On July 23, 1948, a small group of civilians working at Fort McPherson gathered money into a cigar box to begin their own credit union.

In 2011, the closing of Fort McPherson by the U.S. Army threatened the existence of the credit union, which had then grown into a staple of the community. Thanks to dedicated employees as well as mergers with The East Point Municipal Employees Credit Union and the MARTA Employees Federal Credit Union in 2002 and 2007, respectively, Fort McPherson Credit Union remained open long after the post closed.

This month, that institution – Fort McPherson Credit Union – turns 70 years old.

“I’m so happy we’re getting to 70 years,” said Fort McPherson Credit Union Board Chairman Norman LaBrecque. “I think it’s a tribute to the people who work here and really believe in the credit union. The staff has a commitment to serving members and trying to improve their financial situations. They never lose sight of serving those members.”

On July 26, Fort McPherson Credit Union will celebrate its 70-year anniversary with a cookout from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The community is invited to attend, and after a brief program on the history of the credit union, hamburgers and hot dogs will be grilled by Stan Howe, owner of Howe Construction and a member of Fort McPherson Credit Union.

 “It’s going to be a chance to celebrate the sense of family and community we’ve cultivated here at Fort McPherson Credit Union over the years,” said Manager Amy Osborne. “We’re looking forward to seeing everybody come out for a good time.”

The credit union has plenty to celebrate – perhaps most impressively that it survived Fort McPherson’s closure in 2011.

“It’s been a really interesting evolution. The closure process took away our primary sponsor: the Army,” LaBrecque said. “For us to still be going nearly seven years later and to still be healthy is incredibly remarkable.”

The closing or merging away of Fort McPherson Credit Union would have been a blow to members in the area and around the world who have come to consider the institution as part of their families.

“We’ve had members whose grandchildren are now members,” Osborne said. “That’s what’s cool about us. We’re just very generational.”

Fort McPherson Credit Union holds about $23.8 million in assets and serves about 4,548 members – not large by comparison to other financial institutions – but Osborne said its reach cannot be underestimated. The credit union has shifted to serve both civilians and military members based in the metro Atlanta area, and that has stretched its influence all over the world.

“This is the biggest smallest credit union, because anywhere you go where there’s a U.S. soldier, you could find a member,” Osborne said.

She said it’s that kind of connectivity and family commitment that has kept Fort McPherson going these last 70 years. And it’s that spirit the credit union’s employees and members will gather to celebrate on July 26.

“Next, let’s focus on getting to 100 years,” LaBrecque said. “Wouldn’t that be amazing?”