News: Neillsville Bank-Ollech Named Pres. (1979)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Ollech, Struble, Pree, North, Brekke, Imig, Meyer, Wuethrich, Zank, Vine, Bautch, Wilsmann, Zerbel

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 1/18/1979

Neillsville Bank-Ollech Named President (1979)

The Neillsville Bank formally announced the retirement of Delbert C. “Bud” Struble as president of that institution. The announcement came after the annual meeting of the bank’s board of directors, January 9. Named to replace Struble was Walter C. Ollech, a former vice president of the bank.

In a release, the bank stated that “it is anticipated that the general policies of the bank will continue.” At the annual meeting, the size of the board was decreased from seven members to six, with Struble being removed from the board.

Struble, who had been the president of the bank since 1972, saw the institution move from its Hewett Street location to a new building on West Fifth Street. The bank was owned for a number of years by the North family. Two daughters of the north family are Mrs. Pat Struble and Janet North Pree. It was learned that Pree, along with Ollech, gained majority stock in the bank prior to the annual meeting.

Ollech a native of Milwaukee, has been with the Neillsville Bank resides on East Second St., in Neillsville. They have three children, Bob, Jim and Susan. He is active with the bank since 1968. He attended North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, earning a bachelor of arts degree in business in 1958. For the next ten years, he worked as a bank examiner with the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago and then moved to Neillsville. Ollech and his wife Judy, are in numerous groups, including the Rotary Club, the Neillsville Planning Commission and the United Methodist Church.

Re-elected to the bank board were Dr. E.H. Brekke, Elton Imig, Lloyd C. Meyer, Ollech, Pree and John D. Wuethrich. Selected as officers were Ollech as president; Pree, vice-president; Eileen Zank, Cashier; Gordon Vine, agricultural officer; James Bautch, personal banking officer, and Elizabeth Wilsmann and Betty Zerbel, assistant cashiers.

The Neillsville Bank, which has branches in Humbird and Fairchild, is one of four financial concerns in Neillsville. Others are the First National Bank, First Federal Savings and Loan and the Black River Country Credit Union.