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He had a great mentor, great people around him, and it’s been a great run for Wendell Wilkinson in the Pittsburg banking business. Now he’s decided to close the ledger on this part of his life.
Wilkinson is retiring after 42 years of service to Commerce Bank, formerly City National Bank.
During this time he’s seen numerous changes.
“I’ve seen the evolution of credit cards, debit cards, ATMs,” Wilkinson said. “I feel very fortunate about this. I’ve seen the best of the banking world.”
His parents, Alice Mae Holmes Wilkinson and Norman “Jack” Wilkinson both served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and met at the Olathe Naval Air Base. Their son was born there before they moved to Weir and worked in the family’s business, the Wilkinson Coal Company.
“I went to Columbus schools and graduated from Pittsburg State University in 1968 with a bachelor of science in business administration,” Wilkinson said.
He heard that John McNay was looking for an entry-level person at the bank, applied and was hired. At the time, he said, the bank, still relatively new, had assets of $7 million.
“I had a college degree and I was ready to go,” Wilkinson said. “I think I rolled quarters that first day.”
But his responsibilities soon increased.
“John McNay was very good to me, a great mentor who had a lot of patience and guided me,” Wilkinson said. “He put me in a position to learn the banking business. I was a teller, then worked at the loan window, then became an officer. I grew job-wise with the bank. I was institutional loan officer, then went to the commercial loan side. I was assistant vice president, vice president, then senior vice president. In 1988 I became bank president.”
He also continued his education, graduating in 1979 from the Wisconsin School of Banking. He is also a 1991 graduate of Leadership Kansas.
Wilkinson served as bank president until 2008, when Ron Sutton was named president and Wilkinson became chairman of the board, focusing on major business development efforts in commercial banking and money management services.
“I’ve had a great nucleus of people I’ve worked with,” he said. “Judy Westhoff was a great part of our successes at the bank. We have a lot of employees who have been working here 20 or 25 years, and a good board of directors.”
There have been difficult decisions over the years.
He had a great mentor, great people around him, and it’s been a great run for Wendell Wilkinson in the Pittsburg banking business. Now he’s decided to close the ledger on this part of his life.
Wilkinson is retiring after 42 years of service to Commerce Bank, formerly City National Bank.
During this time he’s seen numerous changes.
“I’ve seen the evolution of credit cards, debit cards, ATMs,” Wilkinson said. “I feel very fortunate about this. I’ve seen the best of the banking world.”
His parents, Alice Mae Holmes Wilkinson and Norman “Jack” Wilkinson both served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and met at the Olathe Naval Air Base. Their son was born there before they moved to Weir and worked in the family’s business, the Wilkinson Coal Company.
“I went to Columbus schools and graduated from Pittsburg State University in 1968 with a bachelor of science in business administration,” Wilkinson said.
He heard that John McNay was looking for an entry-level person at the bank, applied and was hired. At the time, he said, the bank, still relatively new, had assets of $7 million.
“I had a college degree and I was ready to go,” Wilkinson said. “I think I rolled quarters that first day.”
But his responsibilities soon increased.
“John McNay was very good to me, a great mentor who had a lot of patience and guided me,” Wilkinson said. “He put me in a position to learn the banking business. I was a teller, then worked at the loan window, then became an officer. I grew job-wise with the bank. I was institutional loan officer, then went to the commercial loan side. I was assistant vice president, vice president, then senior vice president. In 1988 I became bank president.”
He also continued his education, graduating in 1979 from the Wisconsin School of Banking. He is also a 1991 graduate of Leadership Kansas.
Wilkinson served as bank president until 2008, when Ron Sutton was named president and Wilkinson became chairman of the board, focusing on major business development efforts in commercial banking and money management services.
“I’ve had a great nucleus of people I’ve worked with,” he said. “Judy Westhoff was a great part of our successes at the bank. We have a lot of employees who have been working here 20 or 25 years, and a good board of directors.”
There have been difficult decisions over the years.
“One of the most difficult was when we decided to sell the bank,” Wilkinson said. “I say ‘we,’ because it’s not just me doing this.”
It was a good decision, he said, both for the shareholders and for the bank clients who benefit from all the services provided by Commerce Bank.
Other successes are counted person by person, in lives touched by Wilkinson and the bank.
“It’s been fun to watch people to get started in their businesses, or buy a house or get a car loan,” Wilkinson said. “I met a man who reminded me that I had given him a $300 loan in the 1970s to buy a trailer so he could move his possessions to California. He’s a very successful individual now. And we’ve helped many small businesses in this community get started. I find great satisfaction in that.”
He has also been involved in many community activities and charitable causes.
“I strongly believe in giving back to this community,” Wilkinson said. “I can’t stress what a great community this is. We have philanthropic people who are willing to step up to the plate.”
He is current board member and chairman of the finance committee for Via Christi/Mt. Carmel Hospital Board; a current board member, treasurer and finance committee member of the Pittsburg Area Community Foundation; Advisory Board member of the PSU nursing department; and serves on the Advisory Committee for Westar Energy.
Wilkinson has held leadership roles in numerous organizations and committees., including United Way of Crawford County, Boy Scouts of America, Elm Acres, Pittsburg Family YMCA, Pittsburg Industrial Development Corporation, Kansas Venture Capital Inc., Pittsburg Main Street and the Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce and Chamber Foundation.
He is a member of Mirza Shrine Temple, Fort Scott Scottish Rite, Masons, Royal Order of Jesters, Pittsburg Noon Rotary Club, Pittsburg Presbyterian Church and Crestwood Country Club.
His community involvement has earned Wilkinson many awards, including the 2004 Spirit of Pittsburg Award, in part because many of the past recipients, including Roberta McNay, widow of John McNay, were people he has admired for years.
“Roberta McNay is a wonderful woman, and has always been so supportive of me,” Wilkinson said.
Several of those nominating him for the Spirit of Pittsburg award praised Wilkinson’s work for Pittsburg’s public schools, especially his fundraising for two school bond issues.
Another nominator was then PSU President Tom Bryant.
“If you were to look at any major community project in the last 10 or 15 years, I would predict that Wendell Wilkinson contributed to the effort in some significant way,” Bryant wrote in his letter of nomination.
He also received the 2004 PSU Distinguished Service Award and the 2010 PSU Rex Crowley Service Award.
While he’s retiring from the bank, Wilkinson doesn’t intend to retire from living.
“I own a farming operation in Cherokee County and run cattle, and I enjoy that,” he said.
He’ll also have more time to spend with wife Lynda Wilkinson, and sons Kyle and Cody.
“Lynda has been a great support to me, and we enjoy traveling,” Wilkinson said.
“We like to go to Europe, and we have a lake house that we’ll be able to spend more time at. We’re going to do all those things that we didn’t have time to do before, and I’ll still support the university and other worthwhile organizations and causes in the community.”
