Versailles, IN — After 38 years, a productive local banking career has come to an end.
Tracy Lemon has retired from the Friendship State Bank after serving as a lender at the Dillsboro, Friendship, and Cross Plains branches before settling in at the Versailles location.
Lemon’s banking career included many roles. He worked as an assistant cashier, cashier, assistant trust officer, BSA officer, internal account auditor, branch manager, and loan officer.
His lending training consisted of two weeks of observing his dad and brother before jumping into the trenches at the bank’s first branch office expansion in Dillsboro which was opened in 1989.
Lemon mentored the next generation of Versailles lenders over the past year – Lafe Dobbs and Megan Gray.
“I’m leaving our customers and our future customers in good hands,” said Lemon. “I’m confident that they will continue the good thing we’ve started.”
Lemon was not only a mentor for Dobbs and Gray but also their lender.
“My parents and family and husband’s family all use Tracy as their loan officer and have for years. I was fortunate to know him before I started working here,” said Gray.
“Tracy has been a staple in the community, especially for the Versailles office,” said Dobbs. “People know who Tracy is and that he’ll do what he can to help a customer. They could also count on Tracy to be there when it came time for the (Ripley County) 4H Fair.”
“Tracy has taught me how to be a lender who looks at all avenues and options to help our customers,” added Gray. “He will be missed and has left some big shoes to fill. And of course, it’s going to take more than one person to do that!”
Lemon will continue as a Friendship State Bank director.
He is the son of the bank’s second CEO James Lemon.
