Just as St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland, Ed Callahan brought his Irish heritage to his many leadership roles with America’s Credit Unions.
His contributions were consequential for decades forward for every organization with which he engaged.
Many credit union leaders today never met Ed who died on March 18, 2009, shortly after the last call on St. Patrick’s day. He lived his Irish heritage with a family of eight children and a first career as a math teacher, coach and principal in the Catholic school system.
Relationships Build Collaboration
His three years and eight months as Chair of NCUA (1981-1985) positioned both credit unions and NCUA for resilience for generations to come.
Ed believed in relationships. He nurtured these in hundreds of personal contacts. When NCUA chair, he would sit outside the Hilton Hotel’s conference level cafe during the annual GAC and hold court with everyone walking in and out of the main hall. For hours at each session.
He demonstrated time and again that the greatest credit union competitive advantage was collaboration. He used this capability to initiate the largest conference of examiners, regulators and credit unions ever held in December 1984 in Las Vegas. Organized and led by NCUA, more than 4,000 examiners, regulators and credit unions met to share ideas and experiences about the future of the cooperative system.
A Credit Union CEO
After co-founding and leading Callahan & Associates from 1985-1987, Ed became a credit union CEO. When he arrived at Patelco in October 1987, it was the 34th largest credit union in America. Fifteen years later at his retirement, it was number 10.
The Irish and Freedom
Another element of Irish lore is the constant struggle for freedom in the country’s long relationship with Great Britain. Freedom requires individual responsibility and organizational unity.
Ed explained the policy of deregulation as putting responsibility for fundamental business decisions in the hands of the board and management, not government. Self-help and community, woven into every aspect of Irish history, are fundamental to credit union success.
In a speech called The Three Freedoms to the Massachusetts CUNA annual meeting in November 1984 he outlined how the credit unon system contributed to the country’s ongoing efforts for freedom.
One person who portrayed Ed’s Irish roots and forceful personality is Jim Blaine. This is his Look Back from March 2016.
by Jim Blaine
Always suspected that the problem with Ed Callahan was that as a youth he was beaten too often by Nuns in parochial school or, perhaps, not beaten enough. Well, whatever, either way the Nuns left their mark – an indomitable spirit!
Ed Callahan was Irish – brash, pugnacious, loud, hard drinking, fun loving – alive! But why be redundant? I said he was Irish!
For over a quarter of a century, we all watched and observed as Ed Callahan created shock waves in the credit union world. No one was neutral about Ed Callahan. His friends were fiercely loyal, his enemies equally committed. Ed inspired many and angered quite a few. Ed had style; he had presence. With Ed, you weren’t allowed to make contact without becoming involved, excited, immersed, engaged.
At Marquette, Ed must have played football in the same way he played life – without a helmet. You had no doubt that Ed Callahan always played for keeps. He had no intentions of losing, that was not one of the options. Ed was very straight-forward; your choices were always clear. The mission was defined; and, there was only one direct path to the goal. That path was either with you, around you, over you, under you, or through you; you could step aside or get on board. It was your choice; but your choice never changed the mission, nor the path, nor the goal.
Some said that Ed was a visionary…
… they were wrong. Ed Callahan was a revolutionary. Visionaries talk about change, revolutionaries take you there. Ed led from the front – a leader of conviction, rather than convenience; principles above posture – courageous. Revolutionaries, by definition, create problems; overturn applecarts; rebuke the status quo. That happened at NCUA. Appointed by President Reagan, Ed arrived at NCUA in the midst of turmoil. Ed defined the mission; he reformed and remolded the Agency. He taught a regulatory agency how to stop working to prevent the last crisis. He explained that a coach never executes a play and that on Monday morning it’s never hard to see what went wrong – but it is rarely relevant. Teacher, coach, lessons in life; hopefully well learned, hopefully still remembered.
But let me celebrate the essence of the man – that indomitable spirit – one last time, for those who never had the opportunity; for those who still have doubts; for those who never fully understood. One of Ed’s harshest critics, noted with much wryness, that even in death Ed “couldn’t get it right”. Why, I asked? “Because Callahan died on March 18th instead of on the 17th, his beloved St. Patrick’s Day.” You know this type of critic – cynical, smug, self-assured without much basis, not really worth the effort, but…
Just for the record, I would simply like to point out one final time that – first and foremost – Ed Callahan was a fully-fledged, fully-flagrant Irishman – body and soul! And, no self-respecting Irishman would ever celebrate the end of St. Patrick’s Day until the last bell at the pub had rung. That would have meant that Ed Callahan’s “last call” would have come sometime after 4:00 am – on the morning of the 18th. Style, presence, courage – true to the last! A shamrock of joyful vigor and purpose!
And one last thought… in the final analysis you can say many things about a great man’s life… some men are admired, some are respected, some are envied, some are feared… and countless other adjectives and accolades. But, in the final analysis, the most important thing you can say about a great man is… he will be missed.
And, Ed Callahan will be missed…
Jim’s reflection as true today as the very first time I read it. We sure do miss Ed.