Dr. Harry Davis, PhD
Ray Grace
JJ Sansom, Jr
(1917 – 1989)
Paul Stock
Class of 2021
Larry Barbour
Larry Barbour, a Raleigh native, began the formation of North State Bank in 1999, seeking individuals who shared his vision of creating a bank guided by its core values. North State opened its doors on June 1, 2000, and under his leadership has held fast to its identity, remained an independent community bank, and sought growth that adds value to its customers.
An alumnus and long-time supporter of North Carolina State University, he serves on the NC State University Endowment Fund Board of Trustees and was a 1997 recipient of the NC State University Distinguished Alumnus Award.
With a heart for service, he has lent time and expertise to many Wake County organizations over the years. He is a three-term member of the WakeMed Hospital Board and a past board member for several organizations including, the North Carolina Bankers Association, where he served as Chairman from 2010-2011, the John Rex Endowment, the Hospice of Wake County Capital Campaign Major Gifts Committee, the Think First Foundation, and the North Carolina Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In 1995, Larry received The Gordon Smith Award presented by The Alice Aycock Poe Center for Health Education, in recognition of his outstanding support and leadership to help secure the financial security of the Poe Center. In support of his vision, North State Bank created an annual signature fundraiser, Summer Salute, which has to-date donated nearly $1.9 million to Transitions LifeCare, specifically supporting indigent care.
Larry Barbour
Larry Chavis
Larry Chavis began his career with Lumbee Guaranty Bank in July 1987 as president and CEO. Since that time the bank expanded from one to fourteen locations. He was appointed to the board of directors of the bank in 2012 and following his retirement as President & CEO in 2019, he was elected to serve as chairman of the board. In addition to serving as Chairman of the bank board, Larry also remains engaged in a consulting capacity. With almost fifty years in banking, he still enjoys the opportunities he has to to interact with bank customers, shareholders, and employees.
Larry is a 1972 graduate of Pembroke State University with a B.S. in Accounting and received his MBA from Campbell University. He is also a graduate of the Mid-Management Banking Program at UNC-Chapel Hill and the Bank Controllership graduate program through the University of Wisconsin. He served in the U.S. Army as a POW Interrogator in Vietnam from 1968-1969. Prior to joining Lumbee Guaranty, he was employed with Southern National Bank for 15 years.
Larry has served on the boards of many organizations related to banking, at the state and national levels, as well as many church, civic, community, economic development and education organizations. He was awarded “Business Man of the Year” in 1992 by the Lumbee Regional Development Association as well as many other awards and accolades for his service.
Larry R. Chavis
(1947 – 2022)
Kelly King
Kelly King is executive chairman for Truist, a role he transitioned to in September 2021 after serving as chairman and CEO since December 2019, following the closing of the merger of equals between BB&T Corporation and SunTrust Banks Inc. Prior to the merger, King served as chairman and chief executive officer of Truist predecessor BB&T Corporation since January 2010. During his 49-year career with Truist and BB&T, King has served in many leadership roles including 35 years as part of the executive leadership team.
A native of North Carolina, King earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA from East Carolina University. He is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University where his thesis on leadership became known as the Truist Leadership Model.
He is a board member for the Foundation For The Carolinas and High Point University National Leadership Advisory Council. Previously, he served on the Federal Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve System and on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. King served as chairman of the North Carolina Bankers Association board, the North Carolina Rural Economic Center, the North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center and the Forsyth County United Way Tocqueville Leadership Society. He has also served as chairman of East Carolina University’s Board of Visitors, the Piedmont Triad Partnership, vice chairman of the American Bankers Council, and as a board member for The Clearing House, BEST NC, Charlotte Executive Leadership Council, and the Bank Policy Institute (BPI).
Kelly S. King
Class of 2019
Harold T. Keen
KS Bank, Smithfield, NC 1990 – present
North Carolina Bankers Association, Chairman 2001 – 2002
Harold Keen is a native of Johnston County and grew up on a family farm just outside of Four Oaks, where he still resides to this day. Keen is a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, having flown helicopters with the U.S. Army in Vietnam before serving as an instructor pilot with the North Carolina National Guard. He retired from this position with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer Four (CW4) as a Master Army Aviator. After completing his military service, Keen returned to Johnston County and received his degree in accounting before starting his banking career at Smithfield Savings and Loan Association. In 1990, he joined what was then known as the Kenly Savings and Loan Association as president & CEO. Although KS Bank, Inc. no longer operates under the same name, Keen continues to serve in the same position as a leader of the industry today.
Harold T. Keen
Class of 2016
John A. Allison, IV
BB&T 1971 – 2010
John Allison’s career with BB&T began in 1971. During his tenure as CEO from 1989 to 2008, BB&T grew from $4.5 billion to $152 billion in assets, the 10th largest financial services holding company headquartered in the United States. He was recognized by the Harvard Business Review as one of the top 100 most successful CEOs in the world. Mr. Allison has received the Corning Award for Distinguished Leadership, been inducted into the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Banker. Following his esteemed banking career, he was president of the Cato Institute from October 2012 to April 2015. He is the author of The Financial Crisis and the Free Market Cure: Why Pure Capitalism Is the World Economy’s Only Hope and The Leadership Crisis and the Free Market Cure: Why the Future of Business Depends on the Return to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. In addition, he is a former Distinguished Professor of Practice at Wake Forest University School of Business.
John A. Allison, IV
Hugh L. McColl, Jr.
Bank of America 1957 – 2001
North Carolina Bankers Association, Chairman
Hugh McColl began his banking career with American Commercial Bank as a management trainee following his graduation from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1957 and two years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps. Shortly after the bank was merged with Security National Bank in Greensboro and became North Carolina National Bank (NCNB). Mr. McColl worked as a loan officer and a vice president for the bank, before being named president in March 1982. He was then elected chairman and chief executive officer in September 1983. At that time, the bank had $12 billion in assets, $8 billion in deposits and a market capitalization of $700 million. The company operated in two states, employed 7,600 associates and generated net income of $92 million. In 1991, McColl engineered NCNB’s merger with C&S/Sovran, which resulted in the formation of NationsBank, one of the country’s largest banks. In April 1998, NationsBank and San Francisco-based Bank of America announced a merger that resulted in the creation of Bank of America, with headquarters in Charlotte. By the beginning of the new millennium, the bank had grown to $600 billion in assets, $8 billion in net income and a market capitalization of about $90 billion, making it one of the most highly valued financial services companies in the world. Mr. McColl retired in 2001 and shortly after launched the investment banking firm, McColl Partners. In 1989, he was named one of the “25 Most Fascinating People” by Fortune. The American Banker named him “Banker of the Year” and Financial World named him Chief Executive Officer of the Year in 1993.
Hugh L. McColl, Jr.
Nicholas W. Mitchell, Jr. (1945 – 2015)
Piedmont Federal Savings Bank, Winston-Salem, NC 1967 – 2009
North Carolina Bankers Association, Chairman 1995 – 1996
Nick Mitchell, Jr., a native of Winston-Salem, served as the third generation of Mitchells to lead Piedmont Federal Savings Bank. After receiving a degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from Georgia State University, he had a long and distinguished career of more than 40 years with Piedmont Federal Savings Bank. Under his leadership, the bank grew to become the largest savings bank in North Carolina. Nick committed himself to helping customers achieve home ownership and financial security, and was devoted to the employees of the bank. Nick served as the chairman of the North Carolina Bankers Association in 1995-1996, Director of the Home Loan Bank of Atlanta and a board member of the U.S. Savings and Loan League. Among his community affiliations he served as a director of the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Winston-Salem Association, Stratford Rotary Club, and the Home Builders Association of Winston-Salem.
Nicholas W. Mitchell, Jr.
(1945 – 2015)
Thad Woodard
North Carolina Bankers Association, President & CEO 1978 – 2015
Thad Woodard served as the president and CEO of the North Carolina Bankers Association and its predecessor organizations from 1978 to 2015. He began his career in financial services with State Bank of Raleigh. After a few years at the bank, he was offered the presidency of the NC Savings and Loan League. Shortly after taking the helm of the League, interest rate limits were lifted which would eventually lead to the collapse of many of the S&Ls in the state. The Association evolved over time and became focused on community bankers, both banks and savings institutions, and eventually merged with the North Carolina Bankers Association in 1997. Through creativity and innovation, Mr. Woodard’s organization stayed strong as he developed diverse revenue streams so the organization was not dependent on membership dues. He was known among his peers to run one of the best bankers associations in the country. Through the years, Mr. Woodard was involved with an endless list of community, civic and economic development organizations but two stand out: Warmth for Wake, a partnership he started with Wake County to provide heating assistance to those in need; and Camp Challenge, the state’s banking industry financial literacy initiative, that has provided a weeklong summer camp experience for thousands of low-resource middle school students.
Thad Woodard
Class of 2013
V. Allison, Jr. (“Pete”) (1923 – 2014)
Mutual Community Savings Bank, Durham, NC 1953
During a career that spanned five decades, Mr. Allison worked for only two institutions; he served in the business office of his alma mater, Hampton University, before joining the thrift then known as Mutual Savings & Loan as a teller/accountant in 1953. He rose steadily through the ranks to become the company’s president and CEO in 1978. Allison shepherded Mutual Savings through several of the organization’s most eventful years, which included the transition from a mutual savings & loan association to a mutual savings bank (Mutual Community Savings Bank, Inc. SSB), two successful acquisitions (American Federal Savings & Loan, and Greensboro National Bank), and a significant and sustained growth period. Mr. Allison was a strong community leader in Durham and served on the board of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People for many decades, as well as countless industry, education, government, and civic boards.
V. Allison, Jr. (“Pete”)
(1923 -2014)
F. Ed Broadwell, Jr.
HomeTrust Bank, Asheville, NC 1965 – 2013
North Carolina Savings & Loan League, Chairman 1980 – 1981
Ed Broadwell joined Clyde Savings & Loan in 1965 at the age of 27 and held the honor of being the youngest bank president in the state. Under Mr. Broadwell’s tenure of almost 50 years, the bank grew from a six-employee single-office operation in Clyde to become HomeTrust Bank with a staff of 515 in 45 branches across four states. He guided the bank’s transition to a publicly traded company with assets of $2.2 billion. Over the years, Broadwell served his industry, community, and state through service to many organizations including: Chairman of the North Carolina Bankers Association, director at America’s Community Bankers and the American Bankers Association, as well as countless industry, civic and education board. He is the recipient of many awards and recognitions, including his 2013 induction into the Order of The Long Leaf Pine, the highest award for state service, granted by the Office of the Governor.
Ed Broadwell, Jr.
Frank B. Holding, Sr. (1928 – 2018)
First Citizens Bank, Raleigh, NC 1956 – 2014
Frank B. Holding, Sr., served on the executive management team of Raleigh, NC-headquartered First Citizens bank for 58 years. Known for his leadership, business acumen and relationship-based approach to banking, he significantly influenced the direction and growth of the bank. Working from his office at First Citizens main branch in Smithfield, he never sought the spotlight but was a well-known leader in the industry, commerce, and community affairs. His retirement in 2014 marked the end of an era. He, along with his late brothers, Robert Jr. and Lewis, solidified the bank’s presence in the state and helped build the bank into a national franchise. Throughout his career, he made deep and continuing contributions not only to First Citizens, but also to the banking industry in the Southeast and even nationwide.
Frank B. Holding, Sr.
(1928 – 2018)
Robert R. Mauldin (1935 – 2013)
Peoples Bank & Centura Bank, Rocky Mount, NC 1969 – 1997
In 1959, Bob Mauldin started his banking career in the training program of American Commercial Bank in Charlotte. His evolving career took his family to South Carolina and Virginia and, in 1969, to Rocky Mount, NC where he became president and CEO of Peoples Bank and was elected chairman of the bank’s holding company, Peoples Bancorp in 1984. When Mr. Mauldin joined Peoples in 1969, it had 22 branches and $100 million in assets. When the bank merged with Planters Bank, also headquartered in Rocky Mount, to form Centura Bank, Peoples had $1.26 billion in assets. In 1990, he became one of the founding CEOs of Centura Bank, which was the state’s seventh largest bank at that time with $2.6 billion in assets and 116 branches. Mr. Mauldin served as chairman of Centura until his retirement in 1997.
Robert R. Mauldin
(1935 – 2013)
Robert H. McInnis (1951 – 2002)
High Point Bank & Trust, High Point, NC 1974 – 2002
North Carolina Bankers Association, Chairman 2000 – 2001
Robert McInnis was the third member of his family to take the helm of High Point Bank & Trust. His grandfather and his mother headed the bank before him. After summers working as a teller, he started working at the bank full time in 1974 shortly after graduating from UNC Chapel Hill. He became president and CEO in 1986 and chairman in 1989, positions he held until his unexpected death in 2002 at the age of 50. Mr. McInnis had a lifetime of service to his hometown of High Point and served on the board of numerous community organizations.
Robert H. McInnis
(1951 – 2002)
Class of 2010
Lawrence R. Bowers (1918 – 1987)
United Carolina Bank, Whiteville, NC 1938 – 1983
Lawrence Bowers started his banking career at Waccamaw Bank & Trust in Whiteville, while on summer breaks from Duke University. He returned to the bank following graduation in 1938. His career being interrupted with service in the Army during the 1940s, he returned to Waccamaw in 1946 as a vice president of the bank. In 1970, United Carolina Bank Shares was formed as the first certified bank holding company with Mr. Bowers serving as president. In 1978, he became CEO of the holding company that resulted from the mergers of several banks across the state and became the first multi-bank holding company. He remained president and CEO of United Carolina Bank until his retirement in 1983.
Lawrence R. Bowers
(1918 – 1987)
William L. Burns (1928 – 2011)
Central Carolina Bank, Durham, NC 1960 – 1998
Bill Burns began his banking career in 1952 in Greensboro with his father at Guilford National Bank. In 1960, he moved to Durham to join Durham Bank & Trust as vice president. The bank later became known as Central Carolina Bank which he became president and CEO in 1974. He became chairman when he retired from the day-to-day operations of the bank. Under his leadership, CCB grew to be the state’s 9th largest bank with assets of $2.3 billion. The bank later merged with National Commerce Bancorporation in 2000 and eventually became part of SunTrust Bank. Mr. Burns served on the board of the American Bankers Association and the North Carolina Bankers Association as well as many business, education, and civic organizations.
William L. Burns, Jr.
(1928 – 2011)
J. Richard Futrell, Jr.
Planters National Bank, Rocky Mount, NC 1978 – 1990
Centura Bank, Rocky Mount, NC 1990 – 1995
North Carolina Bankers Association, Chairman 1991 – 1992
Dick Futrell began his career in banking at Wachovia in Raleigh a few years after graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill in the 1950s. He then held various positions with NCNB (now Bank of America) for 18 years before joining Planters National Bank in Rocky Mount in 1978 where he served as president, chairman and CEO. In 1990, Planters National Bank & Trust, with 64 offices statewide, merged with Peoples Bancorporation, also headquartered in Rocky Mount, creating a new bank holding company, Centura Banks, Inc. Mr. Futrell became Chairman and CEO of the bank holding company. With lifelong ties to eastern North Carolina, Mr. Futrell has served as the chairman of the NC Ports Authority, served on the NC Aquarium Society board for many years, as well as many banking industry, education and economic development boards and commissions.
Richard Futrell, Jr.
Martha Guy (1922 – 2019)
Avery County Bank, Newland, NC 1942 – 2003
Martha Guy was employed by Avery County Bank for more than 60 years, from 1942 until she retired in 2003. Her banking career began when her father, the bank’s founder, asked her to return from Chapel Hill, where she was getting a chemistry degree, to help him while her brothers were overseas during WWII. During her long tenure, she held many positions, ranging from assistant cashier to president. Throughout her career, she served on many state and national banking organizations, including as treasurer of the Independent Bankers of America.
Martha Guy
(1922 – 2019)
Lewis R. Holding (Snow) (1927 – 2009)
First Citizens Bank, Raleigh, NC 1953 – 2009
Lewis Holding, known as “Snow”, joined First Citizens Bank in 1953. Upon the death of his father in 1957, management of the bank passed to Holding and his brothers. He was named president and CEO at the age of 29 and served in that capacity until he was elected chairman in 1979. At the time he became president, the bank had less than $200 million in assets and 35 offices in eastern North Carolina. Under Mr. Holding’s leadership, new offices were opened throughout the state and eventually moved into neighboring states. His vision led to the formation of Atlantic States Bank, later known as IronStone Bank, which had offices throughout the country. Mr. Holding was the founder of the North Carolina Community Foundation, one of the state’s largest donor-advised foundation.
Lewis R. Holding (Snow)
(1927 – 2009 )
Class of 2007
Harlan E. Boyles, Sr. (1929 – 2003)
Treasurer of North Carolina 1977 – 2000
Deputy Treasurer of North Carolina 1960 – 1976
Harlan E. Boyles devoted his 49-year career to the citizens of the State of North Carolina. A native of Lincoln County, Boyles was elected to six four-year terms as State Treasurer and served under nine governors. His name was associated throughout the state and the nation with fiscal integrity, hard work and honesty. At the time of his retirement, Boyles was considered the best state treasurer in the county and North Carolina’s citizens continue to benefit from his stewardship.
Harlan E. Boyles, Sr.
(1929 – 2003)
D. Gaskins, Sr. (1912 – 2009)
Chairman, United Carolina Bancshares, Monroe, NC 1970 – 1977
President, American Bank & Trust Co., Monroe, NC 1957 – 1970
Gaskins began his banking career in 1936 at BB&T in New Bern, NC where he served as a teller and loan officer. He served as a FDIC bank examiner in the 1940s. He moved to Monroe in 1951 and started with American Bank & Trust Company which at that time had one office. When he retired from the bank, it was part of a statewide banking network with 53 branches in 34 cities. In 1970, Gaskins was instrumental in creating the first multi-bank holding company in the state, United Carolina Bancshares, where he served as chairman until 1977.
D. Gaskins, Sr.
(1912 – 2009)
Thomas I. Storrs, Jr. (1918 – 2012)
North Carolina National Bank, Charlotte, NC 1969 – 1983
Tom Storrs began his career with the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond in 1934. He joined North Carolina National Bank, which became NCNB, as executive vice president in 1960, was promoted to president in 1969 and CEO in 1973. Mr. Storrs initiated NCNB’s effort to take retail banking across state lines and directed a series of acquisitions that took the Charlotte, NC-based bank into Florida. He organized banking and political support for the Southeast Compact among the states in the southeast which eventually led to nationwide bank branching.
Thomas I. Storrs, Jr.
(1918 – 2012)
William G. White, Jr. (1929 – 2008)
First Federal Savings, Winston-Salem, NC 1968 – 1994
North Carolina Bankers Association, Chairman 1981 – 1982
Bill White, a native of Winston-Salem, joined First Federal Savings & Loan in 1954. He spent his entire career there, the last 25 years as president. Mr. White often claimed to have never left Winston-Salem other than to attend college at UNC-Chapel Hill, military service during the Korean War and graduate school of Indiana University. Mr. White served as chairman of the NC Savings & Loan League in 1981-1982 which became the North Carolina Bankers Association after the two organizations merged in 1997.
William G. White, Jr.
(1929 – 2008)
Frederick Willets, Jr. (1925 – 1998)
Cooperative Bank, Wilmington, NC 1963 – 1998
Chairman, NC Savings & Loan League 1969 – 1970
Following in his father’s footsteps, Frederick (Fred) Willett, Jr., became president and CEO of Cooperative Savings & Loan in 1963. Mr. Willetts led the bank through robust growth in the Wilmington area and throughout eastern North Carolina. Upon his retirement in 1991, Mr. Willetts retired as president, continuing as chairman until his death in 1998. His son, Frederick (Rick) Willetts III succeeded him as president and CEO.
Frederick Willets, Jr.
(1925 – 1998)
Class of 2004
James M. Culberson, Jr. (1928 – 2020)
First National Bank & Trust, Asheboro 1974 – 1998
American Bankers Association, Chairman 1979 – 1980
North Carolina Bankers Association, Chairman 1989 – 1990
Jim Culberson joined First National Bank of Asheboro as its chief executive in 1974 and served as chairman, president, and CEO until his retirement in 1998. He served as the elected president of the American Bankers Association in 1979-1980 as well as the North Carolina Bankers Association in 1989-1990. Mr. Culberson was known nationally for his testimonies in the 1990s before the Senate Banking Committee and the House Financial Services Committee on a wide variety of banking issues including interstate banking, FDIC insurance, the Community Reinvestment Act and bank fees. Mr. Culberson served as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond as well as the Charlotte branch of the Fed Richmond, as well as many industry, community and civic organizations.
James M. Culberson, Jr.
(1928 – 2020)
C. C. Hope, Jr. (1920 – 1993)
First Union Bank, Charlotte, NC 1947 – 1985
Director, FDIC 1986 – 1993
NC Department of Commerce Secretary 1983 – 1985
C. C. Hope, Jr. spent his entire banking career with one bank, starting in 1947 as a teller with Union National Bank in Charlotte and retiring in 1985 as vice chairman of First Union Corporation, the bank holding company that grew into one of the largest in the South at that time. Mr. Hope, a Democrat, was appointed by President Regan to serve as a director of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in 1986 and served until his death in 1993. He also served as the secretary of the North Carolina Department of Commerce from 1983 to 1985 during the Jim Hunt administration.
C. C. Hope, Jr.
(1920 – 1993)
Vincent Lowe, Jr. (1936 – 1989)
BB&T, Wilson, NC 1961 – 1989
Vince Lowe joined the BB&T Management Development Program in 1961 after graduating from UNC Chapel Hill. He was named CEO and chairman of BB&T Financial Corporation in 1982 and was elected chairman of BB&T in 1987 and served until his untimely death in 1989 at 53. Mr. Lowe served in many capacities in industry and business organizations as well as a trustee of East Carolina University and Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College).
Vincent Lowe, Jr.
(1936 – 1989)
John G. Medlin, Jr. (1933 – 2012)
Wachovia Bank, Winston-Salem, NC 1959 – 1998
John Medlin joined Wachovia Bank & Trust in 1959 and rose through various managerial positions until his election as president and chief operating officer in 1974. He was elected president and CEO of Wachovia Corporation and the bank in 1977 and served until he stepped down as CEO in 1993. Mr. Medlin continued to serve on Wachovia’s board until 1998. The American Banker awarded him the Most Admired CEO in Banking award in 1991 and 1992, as well as the American Banker Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.
John G. Medlin, Jr.
(1933 – 2012)
Addison H. Reese (1908 – 1977)
North Carolina National Bank, Charlotte, NC 1951 – 1973
Addison Reese began his banking career in 1931 as a clerk at Bank of Sparrows Point in Maryland. The following year he was appointed an assistant national bank examiner for the OCC and was shortly put on loan to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation which extended credit to failing banks during the Great Depression. In 1937, at the age of 29, he became the nation’s youngest senior bank examiner at the FDIC, following its formation in 1936. After a few years as an examiner, he returned to banking and in 1951 he moved to North Carolina and became executive vice president and director of American Trust Company in Charlotte. In 1954 he became president and led the bank through a series of mergers with other North Carolina banks resulting in the formation of North Carolina National Bank (NCNB) in 1960. Mr. Reese was named board chairman of NCNB in 1967 and served until he retired in 1973.
Addison H. Reese
(1908 – 1977)
Class of 2001
C. Cameron (1920 – 2016)
First Union National Bank, Charlotte, NC 1965 – 1985
Cliff Cameron, a native of Mississippi, was encouraged by a fellow Army veteran to seek his fortune in the Tarheel state. Through his contagious enthusiasm he changed the course of business, political and educational life in North Carolina. He was the founder of Raleigh-based Cameron Brown Mortgage Company, one of the southeast’s leading mortgage banking and insurance companies. When Cameron Brown merged with First Union National Bank in 1966, Mr. Cameron took the helm of the combined enterprise. Over the next two decades, he served as chairman, president & CEO, laying the groundwork that developed the bank into a regional powerhouse.
C. Cameron
(1920 – 2016)
Archibald K. Davis (1911 – 1998)
Wachovia Bank, Winston-Salem, NC 1932 – 1974
American Bankers Association, Chairman 1965 – 1966
N.C. Senate 1958 – 1962
Following graduation from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1932, Mr. Davis joined Wachovia Bank & Trust Company and served as chairman of the board from 1956 until his retirement in 1974. During his tenure leading the bank, it grew from $522 million in assets and 37 branches to assets of $3.3 billion and 181 offices. Following retirement, he re-enrolled at UNC receiving a master’s degree in 1975 and continued as a registered student at the University until his death. Mr. Davis was involved in the economic and educational interest of the state as well as nationally having served as the elected leader of the American Bankers Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He was instrumental in the creation of the Research Triangle Park and served as the president of the Research Triangle Foundation until 1981 when he became chairman of the Foundation’s board for an additional six years.
Archibald K. Davis
(1911 – 1998)
John A. Forelines, Jr. (1918 – 2010)
Bank of Granite, Granite Falls, NC 1954 – 2006
North Carolina Bankers Association, Chairman 1977 – 1978
John Forlines joined the single-office Bank of Granite in Granite Falls, NC, which had assets of $1.2 million in 1954 and built it into a regional community bank with 21 branches when he retired in 2006. During his 52-year career as the leader of the Bank, he built it into a community banking powerhouse that maintained its hometown culture. Following his retirement in 2006, he served as chairman emeritus and continued to go to work everyday despite his age. Mr. Forlines invested heavily with his gifts, time and talents to the people of Caldwell County area. He helped to start the Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, led efforts to create hospice care in the county and served on numerous local and statewide boards and commissions.
John A. Forlines, Jr.
(1918 – 2010)
U.S. Sen. Jesse A. Helms, Jr. (1921 – 2008)
NCBA Executive Officer 1953 – 1960
U.S. Senate 1973 – 2003
From 1953 through 1960, Jesse Helms was the Executive Director of the North Carolina Bankers Association and editor of the Tarheel Banker. Following his time at the NCBA, he held various leadership positions at Capitol Broadcasting Company in Raleigh until his election to the U.S. Senate in 1972. A leader in the conservative movement and the longest-serving popularly elected Senator in the state’s history, he served from 1973 until his retirement in 2003. During his time in the Senate, he served as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and members of the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry and the Rules and Administration Committee.
U.S. Sen. Jesse A. Helms, Jr.
(1921 – 2008)
Robert P. Holding, Sr. (1896 – 1957)
First Citizens Bank, Smithfield, NC 1918 – 1957
North Carolina Bankers Association, President 1942 – 1943
Robert Holding rose from the assistant cashier and bookkeeper-teller at First National Bank of Smithfield, NC in 1918 to president of First Citizens Bank & Trust, the name given to the company after merging with Citizens National Bank. He was appointed to the State Banking Commission in 1939 and served as the elected president of the North Carolina Bankers Association in 1942-1943. Upon Mr. Holding’s death in 1957, the bank was operating in 32 communities with assets totaling more than $200 million. His three sons, Robert Holding, Jr., Lewis Holding and Frank Holding grew the bank into one of the state’s most powerful financial institutions.
Robert P. Holding, Sr.
(1896 – 1957)