[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 17, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S1612]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO WALTER FRANK YORK

 Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, on Monday, March 15, the community 
of Ashland, KS, celebrated the career of someone who dedicated nearly 
45 years to the Stockgrowers State Bank. Walter Frank York has called 
Ashland home since the day he was born. His parents, Russell and 
Marjorie, brought him up in a modest home on a farmer's income during 
the 1950s and 1960s. Frank, as he came to be called by his family and 
friends, went on to study finance at Kansas State University, but the 
Vietnam war draft up-ended his plans before graduation.
  Frank ultimately did not serve due to a back injury incurred while 
playing football for Ashland High, but the draft experience took him to 
Eagle County, CO, where he used his education to assist his sister with 
a new business that she was operating in Vail Village near the well-
known ski resort. While taking on this challenge in Colorado, he 
finished his degree at CU Boulder, despite his long-lasting love for 
the K-State Wildcats. After earning his degree, his route led back home 
when he applied for a vacant position at a bank in Ashland. His first 
day at Stockgrowers State Bank was March 15, 1976.
  Working as a loans officer, Frank added a sense of small-town care 
for each of his customers over the years. After all, he would 
frequently see his customers at church, at the grocery store, and at 
Friday night sporting events in Ashland and surrounding communities in 
southwest Kansas. In 2007, he earned the title of executive vice 
president after years of loyally helping customers. One recent 
highlight from his career was being awarded as a recipient of the 
Pioneer Award in early 2020, which is given annually by the Kansas Ag 
Bankers division of the Kansas Bankers Association. When he achieved 
the award, one customer of his remarked to the Kansas Ag Bankers: 
``Frank just makes it simple to do business and helps keep me connected 
to the Ashland community.'' In return, Frank likes to share that his 
clients and colleagues became ``family'' to him. Being surrounded by 
good people in an enjoyable community helped keep Frank at Stockgrowers 
for the entirety of his banking career.
  I would be remiss if I did not speak of community involvement while 
sharing about Frank York. Whether it was being involved in his 
children's Boy Scouts troop, coaching local youth baseball programs in 
the summer, announcing football games for Ashland High, broadcasting 
SPIAA League high school basketball tournaments, or serving on the 
board of organizations near and far in Kansas, Frank has done it all. 
He currently serves on the board for KJIL Great Plains Christian Radio, 
in addition to the Kansas Leadership Center's board, and serves as 
president of the alumni board for his K-State chapter of Delta Upsilon 
fraternity.
  I have had the joy of getting to know Frank on a more personal level 
in this past decade, as his son Tyler joined my staff after earning his 
degree at K-State. Frank lives in the same farmhouse that his 
grandfather built in 1912, just a few miles outside of Ashland. Farming 
and ranching has been a side passion and a hobby for him since he 
returned home for a career at Stockgrowers. It is something that he 
intends to continue for years ahead, thanks to the local volunteer 
firefighters that spared the York farmstead from destruction in March 
2017 as wildfires burned close to 80 percent of Clark County. He 
considers himself blessed to have been of the more fortunate residents 
of the area. While I have appreciated his friendship over the years, 
Frank was an invaluable resource to me in the aftermath of the Starbuck 
Fire. Along with many others from Clark County, he informed me on ways 
we could help direct the USDA and other governmental agencies to 
coordinate in providing assistance to those that were severely 
affected.
  The announcement of retirement from Frank came in mid-2020. His 
emotional final day at Stockgrowers State Bank was on December 31, 
2020. Due to the challenges that the pandemic brought to communities of 
all sizes, a celebration of his retirement, unfortunately, had to be 
postponed. However, I couldn't think of a better date to celebrate the 
career of Frank York than the 45th anniversary of his first day of 
employment at Stockgrowers State Bank. While the difficulties of the 
pandemic will still prevent many well-wishers from making it to Ashland 
to personally offer their congratulations, I know that the amount of 
lives that have been positively affected by Frank are plenty and 
stretch far beyond Ashland. His family--including wife, Sue, and 
children Joshua, Tyler, Emily, Adam, and Jennifer--should all be 
extremely proud of Frank's career. I offer my sincere congratulations 
to someone I am proud to call my friend, Frank York.

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