Charles Searle named

Charles Searle named 'Citizen of the Year'

Jan. 25, 2000

Former Citizens State Bank president Charles Searle was honored for his years of service to the community with the Cortez Journal "Citizen of the Year" award.

"Cortez is moving forward," Searle said in accepting the award, "and it¹s on the right track." He mentioned new leadership in various corporations and organizations as signs of progress. Searle was presented the award by colleague Slim McWilliams, current president of Citizens State Bank, in front of a crowd of approximately 150 at the annual banquet of the Cortez Area Chamber of Commerce Saturday evening at Echo Basin Ranch.

Searle was born in Topeka, Kans., McWilliams said, and graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor's degree in business management. His college education was interrupted by the three years he served in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II. He served an additional two years in the Kansas National Guard after the war, and resigned his commission as a captain.

In 1949, Searle, his wife Betty and their son Charley moved to Colorado. This same year, they visited Cortez for the first time. They settled in Colorado Springs, and Searle began his career as a builder. He eventually built homes in Colorado, Nebraska, Utah, and Alberta, Canada, and also developed real estate in Iowa.

Searle was well-respected in his profession. He was president of the Colorado Springs Homebuilders Association and regional vice president of the National Homebuilders Association, representing Colorado and Wyoming.

In 1954, he began building in Cortez. Locating his office in the basement of what was then Citizens State Bank, on the corner of Main Street and Market, he built more than 185 homes in what was known as the Mesa View project in the McBride Addition. He was the first builder in Cortez to pave the streets in a subdivision. He joined the Chamber of Commerce and was elected president of the Southwest Colorado Homebuilders Association.

In 1957, Searle decided to move his family to Cortez, work on only one subdivision, and return home each night to his growing family. All of the Searles' children Charley, Tom, John and Ann - attended school in Cortez and graduated from high school here.

Searle was elected a director of Citizens State Bank in 1958. He said he met the one critical qualification to be a board member at that time: he owned an airplane and loved to fly.

In 1959, he was elected president of the Cortez Area Chamber of Commerce. He was involved in the Chamber's efforts at that time to pave the road down McElmo Canyon. That road was heavily used by oilfield traffic, and the road was in such bad condition that several of the oilfield businesses were considering relocating to Farmington. Searle spoke at a fund-raising luncheon at which $60,000 dollars was raised to fund the project. The road was paved from the M&M to the airport and a road grader was purchased and donated to the county to be used to maintain the rest of the road.

Searle always promoted beneficial economic growth for the community. He was a director of the Montelores Development Council (a forerunner of Montezuma County Economic Development Council) when the plywood plant was brought to the county. The bank's highway sign was repainted in the 1980s with a message encouraging new businesses to move to the community.

In 1960, controlling interest in Citizens State Bank was sold to two out-of-state investors. Searle felt that this community needed the bank as a locally-owned bank. He was able to buy out the investors later that same year.

Searle was elected president of the bank a week later and has led the bank for the past 40 years, remaining at the helm through three economic downturns and recoveries. Although he retired as bank president in February of 1999, he remains chairman of the board and maintains his belief that a true community bank must be locally owned to serve the best interests of its businesses and citizens.