John Bryson Posthumously Inducted into the Credit Union Association of New York's Hall of Fame

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2011 Credit Union Hall of Fame Inductee John Bryson

ALBANY, NY (06/16/2011)(readMedia)-- Former Rochester Resident John Bryson was inducted into the Credit Union Association of New York's Hall of Fame at the Association's annual Convention held recently in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Hall of Fame honors are awarded to individuals who have devoted their lives to the philosophy and success of the credit union movement, and have had a significant impact on credit unions at the local, state or national level.

"Through his leadership of The Summit FCU and his enduring commitment to growth and innovation, Bryson served as a true visionary within the credit union movement," said William J. Mellin, president/CEO of the Credit Union Association of New York. "Though he passed away in 2002, his impact on the New York credit union community is still powerfully evident today."

Bryson became assistant manager of Rochester Telephone FCU (since renamed The Summit FCU) in 1973, and general manager shortly thereafter. In that position, Bryson committed himself to expanding the credit union's reach. Through tireless advocacy with NCUA and countless visits with area employer groups, he grew the credit union from a single-sponsor, $7 million credit union to a multi-group credit union with more than $150 million in assets.

Under Bryson's leadership, The Summit FCU successfully introduced several new services, products and cutting-edge technologies. He helped form a national trade association (the International Telephone Credit Union Association) and, long before the credit union industry had shared branching or ATMs, Bryson negotiated a deal with

Lincoln First Bank (now Chase Bank) allowing credit union members to make deposits or cash checks at any of the bank's nearly 150 upstate branches. Prior to his retirement in 1995, Bryson contracted to build The Summit FCU's current corporate headquarters.

The Credit Union Association of New York has served as the trade association for the state's credit unions for 94 years. New York credit unions have assets of more than $53 billion and serve 4.5 million members. To learn more about the Association, visit www.cuany.org.

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