Bank, local icon to retire

From the southwest corner of the flagship office of Bank of The Sierra on Main Street, a ray of sunshine brightens the area, warms the lives of employees and gives hope of good days and better times to all who move past it.

That ray of sunshine has a name: Arthur T. Cardell, better known as “Art” to those who know and love him.

Just as the bright luminary that brings sun-shinny days into our ives is sometimes overshadowed by cloudy days, Cardell’s pending retirement is bound to have a cloudy affect on the Porterville community.

After 34 years at the bank, the 66-year-old is ready to move on — at least, sometimes he is.

“Sometimes I think I’m ready and other times I think I want to stay,” Art said in his distinctive husky voice, his silver-white hair glistening under the florescent lights. “I’ve been doing this for a long time.”

Yes, he has.

He came to Porterville in 1973, and to Bank of the Sierra in 1986 as a branch manager. He will retire July 1 as senior vice president/area manager. The stately looking gentleman oversees the operations of the main office, the Olive Street and Lindsay branches.

Art’s banking career started long before his days in Porterville. He started in 1968 in the officer training program at Crocker bank.

The Fresno native attended Fresno City College where he was a marketing major. After college he spend eight yeas as a buyer in men and boys apparel.

“I got into banking because my family was growing up and I was never home with them,” Cardell said. “There was a lot of travel in the apparel business. I thought I had to get a job where I could see my family more.”

His family consists of Karen, his wife of 47 years, and their two children, Julie, 46 and Carl, 44.

“They are the most important thing to me,” he said, a serious smile forming in the corners of his mouth.

And he is just as important to them, according to his wife.

Karen Cardell, a woman happy about her man, laughs easy and often. The retired Pacific Oaks College professor has an answer when people express concern about her being “stuck” with her retired husband as many wives are when their husband’s retire.

“When were at the fair mixer, a woman came up to me and said, ‘You marry for better or worse, but never for lunch.’ I looked at her and said, ‘I can’t wait to have lunch with him.’”

The couple has loved each other since their days as juniors at Fresno High School. One reason Karen Cardell was attracted to her husband was because of his love of music and his “desire to have music in his life.” She loves music; both her parents were music teachers.

But there is one tiny other thing that attracted her. She laughed when she talked about it.

“We were in high school, so you know what else attracted me,” she said. “He was so handsome. Did he tell you he’s a twin? Well, I think I married the better looking twin.”

Another, more important reason she was attracted to her husband continues to captivate her.

“Even in high school with all the doubts you have then, he always knew who he is and has been comfortable in his own skin,” Karen said. “Partly because he is comfortable in his skin he makes other people comfortable. He is definitely a people person.”

Art, his wife stated, is known for his caring about people — and his desire to help them. The requests people make when they come into the bank may not fit established format, his wife said, but Art will find a way to help if he can.

“He is loyal to the bank, but at the same time he recognizes and cares about people’s needs,” Karen said. “There are two things that I’m most proud of about him — that he genuinely cares about people and his faith in God.”

His faith and his caring are part of the reason Art is more than a banker — he is a supporter of people and demonstrates that through his volunteer work with the Porterville Fair and Sierra Morning Rotary.

The ray of sunshine emanating from the corner of the bank where Cardell now works will not shine as brightly after his retirement, according to Senior Vice president/Manager, SBA Loans Janice Castle. That’s because employees, colleagues, and friends — anyone who walks past the southwest corner desk — will miss his smile and his wave.

“I’ve worked for the bank for 18 years, and worked with Art for 11 years,” said Castle, who will take over Art’s position at Bank of The Sierra. “It’s been a wonderful learning experience. His job entails a wide variety of activities. How he keeps personnel happy and services our customers and keeps them happy is amazing.

“I’m going to miss him desperately, and the community is going to miss him, too. Everybody who knows he is retiring says the same thing — their eyes will go to that corner and they will miss his wave and his smile. He treats everybody the same, customers and staff.”

His brother Donald — the twins have an older sister, Martha Cardell, who lives in Seattle — supports the view the community has of his brother.

Donald, who retired from banking after 40 years and is now a mortician for Whitehurst Funeral home in Fresno, is proud of his brother. He is also quick to laugh about what their names might have been. Their parents, Carl and Marjorie Cardell, had a difference of opinion on the matter.

“My dad wanted to name us Carlton and Carlyse,” he said during his telephone interview. “Thank God my mother stepped in and said ‘No, lets name them after my two brothers Art and Don.’ I don’t know which one of us would have been Carlyse, but I hope it would have been him.”

Donald, who is 10 minutes older than Art, plans to work another five years.

“I’m not sure he’s ready to retire; he really loves his job and really loves his clients,” Donald said about his brother. “He’s really concerned about the people who come to the bank and he won’t be there. His client relationships — that’s the thing that seems to make him happiest. He’s community oriented. Rotary is very important to him. I’ve always been impressed with his work and his community involvement. And he’s very witty and always has something funny to say. He speaks for both of us, and he does a great job.”

Now, at the dusk of his career, Art is preparing to pass the proverbial baton to Castle, who says she has some “big shoes” to fill. What’s next for him, besides spending more time with family?

“What I know for sure is that my parents left us with a very strong work ethic and a very strong faith,” Art said, after reflecting for a moment. And then he laughed his great laugh. “I had my first job, a paper route when I was 12. Now, after all these years, it’ll be great fun to see what’s next.”

-- Contact Anita Stackhouse-Hite at 784-5000, Ext. 1043, or astackhouse-hite@portervillerecorder.com.