TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
Roger Key, a longtime Lubbock banker and attorney, passed away on November 16. He was 74. Raised in Lubbock as a member of the prominent Key and Maedgen families, he built a legacy of serving the community and his alma mater, the Texas Tech University School of Law. Key was a partner at Key, Terrell … Read more
Michael Atkins, a longtime owner of Odessa-based SouthWest Bank, passed away on October 8. He was 77. He was an esteemed lawyer and respected member of the Odessa community. After serving as a county attorney in Odessa for two terms early in his career, Atkins went into private practice, culminating with the firm Atkins, Hollman, … Read more
Longtime East Texas banker Jane Austin Chapman passed away peacefully on November 2 in her hometown of Frankston. She was a third-generation banker. Her grandfather, John F. Austin Sr., founded the First State Bank of Frankston in 1909, and her father, Jeff Austin Sr., served there as president starting in 1946. Jeff Austin Sr. went … Read more
Eva Marie (Kleckley) Miller, 86, of Crockett, passed away peacefully on October 11. She enjoyed a lifelong career in banking before retiring in her 60s. Her banking career began as a drive-through teller in Houston, where she made the news for being robbed at gunpoint in the 1960s. Undeterred, she stayed in the banking industry … Read more
Donald “Craig” Smith, 75, of Runaway Bay passed away on September 21. He served in the Texas banking industry for more than three decades. During his high school years in Jacksoro, Smith was named to the all-state football team, was a proud member of the multi-year state championship golf team and was honored as “Mr. … Read more
Herbert Lee Graham, a highly respected entrepreneur and visionary leader, passed away on September 25 at the age of 87. Born in 1938 in New Mexico, he relocated to Odessa in the late 1950s and would go on to leave a lasting impact on the region, including his ownership of Odesssa-based SouthWest Bank. Graham attended … Read more
Former Texas Banking Commissioner Ken Littlefield passed away at age 79 on November 10 after experiencing a medical emergency while doing one of his favorite things in the world—snorkeling in the Cayman Islands. He led the Texas Department of Banking from 1986 to 1992. After earning both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in … Read more
Laurel Ann (Sissy) Phillips Austin, chief lending officer, investment officer and member of the board of directors at Jacksonville-based Austin Bank and its parent company, Austin Bancorp Inc., passed away on August 29 after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease. She was 83. Austin grew up in Jacksonville, graduated as valedictorian from the Jacksonville High … Read more
Joe Robert Grist Sr., president of Snyder-based West Texas State Bank, passed away on August 13 in Snyder at the age of 58. After earning his bachelor’s degree from Abilene Christian University and a master’s degree from Hardin-Simmons University, Grist launched his banking career. His professional career was spent working alongside his father, John E. … Read more
Longtime banker and community banking advocate Gary Dean Edmiston, 84, of Odessa passed away on April 26. Edmiston played tennis while attending North Texas State University. Upon graduating, he also found immense joy in his career as a banker in West Texas, becoming president of Security State Bank in 1979 and later being named chief … Read more