Latest Hall of Fame inductees honored

By Kayden Anderson
OBA Communications Intern

Bankers are an influential group of people who use the valuable wisdom they learn from their predecessors to educate the next generation’s leaders.

The cycle was a common theme at the 2023 Oklahoma Bankers Hall of Fame Luncheon and Induction Ceremony, where bankers Nevyle Cable, Jim Hamby, Ted McGuire and the late Harry Leonard were honored.

The event occurred at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City on Dec. 7. The fifth class of inductees and guests interacted and listened to introductions from OBA
President and CEO Adrian Beverage and Immediate Past Chair Amada Alvidrez.

The inductees’ acceptance speeches and personal slideshows of their lives beforehand commemorated their notable careers.

Cable, a Hominy native and the president of First Okmulgee Corporation, served as the former president and CEO of First National Bank and Trust Company of Okmulgee for 28 years. He had 45 years of banking experience and previously served in the National Guard.

At the ceremony, Cable said he has been lucky to have been a community banker.

“As a community banker, you do everything: you’re on the chamber, you’re fundraising for Boy Scouts or the hospital board,” Cable said. “You do those, and that’s just our calling, and that’s what you do, and I’m really blessed to have had that opportunity to serve in that capacity.”

Hamby was raised in Weleetka, served in the Army and entered the banking world in 1977. The former CEO of Vision Bank, in Ada, since 1990, he retired from the bank as CEO emeritus in 2020. In his acceptance speech, Hamby said he was inspired by Tracy Kelly, “the dean of banking” in Oklahoma and also a 2021 Oklahoma Bankers Hall of Fame inductee.

At an OBA convention years prior, Hamby remembered Kelly’s talk about “the ministry of banking.”

“It’s (banking) a true ministry, and one that I have been blessed to do for over 40 years,” Hamby said about his banking career, where he was proud to have assisted people struggling financially, and also formed many friendships along the way.

McGuire, a longtime banker, retired in 2008 as the president and CEO of RCB Bank. He served in the Air Force and was also a former chair of the OBA.

Although McGuire could not attend the event in person, he prepared a video giving his thanks. In it, McGuire expressed his gratitude for everyone who played a role in his induction, including the bankers who guided him over the years.

“I’d love to be with you today in Oklahoma City, but unfortunately my health is not granting that,” McGuire said in the video. “I sincerely want to thank any and everyone who had anything to do with me receiving this prestigious award – a humbling award.”

McGuire’s wife and son accepted the award on his behalf at the ceremony.

“Ted would have loved to be here,” McGuire’s wife said. “He would love to see all the old friends, and the OBA has been such a big part of our life and such a wonderful part, and I just thank you for him.”

Leonard, a dedicated leader with a five-decades-long career, was a posthumous inductee this year. Leonard’s sons, Hank and Mike, accepted the award in his honor, and Hank Leonard spoke about his father.

Leonard said his dad lobbied hard for branch banking and a change in the banking structure for the state of Oklahoma.

His efforts paid off through legislation that was eventually passed, and is now a part of his legacy.

“It was a full, rewarding career,” Leonard said. “He successfully led two Oklahoma banks during his career and loved those communities fully.”