Lawrence W. Menefee Scholarship Endowment

Larry Menefee has lived in Colorado most of his life, but he still thinks of Powell as his hometown. He grew up in Powell, and he attended NWC while still living with his parents, working 50 hours a week and playing baseball to put himself through school. In his own words, “NWC gave me the leg up I needed. I got a great foundation for a small price.”
After spending two years as a draftee in the Army, Larry finished school at the University of Denver, obtaining a Business degree. He began his thirty-five year banking career at the Colorado National Bank in Denver. After twelve years, Larry had advanced to the Senior Management level, but he and his wife Bobbie still missed being in a smaller community like the one he’d grown up in. They had three young kids, and they were looking for a chance to get out of the city when Colorado National decided to open a new bank in Greeley. After running the Weld Colorado Bank as President for 6 years, Larry left his career of eighteen years to start the new local Greeley bank, Union Colony Bank. He finished his banking career in Greeley seventeen years later.
When Larry announced his retirement, his colleagues wanted to have a retirement party for him. According to Larry, he had never even liked birthday parties. He suggested to the Directors of his bank that they match his contribution to the NWC Foundation rather than throwing him a party. “They agreed, and then threw the party anyway,” Larry says with a laugh.
“NWC was there for me as a way to attend college, and after all these years, I still appreciate that,” says Larry. In gratitude for his “leg up”, Larry started his scholarship to assist other young people in obtaining a college education. The Lawrence W. Menefee Scholarship Endowment has few restrictions; it is open to all students because Larry wanted his scholarship to help anyone who needs help.