RNB Celebrates
Edna Burnett
By M. D. Drysdale

The Randolph National Bank honored one of its favorites last Friday with one of the best business parties thrown in Randolph for years.

Approximately 16 co-workers, friends, community leaders, and bankers from all over the state crowded into the Old Dorm Lounge at VTC to honor RNB Vice President Edna Burnett at her retirement.

Burnett has been with RNB for 17 years and in banking for 40.

And as you could tell from the speakers, her abilities, organization, hard work and pleasant attitude were crucial to keep a lot of organizations around the state ticking—not just the Randolph bank.

RNB President Steve Dimick served as the jovial master of ceremonies, introducing a dozen or so speakers as those in attendance sipped from the free bar and snacked from a sumptuous buffet.

RNB Vice Presidents Sue Sherman and Joe Boyd read best wishes from organizations that Burnett had worked with—Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice, and the bank service corporation FISERVE.

Then Ken Gibbons, president of Union Bank, commented on working with Burnett in the Vermont Interactive Network Association, and Chris D'Elia, president of the Vermont Bankers Association, praised her work in chairing statewide banking committees.

RNB Board Chair S. John Osha shared comments and recognized Edna's husband Bob Burnett, while Marty Strange brought greetings from the Randolph Chamber of Commerce, which has benefited greatly from Burnett's hard work, particularly in spearheading the annual Casino Night.

Finally, Stephen Webster, a member of the bank board, presented the board's resolution confering the title of "First Lady of Vermont Community Banking" and Dimick presented her with a gold pendant of the RNB logo designed and made by J&S Freeman of Randolph.

Burnett herself responded with some tongue-in-cheek gifts to Dimick, Boyd, and Sherman that she said would help them run the bank in her absence.

Out-of-town banking officials included Tom Candon, deputy commissioner of the Vermont oversight agency BISHCA, along with Sue Clarke, regulatory and consumer affairs chief of BISHCA.

The evening even included an original poem by Boyd, which he modestly noted "didn't rhyme or have rhythm" but which had lots of heartfelt sentiments.

But the best line of the evening, everyone agreed, came from Strange. The former Chamber president was preceded by an out-of-towner who smilingly commented he didn't know "that Randolph had so many comedians."

Not at all, Strange deadpanned. "Randolph doesn't have great comedians, it just has great material." He brought down the house while emphasizing the virtue of nobody taking themselves too seriously even though honoring a woman who will be seriously missed.