On April 22, Home BancShares Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, Conway, Arkansas-based Centennial Bank, announced that J. Pat Hickman, former chairman of Amarillo-based Happy Bancshares Inc., has been appointed to the company’s board of directors as contemplated by the merger agreement for the company’s acquisition of Happy Bancshares, which was completed on April 1.

“Pat Hickman founded an excellent, quality community bank in Happy State Bank,” says John W. Allison, chairman of Home BancShares. “Pat is well known and respected both in Texas and throughout the U.S. He has more than 45 years of banking experience, as well as an amazing following. As a result of the Happy State Bank acquisition, the board of Home BancShares voted to name Pat as a director, and I look forward to his contribution to the board.”

“Home [Bancshares] is recognized as one of the elite banking companies in the U.S.,” Hickman notes. “It’s an honor for me to assist in ushering this great bank into the great state of Texas, and I am happy to be part of the Home team.”

Hickman has been a board member and chair of several community and banking groups over the years, including his service as past-chair of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas and the Texas Banking Commissioner’s Council. Hickman and his wife Nancy live in Canyon.

Established in 1903, Centennial Bank has branches in Arkansas, Florida, Texas, South Alabama and New York City.