Chadron State to honor accountant

Spencer was the first CPA to open an office in Chadron, moving from North Platte in 1960. He was asked to join the foundation’s Board of Directors in the late 1960s and served on the board until 2002.

During that period, Spencer did the accounting on the investments and prepared the annual reports. It is estimated that those services would have cost the foundation between $15,000 and $20,000 annually, although he never asked for or received compensation for them.

For approximately 15 years before the foundation hired a bookkeeper, Spencer was the foundation’s treasurer, and handled many of the organization’s routine monetary transactions. In addition, he was chairman of the foundation’s Finance Committee for about 20 years, working primarily with Lee Wahlstrom and the late Vern Chicoine in making nearly all of the foundation’s investment decisions.

In 1970, Spencer and attorney Bevin Bump filed the paperwork so the foundation could gain tax exempt status.

Spencer and his wife Nita made another large contribution to Chadron State in 2001 when they gave the college some $40,000 worth of furniture they had leased to a failed Colorado business. Several pieces of the furniture are now in the president’s office at CSC while much of the remainder went to the Music Department.

Besides serving on the Chadron State Foundation board of directors, Spencer’s civic activities have included serving as president of the Chadron Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis Club.

He also is an avid bowler and he and his wife have visited all 48 states while riding a motorcycle.