TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
Ralph Gilbert (Gib) Blackman Jr. died peacefully at home on January 8 surrounded by his family after a courageous battle with cancer. A Texas community banker, he was most widely known as the publisher and editor—along with his wife, Bonnie—of Bankers Digest for more than 30 years. Born October 11, 1947, to Ralph and Betty … Read more
Longtime Texas banker Jerry Charles Hughes passed away on December 8. He was 87. In his early 20s, he joined Longview-based Texas Bank and Trust Co. and converted its accounting system to digital. That launched a career in banking, which lasted until his retirement. In 1970, Hughes accepted a position with American National Bank in Beaumont … Read more
James E. Campbell, the founder of Shelby Savings Bank, passed away on November 12 in Center, Texas. He was 97. In addition to his decades of service to the banking industry, he was an entrepreneur who launched numerous businesses in his lifetime and served communities in Shelby County his whole life. Campbell first worked in … Read more
On October 29, Charles “Charlie” E. Cheever Jr., chairman emeritus of San Antonio-based Broadway Bank, passed away at the age of 93. Born on an army base in Manila, Philippines, Charlie, as he was best known, was the son of Broadway Bank founders Col. Charles E. Cheever Sr. and Elizabeth Cheever. A West Point graduate, Cheever … Read more
Longtime banker Emmet Ross Harris, affectionately known as “Big Daddy” by his grandchildren, passed away on October 10. He was 75. In 2010, Harris was diagnosed with liver cancer. After exhausting other treatment options, he received a liver transplant in 2012. He was fortunate to receive this gift of life from an unknown organ donor, … Read more
Longtime Texas banker Joe Don Winniford passed away on September 15. As his obituary states, he was “renowned for his passion for people, charm and humility…an energetic and friendly soul [whose] life was filled with experiences and adventure.” Winniford served in the U.S. Navy for four years, then earned his BBA degree from East Texas … Read more
Longtime Texas banker Lee Roy Gaskamp Jr., 69, passed away on September 6 after an exhausting battle with COVID-19. During his lifetime, he served at several community banks and as a commissioned state bank examiner with the Texas Department of Banking before founding the Bank of Brenham in 2001. He served as the bank’s president … Read more
Lowell “Stretch” Smith Jr., longtime banker and avid civic supporter in Johnson County, passed away on August 29. He was 88. For decades, he helped lead the First State Bank of Rio Vista. Smith grew up on a family ranch near Rio Vista. Many people knew him as “Stretch,” a nickname acquired from his high … Read more
William Elery (Bill) Howard Jr., 79 of Victoria passed away peacefully on August 12 from complications of a rare form of Parkinsonism called progressive supranuclear palsy. Services were held on August 18 at Holy Family Catholic Church in Victoria. Howard served for many years as president and chief executive officer of Cuero-based TrustTexas Bank; after … Read more
Dallas banking icon George Jones passed away on May 21 at age 77. For most of the past year, he endured challenges caused by an illness—the exceedingly rare Vexas Syndrome—that had developed over the past 20 years. But, according to his obituary, no one ever heard him complain. After earning his BBA degree from the … Read more