An era ended last Friday as Evelyn Burns stepped down as president of the Sykesville Federal Savings Association.

Burns, who began as a teller with the bank in May 1984, was the only female to hold the position of bank president in all of Carroll County.

Sykesville Federal has two locations, Liberty Road, in Eldersburg and Baltimore Boulevard, in Westminster. Since its charter in 1884, Burns was only its eighth president.

On Monday, Russell Grimes, of Mount Airy, took over as the bank's ninth president. Burns will remain as a member of the board of directors.

Originally hired by G. Wilbur Boller to work at the bank's original location on Main Street, Sykesville, Burns was sent to manage its new Eldersburg location after just three days.

She configured Sykesville Federal's in-house computer system in 1984 and its outsource computer system in 1988, thus earning the title of compliance officer in 1991.

It was 1998 when Burns left the one-room office she occupied in the now razed yellow house to move into Sykesville Federal's current Eldersburg location. She became bank manager in 2002 and replaced Alvin L. Howes as president in 2005.

"I'll miss the contact with the customers and employees," said Burns last week. "I had a wonderful relationship with the customers and the employees."

She said she is proud of the, "customer base I think I was able to be a part of building. My most important project was to bring to the public the history of this bank."

Toward that goal, Burns is responsible for the historical mementos displayed inside the wooden and glass island, located in the center of the lobby. The lobby is also adorned with portraits of the bank's presidents.

Burns, 73, was born in 1935 as one of 16 children of Alfred and Elizabeth Linton; she grew up in a farm house on Cherry Tree Road.

She and her husband, William "Pete," have been married for 52 years. They have three children, daughters Beverly Burns and Dana Conway, and son Duane Burns, and eight grandchildren.

She is a lifetime member of Bethesda United Methodist Church and has served for five years as its treasurer. At one time or another, she has been on every church committee.

She said she is looking forward to traveling and expanding her volunteerism with the church.

"I've lived my life looking to something new every day," said Burns.

It is a philosophy she takes now into retirement.

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