At the October board of directors meeting of Kilgore-based Citizens Bank, it was announced that Darla English, senior vice president was retiring at the end of 2021. With more than 36 years of service at Citizens Bank, English is the longest-tenured employee in its 72-year history.

English started her banking career in 1985 with Allied Citizens Bank as administrative assistant to the president and in 1990 she was promoted to assistant vice president and loan officer. In 2001, she was promoted to vice president and to senior vice president in 2018. English earned a BBA degree in business from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma.

“These past 36 years have absolutely flown by!,” English notes in her resignation letter. “Some days it seems like only yesterday that I walked through those doors for an experience of a lifetime. I had no idea I would be with you this long. There have been so many good times and some sad times, but never a boring day.”

“[Darla] has had an amazing career and the opportunity to move to another stage in her journey has been well earned,” says Sammy D. York, CEO. “Her presence will be missed by her customers, the board of directors and all of her coworkers at Citizens Bank. We are happy that Darla and Gary will have the opportunity to travel and spend time with family.”

English lives in Kilgore with her husband, Gary who is retired from the oil and gas industry. They have three children, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. In her spare time, she enjoys antiquing, reading, solving crossword puzzles and gardening.

Established in 1949, Citizens Bank has 12 banking centers in Bryan-College Station, Carthage, Center, Gladewater, Humble, Kilgore, Kountze, Sour Lake, The Woodlands and Yorktown, as well as an LPO/DPO in Plano.