Oklahoma Bankers Association We make bankers better!
On Dec. 7, the Oklahoma Bankers Hall of Fame inducted four new members.
This year’s class included four outstanding bankers who have been – and still are – pillars in the banking industry, their communities and the state of Oklahoma.
This group of bankers falls right in line with previous ind
uctees with their storied history and contributions still being made today to our industry.
I had the opportunity to introduce each inductee at the ceremony on Dec. 7, and read their bios to the gathered crowd. I also wanted to take this space to share with you those bios of each of the inductees who make up the 2023 class in the Oklahoma Bankers Hall of Fame.
Nevyle Cable
Nevyle R.Cable is currently president of First Okmulgee Corporation, the holding company of the First National Bank and Trust Company of Okmulgee, and director of the First Okmulgee Corporation and First National Bank & Trust boards. He also serves on the First National Bank & Trust’s loan committee and audit committee.
Cable was formerly president and chief executive officer of the First National Bank and Trust Company of Okmulgee, where he served for 28 years with 45 years of banking and bank regulatory experience. His experience started in 1974 with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. He served there as a national bank examiner until 1979. He then joined Fourth National Bank of Tulsa and moved to Western National Bank of Tulsa in 1980. Between 1982 and 1990, he worked in several capacities for First National Bank and Trust Company of Tulsa. In 1990, he joined First National Bank and Trust in Okmulgee as the president and CEO.
During Cable’s leadership, First National Bank and Trust, and its parent holding company, were involved with the investment in numerous new bank charters across the country and the start-up of several new banks in Oklahoma. This involvement included the acquisition of the First National Bank of Henryetta in 2001 and the First National Bank of Wewoka in 2013.
Cable graduated from Hominy High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Tulsa in 1977, where he attended on an athletic scholarship. He completed the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU in 1984. Cable also served in the
National Guard.
The University of Tulsa named Cable a Distinguished Alumni in 2014 and inducted him into the Collins College of Business Hall of Fame in 2021. Cable has been active in many community and state organizations and has served on numerous boards over the years.
Cable has two sons, Josh and Jared, and two stepdaughters, Melissa and
Amanda. He and his wife, Carol, have nine grandchildren.
Jim Hamby
Jim Hamby grew up in Weleetka and graduated from EastCentral University in 1973. He served four years as a cavalry officer in the Army and began his banking career at FNB, Temple, Texas, in 1977. He obtained an MBA from Baylor University in 1980 and became a commercial loan officer for MBank (Dallas). In 1983, Hamby joined First National Bank, Ada (now Vision Bank), as chief lending officer and was named CEO in 1990.
While Hamby was CEO, Vision Bank grew from a single $85 million bank to a bank with nine branches and $880 million in assets. He retired as CEO emeritus in 2020.
In addition to serving in leadership roles for many of Ada’s civic and charitable organizations, Hamby was active on numerous OBA committees and schools and served on the board three times. He twice earned the Chairman’s Award for Best Banker, and Vision Bank won Best in Class on three occasions. Hamby was named East Central University’s Outstanding Alum in 2019.
Nationally, Hamby served on various ABA committees, including the Government Relations Council, Community Bankers Council and FHLB Committee. He also served 16 years on the board of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka and six years on the NHBA’s Mortgage Roundtable.
During his banking tenure, Hamby testified before the Congressional Banking and Finance Committee and The Heritage Foundation concerning the Dodd-Frank legislation.
Hamby lives in Ada with his wife, Shelley, and has three daughters and six grandchildren. He loves to hunt, fish, golf, shoot skeet and trap, and travel with his wife.
Harry Leonard
Harry E. Leonard’s distinguished and colorful banking career spanned five decades, beginning in Elgin, as vice president of a $4-million bank and culminating in Muskogee as chairman of a $250-million bank.
During his career, Leonard served as chairman of the Oklahoma Bankers Association, State Banking Commissioner and president of the national Conference of State Bank Commissioners. In addition, he was a finalist for chairman of the FDIC but chose to withdraw his name to remain in his beloved state.
Leonard used his vast network to improve the financial industry for Oklahoma bankers. He faced many challenges but spent hours formulating plans to address the issues. Leonard reduced the regulatory burden on banks by convincing the FDIC and the state to conduct shared examinations. He lobbied the industry and the state legislature to allow banks to open branches, which catalyzed the banking structure as we know it today. Fortunately, his tireless efforts paid off, and branch banking was established in Oklahoma.
Leonard was a consummate leader. He had the respect of his peers, staff, customers, regulators, politicians and communities. He mentored, encouraged and supported young people as they developed their leadership and banking skills.
Leonard dearly loved his family and his bank employees, who still fondly remember him today.
Ted McGuire
Ted McGuire began his banking career at F&M Bank in Crescent in 1965. In 1972, he was the executive vice president of Security Bank & Trust in Blackwell. McGuire moved to Enid in 1978 to serve as executive vice president. In 1982, he returned to Blackwell, becoming Security Bank & Trust’s president. The year of 1983 moved him to Claremore as president & CEO, and McGuire also joined the board of directors, both for Rogers County Bank.
McGuire retired in 2008 from what is now known as RCB Bank (the name change coming in 1991) as president and CEO.
When McGuire started his journey with RCB, it was a single bank with total assets of $77 million. In 1990, they began purchasing banks, totaling 37 at his retirement. Under the bank’s competent and accomplished leadership, RCB now has over 50 locations with total assets in excess of $4 billion.
He is especially proud he was the chairman of the board for the OBA from 2000 to 2001. He also served on the board of directors for the OBA from 1988-1994, as chairman of the OBA’s Government Relations Committee from 1999-2000 and as chairman of the OBA’s Senior Management Committee from 1987-1988. McGuire was the president of the northern Oklahoma chapter of the Bank Administration Institute from 1982-1983. He was also a Community Banker representative for the American Bankers Association. In 1976, he graduated from LSU’s Graduate School of Banking of the South.
McGuire was the chamber president for Claremore and the chamber president for Blackwell. During his time in Claremore, he has been the chairman of the Claremore Regional Hospital Board and the chairman of the Board for the Rogers College (now the Rogers University) Foundation.
He served in the Air Force from 1956-1960 and received the Perrin Air Force Base Airman of the Month award. He is a 32nd-Degree Mason.
McGuire’s first love has always been his family, followed by banking and flying airplanes. He has been married to his wife, Dianna, for 40 wonderful years. Together, they have three sons, six grandchildren and one greatgrandchild.
They continue to live in Claremore, sharing their lives with family and friends.
• • •
I hope you enjoyed learning about these four bankers and why they were inducted into the Hall of Fame.
We are blessed in Oklahoma to have so many bankers across the state who are making a difference every day in both their communities and the state. Thank you to everyone who sponsored this event; it wouldn’t be possible without your support.
On behalf of the OBA and all of our staff, I wish you happiest of holidays. We are excited to see what 2024 brings us and look forward to working alongside you.