In Memoriam: William J. Renfro, BancOne Texas and MBank Austin

William J. Renfro, longtime banker and a pillar of the Austin business community, passed away on February 29. Born in Glasgow, Kentucky, and raised in Port Lavaca, according to his obituary, Renfro “dedicated his career to the banking industry and eventually the betterment of his beloved city of Austin. Throughout his illustrious career, he made … Read more

In Memoriam: John A. Cole, Texas Commerce Bank

Longtime Texas banker and rancher John A. Cole of Lampasas passed away on December 24, 2023, in Dallas at the age of 92. Born in 1931 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, he held a BS degree and MS degree in geological engineering from the University of Oklahoma, then went on to earn an MBA degree from … Read more

In Memoriam: Dallas Banker James Murphy II

Longtime Dallas banker James Murphy II passed away on October 5 at the age of 72. After earning a BBA degree in finance/general business and an MBA degree in real estate/finance from Southern Methodist University in the early 1970s, Murphy launched his banking career. For more than four decades, he worked as an executive at several … Read more

In Memoriam: Ronnie Earl Abbott, Peoples National Bank Founder

Longtime banker Ronald “Ronnie” Earl Abbott , founder of Paris-based Peoples National Bank (now Peoples Bank under a Texas state charter), passed away on September 1 at the age of 69. Raised in Paris, Abbott went straight to work after graduating from high school, starting off as a dispatcher for the Texas Ranger Law Enforcement … Read more

In Memoriam: Former City National Bank President Jack Collins Jr.

Longtime Texas banker and Texas Longhorn Hall of Famer Jack Altman Collins passed away on August 9 at the age of 82. He was born in Beaumont, but the family moved to Dallas when Collins was in grade school. A graduate of Highland Park High School, he played on the 1957 state championship football team … Read more

Newly Christened Blake J. Boyd Memorial Stadium Honors Former Peoples Bank President

Larry Allen, Lubbock-based Peoples Bank CEO and chairman, has announced a partnership with Slaton Independent School District to rename the Slaton High School football stadium the Blake J. Boyd Memorial Stadium in honor of a revered Texas banker from the area. Blake J. Boyd, a longtime Slaton resident and community leader, passed away in April … Read more

In Memoriam: Deborah Scanlon, Regional Industry Leader for BKD/FORVIS

Deborah (Parker Briece) Scanlon, 56, died unexpectedly on July 6 while vacationing at Borgo Scopeto Relais near Siena, Italy. She was a recognized national leader in audit, accounting and advisory services for the financial services industry, serving as audit partner and regional industry leader for Springfield, Missouri-based BKD LLP’s (now Austin-based FORVIS LLP) financial services … Read more

In Memoriam: Marshall Bookman Peters

Marshall Bookman Peters, former chairman and CEO of First City Bank of Bryan and Texas Bankers Hall of Fame inductee, passed away peacefully on July 2 at the age of 89. He was raised in Navasota and, at the age of 11, his family moved to Bryan. After earning a BBA degree from the University … Read more

In Memoriam: Mae Beth Palone, Former IBAT Employee

First National Bank of Giddings CEO Bill Landiss with IBAT’s Mae Beth Palone showing their respective allegiances in 2014Mae Beth Palone, who led the IBAT Leadership Division for the Independent Bankers Association of Texas for many years, passed away on June 25 from injuries sustained in a car accident. Palone was born in Klamath Falls, … Read more

In Memoriam: Karl Edward Hill, The First State Bank CEO and Chair

Karl Edward Hill passed away on May 22 at the age of 58 at his home in Columbus. At the time of his passing, he was CEO and chairman of the board at Columbus-based The First State Bank, capping a 35-year career there. Hill attended Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) and played … Read more