Dr. E. Victor Maafo: A Long Life, A Life-Long Advocate...

An Amazing Grace... 

 

           ... Dr. E. Victor Maafo, SECU member-owner and volunteer. 

Eugene Victor Maafo was born in Ghana. He witnessed the independence of his native homeland in the 1960's from Great Britain and the change of its name from the Gold Coast. As a young man, he immigrated to Durham, North Carolina. 

As a pastor and preacher, Reverend Maafo has been a life-long advocate for faith and forgiveness. As a professor emeritus of economics at North Carolina Central University, Dr. Maafo has been a life-long advocate for reason and understanding. As a Black man in the South, he has been a life-long advocate for justice and was proud to help support the civil rights struggle in the American South. 

As a member-owner, E. Victor Maafo has been a life-long advocate of the State Employees' Credit Union; famous for summoning SECU members at the 2013 Annual Meeting to all rise and join him in singing "Amazing Grace" - which they did with raucous, rousing enthusiasm!

On October 11, 2023, Dr. Maafo took a two hour trip to Greensboro, North Carolina to attend the Annual Meeting of the State Employees' Credit Union. At that meeting, he rose independently, to voice his concerns over the loss of mission and purpose at the Credit Union. 

No one had asked that he attend, no one had written his remarks. Dr. Maafo understood faith and forgiveness, he understood reason, he understood fairness - he needed no coaching. 

As a member-owner and as a forever-and-always SECU volunteer, Victor Maafo had come to the meeting as a life-long advocate of fairness for his fellow SECU members.  To advocate for a change of heart, a change in direction at SECU... and he did just that.  Dr. Maafo's advocacy was thoughtful, measured, and humble.

The following year on October 8, 2024, Dr. Maafo again returned to Greensboro for the SECU Annual Meeting, but he was prohibited by the SECU Board from speaking, as were all other SECU member-owners. 

On January 4, 2023, Dr. E Victor Maafo fulfilled a life-long goal to become a citizen of North Carolina and the United States of America. [link].

As a fellow human being, Victor Maafo has been a life-long advocate for others - with exuberance and humility, with patience and tolerance, with joy and laughter.  

February 11, 2025 would have been his 98th birthday; he didn't quite make it.

Dr. E. Victor Maafo was an "Amazing Grace" to his Country, to his community and to his credit union - SECU.  

You can refuse to listen to a man, you can deny him the right to speak; but you can't smother his spirit and you can't crush his soul.

 

   E. Victor Maafo, a great man? Yes! ... with the soul of a unicorn! 

SECU Board Final Report Card 2024! "Cheesing Out"?

  "Think Different" or "Industry Standard"?

 What Steve Jobs Had To Say About Credit Unions... 

"Whether you love him or hate him, you can’t argue that Steve Jobs was not a passionate man. He was passionate about new ideas, about quality, and about his brand. It showed. Apple consumers are famously loyal.

“The older I get, the more I see how much motivations matter” Jobs said. Was there a different motivation between Apple and Microsoft in launching these new products? According to Jobs, there was a huge difference. “The Zune was crappy because the people at Microsoft don’t really love music or art the way we do. We won because we personally love music. We made the iPod for ourselves, and... "

😎 "... when you’re doing something for yourself, or your best friend or family, you’re not going to cheese out.” 

"While many economic and social factors weigh into the success of a credit union, I’ve seen first hand the difference a passionate team can make on the bottom line. The most successful credit unions we’ve worked with have not had the best marketing, they haven’t had the most college degrees in one room, nor have they had the best circumstances. The credit unions, which have the most success, are winning because they personally believe in their credit union. They have a mission statement and a vision they are passionate about. Their members are friends and family." They don’t “cheese out” as Jobs said.

“If you don’t love something, you’re not going to go the extra mile, work the extra weekend, challenge the status quo as much,” Jobs continued. What separates the good credit unions from the great credit unions? Culture. Vision. Passion. 

😎 If you’re making loans for the sake of the bottom line or to meet targets, you’re going to have an uphill battle [plus high delinquency and chargeoffs]. 

But, if you’re making loans with the understanding of how you are helping a member or changing a life, then...

   What ever happened to "There Is A difference"?