First
Independence
Bank
Mourns
the Loss
of Dr.
O’Neil
Swanson,
owner,
Swanson
Funeral
Home
DETROIT
- The
First
Independence
Bank
family
mourns
the
passing
of one
of its
profound
community
and
business
icons
and one
of their
own bank
founding
organizers,
Dr.
O’Neil
D.
Swanson.
“We
are
deeply
saddened
to hear
of the
loss of
Dr.
Swanson.
His
graciousness
is
unprecedented
in carry
for
families
in need
of
comfort,
which I
know
will be
returned
to the
Swanson
family.
His
leadership
as a
founding
director
of First
Independence
Bank 50
years
ago is a
legacy
of
service
to
others
that our
entire
team
tries to
embody
on a
daily
basis.
On a
personal
level, I
am so
grateful
to him
for
being
accessible
to young
men in
demonstrating
Manly
Deeds,
Scholarship,
and Love
for All
Mankind.”
-
Kenneth
Kelly,
Chairman
& CEO,
First
Independence
Bank
Making
their
mark
with
First
Independence
and
their
respective
careers,
Swanson
and two
dozen
other
bank
organizers
led by
example
with
leadership,
community
activism,
and
change.
Due
to a
need to
create
economic
opportunity
within
the
community,
many
prominent
Detroit
entrepreneurs,
businessmen,
doctors,
lawyers,
educators,
and
others
came
together
to form
First
Independence
National
Bank
(later
named
First
Independence
Bank) in
May 14,
1970.
The bank
represented
a sense
of hope,
ownership,
community,
access
and a
means to
improve
equity
in the
American
Dream.
The
bank is
best
noted as
one of
the
positive
outcomes
from the
1967
riots
where
inequity
was
obvious
and
overt.
In
January,
we were
honored
to spend
time
with Dr.
Swanson
and Dr.
Karl
Gregory
to share
their
views on
the
history
and
importance
of
starting
this
institution
with our
millennials'
advisory
board.
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