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
J. Pat Hickman, former chairman, president and CEO at Happy-based Happy State Bank, passed away on March 1. He was 72. In 1970, Hickman first enrolled at Texas Tech University, but he spent most of his time with his brothers in Phi Delta Theta rather than in the classroom. He resumed his higher education at … 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
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
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