SHREVEPORT, La. – How do you honor a credit union icon who has impacted the movement for nearly 40 years and ensure that his legacy continues? The African-American Credit Union Coalition is hoping to do both with its newly-created Pete Crear Scholarship fund. Crear, CUNA & Affiliates' Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, began his career at the Michigan Credit Union League in 1964, where he spent 20 years, working up the ranks to senior vice president and creating 23 credit unions along the way. He also served as president of the Indiana and Connecticut state leagues and executive director of the Association of Credit Union League Executives. He joined CUNA in 1990 as senior vice president of association services and served as interim president in 1995 and 1996. The scholarship honors Crear's lifelong dedication to "improving the lives of so many people," said Helen Godfrey, AACUC's newly-elected chairperson and president/CEO of Shreveport Federal Credit Union. The AACUC presented Crear with its first Lifetime Achievement Award at its recent annual meeting in Detroit. "Pete is a giant in the credit union movement and we are thrilled to recognize his accomplishments," Godfrey said. "We want this legacy of giving to be immortalized through this scholarship fund." The news comes at a time when Crear has decided 2004 may be the year he retires. CUNA President Dan Mica said Crear will transition from his current positions to executive vice president of external relations on Jan. 1, 2004. Until his official retirement date, which has not been determined, Crear will serve as Mica's chief envoy to broaden CUNA's base of support both within the credit union system and among allied groups such as the National Cooperative Business Association and the Consumer Federation of America. Crear said he is "flattered" to have a scholarship named in his behalf. "I think helping young people achieve their educational goals will pay enormous dividends for credit unions in the future," Crear said. "The past interns of AACUC are good examples of what we can accomplish with the Pete Crear Scholarship Fund." College students participating in the AACUC's Reaching Toward the Future internship program and juniors and seniors at an accredited college or university are eligible for three scholarships in the amount of $2,000 each. Members of credit unions that join the AACUC at the `credit union' dues level are also eligible to apply for the scholarships. Those credit unions can post a link on their Web site to the AACUC scholarship application available on the AACUC Web site. Scholarship applications will be available on the AACUC Web site at www.aacuc.org and will be accepted from March through May 30, 2004. Recipients will be announced at the AACUC's Sixth Annual Meeting & Conference to be held on Aug. 14, 2004 in Atlanta. Those wanting to contribute to the fund can mail a donation payable to the Pete Crear Scholarship Fund to the African-American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC), P.O. Box 210868, St. Louis, Mo. 63121. -

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