TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Longtime Texas banker Kenneth L. “Ken” Burgess passed away on May 24. He was 92. While his initial goal was to become a veterinarian, his career eventually shifted to community banking after working for 11 years as a farmer. As a banker, he incorporated his knowledge of, and passion for, agriculture into a successful career … Read more
Longtime Lubbock banker James Michael Terrell passed away on April 19. He was 71. Better known as Mike, he previously served as president and CEO at Vernon-based Waggoner National Bank, then as vice chairman of the board starting in 2014. According to his obituary, Terrell was a teacher at heart. After serving several years as … Read more