基因亚当斯
BBA 1954, MA 1962, HSU Trustee
Gene Darrell Adams was born in Brownwood, 德州, on August 6, 1933, to W.F. 和敖德萨·亚当斯. He later moved with his family to Eastland, where he started elementary school. His father a local grocery merchant and his mother a teacher, the family settled in Monahans, 德州, in 1943.
Adams completed high school in Monahans in 1950, and then attended Odessa Junior College for a year before coming to Hardin-Simmons University. 在许, he earned a Bachelor of Business 政府 degree in 1954, majoring in business administration and double minoring in economics and religious education.
While a undergraduate student at HSU, Gene was a member of Cowboys for Christ, was the 1954 Senior Class Favorite, 他的高年级司库, and was selected to Who’s Who in American 大学. He was a member of the 1953 NAIA National Champion Tennis team, and was ranked number five in the nation individually.
吉恩见到了他已故的妻子, 前Irma Howington, at HSU and they were married while both were seniors in January 1954. Irma graduated in August 1954 with a Bachelor of Science degree.
也是在1954年1月, Adams was employed by Farmers and Merchants National Bank in Abilene (now First Financial Bankshares). In November 1954, newly wed and newly graduated, Adams entered the U.S. 朝鲜战争期间的军队. His son Darrell was born in 1956 shortly before Gene’s discharge from the Army. Gene then returned to Abilene and was rehired by Farmers and Merchants National Bank, and entered HSU graduate school, working nights to eventually complete his Master of Arts in degree in economics with a minor in history in 1962.
In 1959, Gene was elected 收银员 of Chelmont State Bank in El Paso. The young family welcomed daughter Jayne in 1960. That same year, Gene was elected vice president and 收银员 of Lamesa National Bank in Lamesa, 德州. In 1963, 吉恩成了副总裁, 收银员, and director of First National Bank, 普莱恩维尤, 德州, a position he held until 1965 when he was elected president of First National Bank, 西摩.
Gene is currently chairman of the board of First National Bank 西摩, and serves as president and founding chairman of the board of Baylor Bancshares Inc, 他在1979年建立的. Baylor Bancshares includes 德州 banks in 西摩, 惠特尼, 孟菲斯, 和普林斯顿, with four branch banks and nine locations.
During his career, Adams has been recognized as “an outstanding West 德州 banker and businessman.” He has served on the boards of the Baptist Church Loan Corp. and the 德州 Baptist Financial Services Corp., the Federal Reserve Bank-Dallas, and as advisor to the comptroller of the currency in Washington, D.C.
In 1993, Adams served on an International Committee in Moscow that was invited by the Russian Bankers Association to help convert Russian banks to a free enterprise system operation.
Adams holds a commercial multi-engine pilot’s license and has clocked 5,000 hours with 30 years’ experience. He is a retired volunteer member of the Confederate Air Force, which performs air shows reenacting the attack on Pearl Harbor. 在节目中, he was a member of the crew that flew the SB2C, a restored World War II Navy Hell Diver, 现位于休斯顿, the only surviving plane of its type.
作为一名HSU校友, Gene has continued to be involved with Hardin-Simmons, serving two nine-year terms and was chair for five years of the HSU Board of Trustees. He is also a former member of the Board of Development, and the 校友 Association Board. He is a lifetime member of the Presidents Club and serves as an alumni volunteer. Adams served as chair of the 搜索 Committee that brought Dr. Lanny Hall to the HSU campus in 1991.
Adams received the Keeter 校友 Service Award in 1991, 2003年, was inducted into the HSU 体育运动 Hall of Fame. He received the Distinguished 校友 Award from HSU in 2008.
Adams is a member of the First Baptist Church of 西摩 where he has served as a deacon and chairman of the deacon body. Gene lost his wife, Irma, of 57 years in April 2011. Their two children blessed them with five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
