) Cunnington and Lynn
Sanderson. Here's some of what Martha had to say:
"I
left The Bank (AKA First National Bank of Bee County) shortly after Jim
Renfrow left, and after several years at Daniels Insurance, I made my
way to Albuquerque, where I worked at what is now Wells Fargo (then
United New Mexico Bank) for 8 years as assistant to the president.
For
the past 9 or 10 years I’ve been with St. Joseph/Lovelace Health System
in various positions.Right now I’m cash management
coordinator...
My
“kids,” Mark (almost 41!) and Sarah (37) have resisted
long-term relationships until just recently, although Mark and his
fiance are about to make me a grandma for the first time!WOOHOO!He is a teacher, and has recently returned from a 4-year stint
at an international school in Kuala Lumpur.Sarah
is an RN here at University Hospital.
Didn’t
we have a blast when we were all working together in Hobbs?I still have the tapes of all the skits, except the first one.We really need to have a reunion!Debra Cunnington and Andy Morrow and I have talked around that
for a couple of years, but haven’t done anything about it yet.
- Martha
(Harris)
Stites
August 19, 2006 - I got some
nice e-mails this week from Rita Neal, Rick Brown, Jim Renfrow and
Becky (Teague) Jones. I've come to know Rita much better than I
knew her at FNBLC through some business contact we've had in recent
years, but I can still remember delivering the mail to her up in the
Trust Department when I started in the mail room in 1975. When I
graduated from the mail room to the teller line it was Becky Teague who
took me under her wing and made sure I balanced my cash every day, as
she did for so many of us wet-behind-the-ears tellers through the years.
Rick Brown has been working with Jim Renfrow at Carlsbad National Bank
for almost 20 years now.
Jim Renfrow wrote to say:
"I started at FNB
Hobbs in 1971 at the old Turner office. As you mentioned, we
opened the Lovington branch in ‘72 and the name was changed to FNB Lea
County. We all watched the construction of the new Broadway
office with great anticipation. My office in the Turner building
was a partitioned hallway I shared with two other people. I came to Carlsbad in
1983 so I actually never worked for “Moncor”. We had just changed
our name to First City when I left Hobbs." - Jim Renfrow
Jim also mentioned several other former employees that he runs into now
and then including Pete Cook, David Wiberg, Andy Morrow, Bill Mayton,
Scotty Blymn, Jimmy Warden, Jim Stretz and Bob Gossard. Pete is
President of First National Bank of Alamogordo and David Wiberg is at
City Bank in Ruidoso. - Mark Cotton August 8, 2006 - I've heard
from several people since my letter was published on Sunday. In
addition to the posts made to the guestbook, I heard from Anneta Cheney
yesterday. Anneta has retired after many years as a very
successful real estate agent and broker here in Hobbs. She
mentioned that her son, Mike Cheney is still in banking with Wells
Fargo in New Mexico. - Mark Cotton August 6, 2006 - Marge Baker
called to thank me for the letter to the editor I sent to the Hobbs
News-Sun regarding the building and its history. My wife Cindy
talked to her and tried to tell Margie about the website but Margie
said she had worked on computers all of her life and now that she was
in her 80's she didn't go near them. Can't say I blame her!
Great to hear from you, Margie! - Mark
Cotton
July 31, 2006 - Mark
Ferdinand wrote to say:
Hi Everyone:
My name is Mark
Ferdinand. My first job after leaving Eastern New Mexico
University - Portales was as a management trainee with FNB Lea
County. I consider my experience with the bank and the
community to have been very beneficial for my first career position
after leaving college. Mark Cotton was my first supervisor
in the Notes Department. I was asking him about everyone
whom I could remember. It was amazing as to how many names I came
up with after all this time.
Since leaving FNB
Lea County I worked in Scottsdale, Arizona for a software
company. We developed interest rate risk software for banks and
savings and loan associations. Subsequently I worked for
Coopers and Lybrand in Moscow, Russia as an IT Manager and lived with a
Russian host family for two years. Later I became co-owner and IT
Director of a business and information technology consulting company in
Moscow. We grew the company to 44 employees consisting mostly of
Russian nationals. In 1998 I returned to the US after 6
years with my wife Marina and step-son Yan. I've continued
to work as a project and or product manager in the technology sector
with positions in San Francisco, Phoenix, Chicago and now St.
Petersburg Florida. We love Florida and we'll probably be here
for a very long time.
It's been exciting
for us to have my wife's mother, sister and brother visit from
Russia. Life has improved considerably for them. The
thought that they could visit the US was almost unthinkable 10 years
ago. My step-son is out of high school and is considering whether
to go immediately to college or work for awhile.
We spend most of
our time now enjoying the Florida beaches, boating and roller blading
and our two cats.
I look forward to
hearing from some of the rest of you ... I'll find some more
pictures!
Best Regards,
Mark Ferdinand
Mark and Marina Ferdinand
Published in Hobbs News-Sun, August 6,
2006:
As someone
who worked in the building at 200 East
Broadway for almost 20 years, I’m excited to see the City of Hobbs
bringing it back to life. Although most people seem to want to
call it “the Moncor Bank building”, it actually bore the Moncor name
for a relatively short time. Those of us who worked within those
walls have memories that go far beyond the images of bank failure and
FDIC closure that the name Moncor conjures up. The building only
wore the name Moncor for a little over a year of the 23 years that it
housed banking activities. And, for almost half of its life the
building was home to the bank that would grow to become the present-day
Wells Fargo Bank on North Turner.
Although the name on the building changed numerous times during those
23 years, the people who walked through its doors each day were some of
the best and brightest that Hobbs had to offer. Community
involvement was heavily stressed by the bank’s management, no matter
what name was on the door. And, the employees who worked at 200
East Broadway could always be counted on to be among the leadership of
any worthwhile civic project, whether it be United Way, Adopt-a-School
or any of hundreds of other causes.
At most points in its history, 100+ employees streamed through the
doors of 200 East Broadway each day and went about the business of
helping the citizens of Hobbs with their finances. Countless
Hobbsans opened their first bank accounts there and/or financed their
first automobile or home there. Businesses that grew Hobbs
through boom and bust borrowed and deposited money there. The
paychecks that the banks’ employees carried home supported the growing
businesses of the area and raised the families that continue to support
Hobbs today. Babies born to bank employees who worked there now
have children of their own. It’s easy to remember the shame and
scandal of the Moncor Bank failure, but don’t forget the years of
productive service by the hardworking employees who punched a timeclock
at 200 East Broadway each day, nor the continuing growth of the
successor bank, Wells Fargo.
Back in the mid-1970’s George Mansur, one of First National Bank’s
executive officers and an original member of the 1949 First National
Bank board of directors, had a full-length mirror installed adjacent to
the employee entrance, so that each employee could stop and inspect
their appearance upon arriving for work each day. He then hired a
sign painter to paint the words “You Are Looking at The Best Banker in
Lea County” across the top of the mirror. In years later,
following the bank failure, outsiders seeing that mirror might snicker
at the sentiment, but for many years the operation at 200 East Broadway
was considered one of the best small banks not only in Lea County, but
in the rest of the country as well. The employees there had a
spirit instilled in them that they WERE the best and they were
extremely proud of their workplace. It was a spirit more like
being on a sports team or one of their fanatic supporters than anything
else I can describe.
First National Bank opened in 1949 at its original location at 206
North Turner. Later, it moved to 111 North Turner, where it
remained until moving to the Broadway location. In 1964, the
first drive-in banking facility in Hobbs was opened at the northwest
corner of Turner and Taylor. In 1965 a branch bank was opened at
600 West Bender. In 1972, another branch bank was opened in
Lovington, shortly after the bank name was changed from simply First
National Bank to First National Bank of Lea County.
In March 1972, ground was broken on the new facility at 200 East
Broadway. Construction of this 48,500 square foot building was
completed at a cost of approximately $2 million. Designed by
architect Will Harris and built by William A. Jourdan Construction, the
building opened for business in 1973 under the First National Bank of
Lea County name. Construction of the 23,300 square foot annex
building, which sits on the north portion of the lot, was completed in
1979 at a cost of approximately $1 million.
In the early 1980’s the principal owners of First National Bank of Lea
County began opening a network of banks throughout New Mexico that
would eventually become the Moncor Bank system and contain six
banks. Banks were opened in Carlsbad, Ruidoso and Roswell under
the name First City National Bank.
The Hobbs bank changed its name to First City National Bank in late
1983. However, another banking system already using the First
City name in Texas objected to the name usage in New Mexico. This
resulted in the adoption of the name Moncor, Inc. for the bank holding
company, which was short for “money corporation”. The local bank
was renamed Moncor Bank in mid-1984.
On August 30, 1985, the FDIC closed the Hobbs Moncor Bank and the
assets and liabilities of the bank were assumed by The Ford Bank Group,
which re-opened the bank under the name United Bank of Lea
County. After operating as an independent bank for a while,
United Bank of Lea County was merged into the United New Mexico banking
system and was renamed United New Mexico Bank. The United New
Mexico banking system was subsequently sold to Norwest Bank, and the
name on the building changed once again, this time to Norwest Bank.
The building at 200 East Broadway became vacant in 1996, when Norwest
Bank (which would later come to be called Wells Fargo) moved into its
newly built location at 1910 North Turner. During the 20+ years
that it housed banking operations, under various names and ownerships,
the building saw a lot of Hobbs’ history and impacted thousands of
lives. I may be overly-sentimental about the place, since it was
my first “real” job, but I’m proud of every minute I spent working
inside 200 East Broadway and cherish the memories of the people I
worked with there and customers we all served together. In fact,
if any former co-workers are reading this, let us hear from
you. You can e-mail me at markcotton@gmail.com
- Mark Cotton
