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Rogers Pope Sr. and Rogers Pope Jr.n June 17, Rogers Pope Sr., chairman of Longview-based Texas Bank and Trust, announced a significant leadership transition during the bank’s board of directors meeting. He is passing the gavel of chairmanship to his son, Rogers Pope Jr. He will remain active in the bank in his new role as senior chairman of the board while maintaining his position as chairman and CEO of the bank’s holding company, Longview Financial Corp. In addition to his new duties as chairman of the board, Pope Jr. will continue to serve as CEO of Texas Bank and Trust.
Pope Sr. has served as Texas Bank and Trust chairman for 50 years, following the death of J. Clyde Tomlinson Sr. in 1975. He has guided the $4.3 billion institution through numerous industry challenges and celebrated key successes that have shaped the bank’s values and commitment to the communities it serves.
Prior to the transition, Pope Jr. served as vice chairman and CEO. A fourth-generation banker, he has been in community banking for more than 30 years. Very active in the Texas banking industry, Pope Jr. has served on the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT) board of directors, including a year as chairman (2015–16), as well as chair of the organization’s legislative committee, political action committee and its subsidiary, IBAT Services Inc. He has also served on the board of the SW Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University and TIB-The Independent BankersBank, as well as on the federal delegate board for the Independent Community Bankers of America.
Pope Jr. earned a BBA degree in finance and financial planning from Baylor University and his Juris Doctor degree from Baylor Law School. He graduated from SW Graduate School of Banking with distinction and as class valedictorian in 2001. He is also a graduate of the American Bankers Association National Graduate Trust School and has received the Certified Trust and Financial Advisor designation. An attorney specializing in banking law before joining Texas Bank and Trust, Pope Jr. is a member of the American Bar Association, State Bar of Texas and Texas Association of Bank Counsel.
Pope Jr. has been very active in support of his community and numerous charitable causes. He is past chairman of the board for both the Longview Chamber of Commerce and Longview Regional Medical Center and currently is vice chairman of the Bruce McMillan Jr. Foundation on the Good Shepherd Medical Center Foundation board. He has served as president of the Greater Longview United Way, Rotary Club of Longview and Longview Area Baylor Club. Other boards he has served on include the Buckner Foundation, East Texas chapter of the Boy Scouts of America, Gregg County division of the American Heart Association, Junior Achievement, Carter BloodCare and the Longview Public Library Foundation. The Boy Scouts of America honored Pope in 2012 with the “Distinguished Citizen Award.”
In 2021, Pope Jr. was honored with the IBAT Chairman’s Award, the association’s highest honor, selected solely at the discretion of the IBAT chairman, which, in 2021, was Brad Tidwell, CEO of Henderson-based VeraBank. The IBAT Chairman’s Award is given to an individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to the community banking industry, going above and beyond the call of duty. Upon receiving the award, Pope Jr. remarked: “When people ask you what you do for a living, do not tell them you’re a banker—tell them you’re a community banker. To me, there’s a big difference. I’m so proud to be a community banker.”
Established in 1958, Texas Bank and Trust operates 20 full-service banking centers in 15 markets throughout East Texas and the Dallas-/Fort Worth metroplex.
