I helped install Diebold’s first ATM in 1974.  It replaced an MD400 terminal that was sold by Diebold, but manufactured by Chubbs in England.

After a smooth, one-day installation, Citizens National Bank in Decatur, Ill., held a grand opening event that was attended by Dan Walker, the governor of Illinois, Diebold’s chief executive officer, Earl Werstler, several Diebold sales representatives and many members of the media.

During the celebration, I spent most of my time behind the ATM to ensure that it stayed running. However, the most rewarding part for me was watching a customer conduct a live transaction.

But the installation and celebration were easy in comparison to maintaining ATM availability. For several weeks after the installation, I would check the ATM prior to breakfast, after breakfast, prior to lunch, after lunch, prior to dinner, after dinner and prior to going to bed to ensure that the ATM was operational. If it wasn’t, I would have to get it back up for customer use.

I once guaranteed that the bank could get 30 transactions between failures, which is a joke by today’s standards.

I’d say that the most important development during my 37-year tenure was the introduction of our ATM product line, which came about only three years after I started with the company.

Citizens simply wanted what most banks are looking for today – to meet their customers’ needs by offering convenient services. But while its overall objectives are the same as the majority of financial institutions today, there were also many subtleties. For example, obtaining an ATM card wasn’t as easy as it is today. At Citizens, customers first had to belong to its “Gold C” club, which required minimum deposit amounts. This club existed because all ATMs were offline at the time. That meant that the only ATM a customer could use was the ATM at the bank that issued the card.  

Of course, there have been many developments in ATM technology since that time that have greatly improved transaction times and ATM capabilities. For example, technology has improved, diagnostics are better and, overall, our knowledge of the product has increased dramatically.

One thing is for sure…no matter what changes, I will always be proud of my involvement with this part of Diebold’s history. Throughout my time here, I have been involved with many other changes, and all of these events are things I will reflect on with pride for many years.