75th Anniversary
True North was founded in 1948, which was also the year the very first Polaroid camera went on sale.
The new device had a huge price tag for the time, costing a whopping $89.75! Imagine trying to carry that thing around all day!!
1948
NASCAR® holds its first modified stock car race in Daytona Beach, FL, in 1948.
1951
CBS broadcasts the first color television program on June 25, 1951.
1958
When True North was just ten years old the world’s tallest ever recorded tsunami was in Alaska in 1958. Caused by a landslide after an earthquake in the Fairweather Fault in the Alaska Panhandle, the 100-foot wave reached 1720 feet above sea level.
1958
On True North’s tenth anniversary, we saw a major change in the way we look at finances today. As a test, Bank of America mailed 60,000 residents of Fresno, California a small plastic card with a $500 credit line. The experiment was successful and the program later became what we know today as Visa.
1960
When True North was just 12 years old, NBC canceled the famed TV show Howdy Doody after 13 years!
Who remembers what Clarabell The Clown ended the show with? He tearfully whispered, "Goodbye kids."
1968
True North celebrated our 20th anniversary serving Alaskans financial needs. It was also the year the mighty Intel was founded. Their development of the modern microchip dramatically changed the world of finance as computers quickly replaced the old school hand-written ledgers of the past.
1973
Basketball Hall of Famer Spencer Haywood was approached by Nike early in his career with an enticing offer: 100K or 10 % of Nike. He took the 100K. Today, the 10% is worth over 12.4 billion.
1976
NASA's Viking 1 lands on Mars on July 20, 1976.
1978
During a 1978 Monday Night Football game, Howard Cosell commented on a delicious new snack he was eating, thus stadium nachos went mainstream.
1988
CDs out-sold vinyl records for the first time
1988
Table Tennis (Ping Pong) became an Olympic Sport.
1998
At age 77, John Glenn becomes the oldest astronaut in space on October 29, 1998.
1998
World Changing Event: Google.com was founded in Menlo Park, California, by Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
1998
MP3s were created for the first time. 'MP3' is the abbreviation for 'MPEG Audio Layer III' ('MPEG' stands for 'Motion Pictures Expert Group').
A special message from the CEO
I’m extremely excited for this year because it’s a big one for True North. 2023 is our Diamond Anniversary, marking 75 years of providing meaningful financial services to Alaskans. Our Mission has ebbed and flowed over the years but hasn’t changed at its heart – to improve the economic well-being of the members, employees and communities we serve.
Throughout the year we will be celebrating our history while looking to the future. From handwritten ledger books in the 1940’s to high-powered mobile payment apps in the 21st century, True North has always focused on providing the best service possible to our member-owners. That’s the key to 75 years of success.
Looking down the road, this is going to be another busy year. We have continued enhancements planned for our lending processes, giving you more options to finance with True North when shopping for a new vehicle. We will also be looking to expand the reach of our financial education resources, and much more! We have fun things in store for the members and the True Crew as the year progresses to celebrate this important benchmark, so stay tuned!
1948
Juneau Territorial Employee Federal Credit Union is formed.
On November 22, 1948 the Juneau Territorial Employees Federal Credit Union is formed. As the charter is ratified we officially become the first credit union in the territory.
1978
Anchorage branch opens and Alaska State Employees FCU adopted as new name.
This was a busy year! We opened our first branch in Anchorage and merged with Northern State Employees FCU to form the Alaska State Employee Federal Credit Union (ASEFCU).
2003
We update our name to True North Federal Credit Union to reflect our growing mission.
2023
It's our 75th Diamond Anniversary!
Looking forward to the future.