1957-Eisenhower was President of the United States, which
still numbered 48. The Braves were still in Milwaukee and beat the Yankees
in the World Series. The Russians launched Sputnik I, beginning the Space
Age and Bridge on the River Kwai won three Academy Awards. On February 1,
1957, Edward T. Wright reported for his first day of work at The Middleburg
National Bank.
Edward T. Wright is a rare individual. Longevity at a company is almost unheard anymore. This year, Wright, a Senior Vice President and member of the Board of Directors, will celebrate his 40th Anniversary with The Middleburg Bank.
Wright answers to both Ed or Eddie...it depends on how long you've known him. Getting to know him is easy. When you visit in his office, it truly is a visit. He has the quiet style of an unhurried southern gentleman. He has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of local families and history and he is always willing to share.
"My first-job was to help Mr. Read [Bank President Duncan Read]
transfer the savings accounts to machine posting. I suppose the day before
my arrival ended pen posting for deposits, withdrawals and balances. We
then
converted the note department to
machine posting. Mr. Read designed the note system and color-coded notes
by use of the funds. Real estate loans were green note forms-the color of
land. Loans secured by livestock were salmon-the color of Hereford cattle.
Loans secured by stocks were blue forms for blue chip stocks and unsecured
loans were white forms; no blood in them," Wright says.
When Eddie joined the Bank, it was still in the original building in downtown Middleburg, across from the Red Fox Inn. The current bank building was soon constructed. The vault door and some safe deposit boxes were moved from the original bank to the new bank several months before completion. "We would place the tellers' cash in cloth bags and bring it up and lock it in the vault each evening. When customers wanted to enter their safe deposit boxes, l would usually be the one that would walk up the street to meet them and wait while they went through their box," Wright fondly recalls. He has seen plenty of change, both in Middleburg and in banking. "When we built the current bank, we had the first drive-up window in Loudoun County. It was a big deal."
Wright frequently helps train new employees of The Middleburg Bank. He
encourages them to invest wisely. When he joined the Bank, he bought three
shares of stock at $15 a share. Each share is now 64 shares because of stock
splits and stock dividends. With the current market value of $28 per share,
the $15 investment is now worth $1,792, not including quarterly dividends.
