Credit union executives and volunteers from across the country traveled to Boston last week to celebrate 100 years of credit unions and 75 years of CUNA. The 2009 America's Credit Union Conference & Expo, which drew a modest crowd during these stressful economic times, featured a lot of the past, present and future for credit unions and their members.

Credit unions were founded to serve the working poor who were often neglected by the banks in the early part of the 20th century. Their work to help these very people is what assisted the push to create a federal charter for credit unions after the bottoming of the Great Depression in the United States. Artifacts from the history of credit unions stood tall in the main hall outside of where the general and breakout sessions were held.

The busy executives taking the time out of their day to hover around these bits of credit union history were juxtaposed against the equally busy executives bustling to the convenient cybercaf? to check their e-mail or scroll through their BlackBerries while hurrying to their next session.