Loretta Burd receives Sagamore of the Wabash
Highest honor from Indiana Governor goes to credit union CEO
October 25, 2004

Released to credit union trade publications

Gov. Joe Kernan named Loretta Burd a Sagamore of the Wabash, the highest honor any Hoosier can receive from the Governor. She is shown here receiving a commemorative certificate from Charles Phillips, Director of the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), one of the Governor’s apapointees. Burd completed the maximum term possible on the DFI board earlier this summer. During her seven years there her service included three years as Vice Chairman and just under a year as Acting Chairman.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Loretta Burd, President/CEO of Centra CU and Board Chairman of the CUNA Mutual Group received honors of distinction from the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) and the State of Indiana during the Indiana Credit Union League's Large Credit Union Roundtable Oct. 5. Charles Phillips, Director of the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) presented Burd with a resolution of appreciation commending her contributions to Indiana's financial institutions during her tenure on the DFI board, which began in 1997 and concluded earlier this summer.

Phillips, one of the Governor's appointees, followed the resolution from his agency with a presentation on behalf of Gov. Joe Kernan which names Burd as a Sagamore of the Wabash, the highest honor bestowed on citizens of Indiana by the Governor.

"Receiving the Sagamore of the Wabash award is as much an honor as it was a surprise," said Burd. "I'm grateful for the opportunities Centra Credit Union, the credit union movement, and my community have presented me, and serving them continues to be an enriching experience. I thank Governor Kernan for this special recognition."

"Indiana's credit unions are fortunate to have such a good relationship with the DFI; and they have benefited from contributions made by Loretta during her tenure at the agency," said League President John McKenzie. "We are pleased that the DFI took the opportunity to show its appreciation for Loretta at a League event and that she could be among colleagues as she was named to this prestigious group of Hoosier citizens."

Burd is a member of the Indiana Credit Union Hall of Fame, and a past recipient of the League’s Professional Achievement Award.

About the Sagamore of the Wabash award
The Sagamore of the Wabash award is the highest honor any Hoosier can receive from the Governor for service to the Governor or to the State of Indiana. It was created during the term of Governor Ralph Gates, who served from 1945 to 1949. Governor Gates was to attend a tri-state meeting in Louisville with officials from the states of Ohio and Kentucky. Aides to the governor discovered that the governor of Kentucky was preparing Kentucky Colonel certificates for Governor Gates and Senator Robert A. Taft, who was to represent the State of Ohio. The Hoosiers decided that Indiana should have an appropriate award to present in return.

The term “sagamore” was used by the American Indian Tribes of the northeastern United States to describe a lesser chief or a great man among the tribe to whom the true chief would look for wisdom and advice. Among these who have received Sagamores have been astronauts, presidents, ambassadors, artists, musicians, politicians, and ordinary citizens who have contributed greatly to our Hoosier heritage.

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