Marion Richter moved to Springfield in 1973 and began her long career at Springfield Marine Bank. When Bank One purchased Springfield Marine she was named community market retail manager for the Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin area before becoming city executive for the Springfield offices in 1998. She retired from that position in 2001, which was by then Chase Bank.
Marion has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Hofstra University in New York and an MBA from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Following her retirement, Marion enjoyed conducting business and social etiquette training classes for local companies and nonprofit organizations. In 2004 returned to the banking world, joining the board of directors at Security Bank where she served as chair of the board from 2011-2017. In her second retirement she serves as a volunteer at HSHS Mission Outreach and as treasurer of Capitol Canine Dog Sports. She was a founding member and treasurer of Land of Lincoln Water Gardening & Koi Society.
Where were you born and raised, and what was your first job?
I was born in New York City and raised on Long Island. My first job was at Chase Manhattan Bank downtown. I had just graduated from high school and was 18 years old. My father worked there, and at the time they hired employees’ children during the summers to work in different areas of the bank. I was fortunate to be able to do that.
What was the role of women in banking when you first began working in the industry?
There were a lot of women in banking but many of them were in lower-level jobs dealing with a lot of paper or computer punch cards, if you are old enough to remember those. They were tellers or they filed checks or did mailings, things like that, when I first started.
What thoughts occurred to you as you observed women in banking who increased their roles in upper-level management?
When Springfield Business Journal lists the banks, you’ll see a number of women in top-level positions throughout this area. I remember Linda Culver at Illinois National Bank; she was the first woman elected president of a Springfield bank. Some of her friends and I made a special presentation to her. We took a pane of glass, broke it into little pieces and put it in a nice velvet box for her, because she was the first one to break the glass ceiling. Since then, there have been a number of women who have achieved that position in Springfield.
What were the biggest changes in banking that you saw during your career?
When people asked my father about the biggest change in banking, he said air-conditioning. When he was in banking, air-conditioning wasn’t prevalent. But it made a big difference in the work environment and productivity.
In my experience, the biggest change has to do with the way people conduct their banking. When I worked at the main office of Springfield Marine Bank and it was payday for state government, Horace Mann and Social Security, we would have very long lines of customers snaking through the bank lobby as they waited to deposit their paper checks. It was part of my job to make sure those customers were taken care of promptly.
Now, most people I know hardly ever set foot in a bank. Most banking can be done online or with ATMs, and deposits and withdrawals can be done automatically. So, I would say that in my lifetime, automation has revolutionized how people do their banking.
Is the old-fashioned, walk-in bank going to be around much longer?
For years they said it was going to be a check-less society, and that hasn’t happened yet. I still think there will be a need, particularly in communities like Springfield, for personal banking. People want to sit down and have things explained, to be assured, to look at a face and know that a person is going to take care of them. (They don’t want) a stranger on the phone who lives somewhere other than Springfield.
You’ve been retired for quite some time, but you still remain deeply involved in community organizations. Why do you feel this is important?
I look back at all of the different things I was involved with and one that means a lot to me is learning about other people’s passions. When you’re involved in community activities, boards, committees and volunteer work, you are exposed to things that you wouldn’t encounter in your normal, daily life. Whether it’s the arts, theater, health care, civil rights or history, you’re always going to find something that you didn’t know or that hadn’t occurred to you. It’s a real way of not only developing yourself but helping other people and the community as well.
Why is etiquette so important, especially in today’s society?
That is one of my passions. It is so important to be comfortable in doing the right thing. It might be something as simple as holding your fork or writing a card. There were two gentlemen who worked for Franklin Life – Jack Watson and Howard Humphrey – and they were absolutely amazing about writing notes to people they read about in the newspaper who had achieved things. Those kinds of touches make people feel good, and it encourages them to follow that lead and recognize staff, friends or people they don’t even know. Then everybody feels good.
If you could change one thing about Springfield, what would it be?
Following through on plans. We have these great plans with presentations and articles in the newspaper, but somehow we lose track of the shining star of what we wanted to do. I remember many decades ago there was a railroad relocation project, and it’s finally getting done now. When I first started in banking in Springfield, there were a few big corporate leaders who really cared about the community and worked hard to get things done, and by God, somehow they got it done.
What advice would you give to young people who are entering the job market today?
In addition to learning etiquette, it’s essential to have good public speaking and writing skills. You need confidence in making presentations, organizing your thoughts and being able to deliver a message that people can understand and act on. You’d be surprised that many excellent public speakers rehearse their speeches and often have others critique the speech before it’s presented to the public. Good writing skills are important, whether you’re writing something by hand or communicating electronically. The other thing is constant learning – try to learn as much as possible every day of your life.
What may people be surprised to learn about you?
I love the Illinois State Fair. I attend each day of the fair and chronicle my experiences in a little journal and send it out to others. I’d love to go to the Iowa State Fair. It’s publicized to have a fantastic layout and overall program, but it’s at the same time as our state fair, so it’s hard for me to get away. And, I have to confess that when I was in college, I was a pretty good skateboarder.
This article appears in November SBJ 2025.