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Singer Frank Sinatra, Apollo astronaut Harrison Schmitt and then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger were among the variety of guests Stenehjem socialized with in his stiffly pressed formal Army dress whites and dress blues. Years later, he still fondly recalls an evening he spent as Mamie Eisenhower's official escort "That was a kick," he says, smiling warmly. "She was very nice."
"Most of the people I spent time with were very pleasant," he adds.
But Stenehjem attended historical as well as social functions. He introduced dignitaries at the signing of the SALT II agreements by President Nixon and Soviet Prime Minister Brezhnev. And perhaps most memorably, he stood by in the East Room of the White House as President Ford took his oath of office. "The last six months, there wasn't very much going on at the White House because of Watergate," he says.
From his earliest years in North Dakota, Stenehjem displayed the unusual poise, confidence and intellect that would allow him to achieve each goal he pursued, his friends and family say. As IBAA's new president, Stenehjem brings his personal skills, leader ship, and legal and banking knowledge to bear on the national level for community banking. Like his father, former IBAA president Lee Stenehjem Sr., he was also born and raised on community banking, learning the banking business firsthand while growing up in the rural Midwest.
"He's a very attractive representative of the industry," says Allen I. Olson, president and CEO of the Independent Community Bankers of Minnesota. "Lee has determination and common sense, and that's a pretty successful combination. He's proven his leadership for a significant period of time."
Stenehjem served as Olson's top bank regulator and budget director when Olson was North Dakota's governor during the 1980s. Olson says Stenehjem proved himself a highly effective public leader and administrator under trying conditions. Sound judgment and effective communication skills helped him deftly manage the difficult job of cost cutting and job layoffs when the state's agricultural-and oil-based economy quickly deflated.
"He was the point man for carrying out some very difficult decisions," Olson recalls. "He was sophisticated in dealing with the news media and several constituencies. He found a way to get the job done without wounding."
According to several people...