About Bank of Trumann
Bank of Trumann board of directors: Barry Woods, Jerry T. Sims, Gary Griffin, Matthew Moon, Rick Gillette, Clyde Robertson
It was on October 2, 1911 when the first stockholders meeting of the Bank of Trumann was held in the office of the Poinsett Lumber Company. The first meeting of the five stockholders was brief but important:
- The name “Bank of Trumann” was chosen.
- The first stock issue was set at $10,000.
- J. A. Cash, Dr. George O. Campbell, W. O. Mitchell, James E. Parr and E. C. Stuck were named as directors.
The first meeting of the board of directors followed immediately. J. A. Cash was elected President; Dr. George O. Campbell, Vice President; and James E. Parr was chosen as Secretary/Treasurer. The board determined that the bank should open as soon as humanly possible. They appointed J. A. Cash and E. C. Stuck as the building committee; James E. Parr was instructed to purchase land, the bank’s safe, fixtures and supplies.
The meeting adjourned with the resolution that the bank should open as soon as the building was complete without further meetings of the board. And that’s what happened.
The State Banking Commissioner opened the bank’s charter on October 26, 1911. The first bank building, a tin structure, was completed and ready on December 6, 1911, when the bank opened its doors.
Not much is known about business on the first day. Citizens of Trumann apparently accepted the bank from the start. Total deposits at the close of business on December 6, 1911 were $1,519.
Within a few years, the bank had outgrown its small original building on Ozark Street (actually, the original bank building stood at what would be now in the middle of Main Street). In 1918 a new bank was built next door at the corner of Ozark and Main.
J. A. Cash, or Squire Cash, as he was known by everyone (being a Poinsett County Justice of the Peace provided him with the nickname “Squire”) was to guide the bank through the phenomenal growth of the teens and twenties, and the hard years of the thirties when Bank of Trumann was one of the few banks in Arkansas never to close its doors.
The depression brought hard times to all people, and citizens of Trumann were no exception. They, however, had the good fortune to have a man of Squire Cash’s stature and ingenuity heading their bank.
In the darkest days, when banks were closing left and right, Cash knew he had to do something to save his bank. He decided the best way to discourage a run on his bank was to show that the bank had plenty of money. Instead of locking his doors, he took $150,000 out of the safe and placed it on a table in full view of everyone who might come into the bank. He then positioned himself, shotgun in hand, in a chair by the table. It wasn’t long before a crowd of people had come in asking for their money. “There it is,” Squire said gesturing with the barrel of his shotgun, “the bank has plenty of money. If you want your money, you can have it, but your money is safe here in the Bank of Trumann.”
One of the old timers in town was heard to say since the bank was obviously in good shape, he thought he would trust Squire Cash and his shotgun and leave his money there. He then turned and walked out the door. After that the crowd began to leave and the run on the bank stopped before it ever started.
J. A. “Squire” Cash continued to lead the bank until his death in 1946. A painting of “Squire” and the shotgun, still hangs in the bank lobby to this day.
Upon the death of Squire Cash, it was only fitting that the torch would be passed to one of the other bank founders to take charge and lead the bank. Dr. George O. Campbell became the second president of the Bank of Trumann in 1947 and served in that capacity until 1953.
M. T. Byrn succeeded Campbell as president and served until 1961.
In 1961 R. H. Taylor became president and led the bank until his death in 1967.
Upon the death of Taylor, his son-in-law, J C Stuckey became the fifth president of the Bank of Trumann. During Stuckey’s leadership, the bank continued to grow. The bank building on Ozark Street had now been remodeled several times, and it was time for a new and larger facility. A beautiful architecturally stunning bank building was constructed and in February of 1974 the bank moved to its new and current home on Highway 463 North.
Stuckey remained president until his untimely death in 1986.
Again, it was only appropriate that the new president should be someone truly involved with the bank, someone who everyone admired and respected. Clyde Robertson, Jr., who began his banking career with the Bank of Trumann in the early forties when he was just a young man, became the bank’s president in 1986. He remained in that position until Rick Gillette took over the helm in 1998. Gillette had been employed with the bank for over ten years.
When J. A. “Squire” Cash, Dr. George “Doc” Campbell and three other businessmen founded the Bank of Trumann they invested in the future of their hometown and county. They realized that the people of the booming Trumann area needed a bank and they founded one to be proud of; a bank where depositors could feel secure. Bank of Trumann’s steady growth has survived two world wars, the depression, two major floods and countless economic setbacks. The fact that the Bank of Trumann has never closed is a tribute to the founders.
In 2002 the bank was purchased by First Delta Bankshares, Inc. of Blytheville, Arkansas.
E. G. Sims moved to Trumann in 1945 after he completed his military duty and married Anna Lois Talbot. He was a local businessman and served as Trumann’s Mayor. They raised three children: Jerry T. (Butch) Sims, Patti (Sims) Swinford, and Marcus Sims (now deceased). E. G. “Jerry” is actively involved in the business and serves as Vice Chairman of First Delta Bankshares, Inc. and is an honorary member of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Trumann.
Jerry T. Sims graduated from Trumann High School in 1962 and later from the University of Arkansas. Currently, Jerry T. Sims serves as Chairman and CEO of First Delta Bankshares, Inc. and Chairman of the Board of Bank of Trumann.
Bank of Trumann officials are Rick Gillette, President, Paul McAnally, Vice President, Shirley Benson, Assistant Vice President; Anthony Patterson, Assistant Vice President; Cheryl McMasters, Chief Financial Officer; and Zac Inboden, Loan Officer. The bank has a total of 23 employees.
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