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SOUTH PARK SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF
BUDDY AND JANE HEBERT
 

LAMAR   BANK

    THE BUILDING LOOKS DIFFERENT - BUT IT'S THE SAME LOCATION AND THE SAME BANK
ORIGINALLY KNOWN AS LAMAR STATE BANK.

      IN 1959 A GROUP OF LOCAL BUSINESSMEN RECOGNIZED THE FACT THAT SOUTH PARK WAS A
GROWING COMMUNITY, AND THE NEED FOR A LOCAL BANK EXISTED.

    THE FACT THAT LAMAR COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY WAS A RISING EDUCATIONAL FACILITY, AND
WAS LOCATED IN THE SOUTH PARK AREA HELPED THESE MEN SELECT THE NAME OF LAMAR STATE
BANK.

    GENE VAN METER RECALLS THAT THE BUSINESSMEN WANTED TO GIVE THE CITIZENS OF SOUTH
PARK THE OPPORTUNITY TO INVEST IN THIS BANK, AND LETTERS WERE MAILED OUT TO RESIDENTS
ADVISING OF THE PLANS FOR A BANK AND OFFERING THEM THE CHANCE TO INVEST IN THIS
ENDEAVOR. WHILE GENE WAS A YOUNG MAN AT THIS TIME, AND HIS FUNDS WERE LIMITED,
HE RECOGNIZED THE OPPORTUNITY AND ARRANGED FOR A LOAN TO PURCHASE STOCK IN THIS NEW
BANK - A DECISION HE HAS NEVER REGRETTED.

    LAMAR STATE BANK OPENED ITS DOORS FOR BUSINESS ON AUGUST 8,1959. AT THIS TIME THERE
WERE TWO LARGE NATIONAL BANKS AND ONE SMALLER STATE BANK IN BEAUMONT. TWO MORE
SMALLER BANKS WERE ORGANIZED WITHIN SIX MONTHS, BUT THEY WERE ACTUALLY SUBSIDIARIES
OF ONE OF THE LARGER LOCAL BANKS, THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK WHICH LATER BECAME FIRST
CITY BANK OF BEAUMONT, AND WAS LIQUIDATED IN THE EARLY 1990'S.

    THE  FIRST  BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS CONSISTED OF THE FORMER  MAYOR OF BEAUMONT,
ELMO  BEARD;  SOUTH  PARK INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT, JOE VINCENT;
BEAUMONT POSTMASTER, F. S. "SPUD" BRADEN; ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT OF LAMAR
COLLEGE, G. A. WIMBERLY; PRESIDENT AND OWNER OF JACK'S HARDWARE, INC., ( THE MAJOR
HARDWARE STORE IN  BEAUMONT ),  WILLIAM  JACK  TINKLE; INSURANCE AND REAL ESTATE
DEVELOPER, PETER W. MAIDA; AND AN IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT OF FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF
BEAUMONT, L PAUL TULLOS.

    WHEN THE DOORS OF LAMAR BANK OPENED FOR BUSINESS, 10 EMPLOYEES WORKED IN THE
BANK, INCLUDING THE PRESIDENT, L.PAUL TULLOS.  ONE OF THE ORIGINAL EMPLOYEES WAS A
YOUNG MAN, LONNIE WEIR, WHO HAD GRADUATED FROM LAMAR COLLEGE IN 1958 WITH A DEGREE
IN GENERAL BUSINESS.  AFTER GRADUATION HE HAD WORKED FOR AMERICAN NATIONAL
BANK FOR A PERIOD OF ONE YEAR, AND WHEN OFFERED A JOB AT LAMAR STATE BANK AS NOTE
TELLER, HE RECOGNIZED THE OPPORTUNITY FOR ADVANCEMENT WITH THIS NEW BANK, AND
ACCEPTED THE POSITION. IN 1971, LONNIE EARNED HIS MASTER'S DEGREE FROM LAMAR.

    A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AFTER LAMAR STATE BANK OPENED, F. S. "SPUD" BRADEN DIED OF CANCER,
AND CARL JOHNSEN, THE MAJOR FLORIST IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS REPLACED  HIM  ON  THE  BOARD
OF DIRECTORS OF LAMAR STATE BANK.

    THE LEADERSHIP OF THE BANK HAS CHANGED TWICE SINCE PAUL TULLOS RESIGNED  IN  1962.
RICHARD COBB SUCCEEDED PAUL TULLOS; THEN IN 1966, LONNIE WEIR, THE CURRENT PRESIDENT,
WAS NAMED PRESIDENT AND C.E.O. IN 1986 LONNIE WAS NAMED CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD WHEN
PETER MAIDA RESIGNED.

    IN 1968, JOHN RANEY, JR. (A SOUTH PARK YOUNGSTER) JOINED THE FIRM OF LAMAR STATE BANK
AS A LOAN OFFICER, AND IN 1975 GENE VAN METER (ALSO A SOUTH PARK YOUNGSTER) JOINED THE
FIRM AS A BOARD OF DIRECTOR. JOHN RANEY RETIRED FROM LAMAR BANK IN 1995, BUT
CONTINUED TO WORK PART TIME UNTIL HE TOOK FULL RETIREMENT THIS MONTH.

    WHEN    LAMAR    BANCSHARES, INC.FORMED IN 1983, THE ORIGINAL NAME OF LAMAR STATE
BANK WAS CHANGED TO LAMAR BANK, WHICH REFLECTED THE SHORTENED VERSION OF ITS NAME
USED BY MOST PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY. SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 1959, THE BANK'S MISSION HAS
BEEN TO PROVIDE COMMUNITY BANKING SERVICES TO INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES, AND SMALL
BUSINESSES IN BEAUMONT, TEXAS. TODAY ITS MISSION IS THE SAME, BUT THE SERVICE AREA HAS
EXPANDED TO HARDIN, JEFFERSON AND ORANGE COUNTIES.  OF THE MORE THAN $47.5 MILLION IN
LOANS OUTSTANDING, 57 PERCENT ARE MADE TO RESIDENTS OF THE THREE COUNTY  AREA WHERE
94% OF ITS DEPOSIT CUSTOMERS ARE LOCATED. THE BANK'S LOAN AND DEPOSIT GROWTH IN THE
SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES CONTINUE TO INCREASE. CURRENTLY 12% OF THE BANK'S LOANS
AND 6% OF ITS DEPOSITS COME FROM THE CITIES OF LUMBERTON, SILSBEE, SOUR LAKE, ORANGE
AND VIDOR.

    IN 1991 THE BANK PURCHASED A 12 ACRE TRACK OF LAND IN WEST BEAUMONT AND OPENED ITS
SECOND LOCATION IN NOVEMBER, 1992, WHICH HAS GROWN TO MORE THAN $43 MILLION IN
DEPOSITS AND $11 MILLION IN COMMERCIAL, REAL ESTATE AND CUSTOMER LOANS. THE HOME
OFFICE DESIGNATION WAS OFFICIALLY CHANGED IN 1996 TO THE NEW LOCATION AT 555 N.
DOWLEN, WHICH NOW SERVES AS THE BANK'S MAIN OFFICE.     CUSTOMER  SERVICE,  THE  REAL
ADVANTAGE FOR COMMUNITY BANKS, IS CONSIDERED TO BE THE BANK'S MOST VALUED ASSET.
THROUGHOUT IT'S 39 YEAR HISTORY, THE BANK OFFICERS AND STAFF HAVE FOCUSED ON BUILDING
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH ITS CUSTOMERS AND  MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY. THOSE
BONDS HAVE BEEN FURTHER STRENGTHENED BY THE LONGEVITY OF ITS EMPLOYEE AND OFFICER
STAFF.  THE PRESIDENT, LONNIE WEIR,  HAS BEEN WITH THE BANK FOR 39 YEARS, AND PRESIDENT
FOR 32 OF THOSE YEARS. THE EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT, TIM ZAJONC, 22 YEARS, THE SENIOR
COMMERCIAL LENDING OFFICER, JASON RILEY, 27 YEARS, THE SENIOR CONSUMER LOAN OFFICER,
DAN  RICHARDS, 21  YEARS,  THE  SECOND CONSUMER LOAN OFFICER, WILMA PACE, 15 YEARS, THE
SENIOR ACCOUNTS CALLING OFFICER 10 YEARS, THE  BOOKKEEPING SUPERVISOR 23 YEARS AND
FOURTEEN OTHERS HAVE MORE THAN 10 YEARS OF SERVICE.

    TWO MAJOR FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, FIRST CITY BANK OF BEAUMONT AND FIRST FEDERAL
SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION,  BEAUMONT'S OLDEST AND LARGEST FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
FAILED DURING THE LAST TEN YEARS, AND MORE THAN TEN OTHER INSTITUTIONS EIThER FAILED,
MERGED OR WENT OUT OF BUSINESS.  DURING THIS PERIOD COMMUNITY CONFIDENCE IN LAMAR
BANK  HAS  GROWN  BECAUSE  OF  ITS REPUTATION FOR SAFETY, SOUNDNESS AND GOOD
MANAGEMENT. THE COMMUNITY SUPPORT BECAME MORE EVIDENT AS  THE THE LARGE NATIONAL
BANKING INSTITUTIONS PRESENCE INCREASED. DURING THE FIRST FIVE MONTHS OF 1998, THE
TOTAL ASSET OF LAMAR BANK EXCEEDED $99 MILLION, UP 8.5% FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR
WHEN IT REPORTED MORE THAN $90 MILLION FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ITS HISTORY.

    TODAY,    TRAVIS    RILEY,    VICE-PRESIDENT/CASHIER OVERSEES THE ACTIVITIES OF LAMAR BANK
AT STADIUM SHOPPING CENTER IN SOUTH PARK,AND ALTHOUGH MANY OF THE FACES WE HAVE
SEEN OVER THE YEARS HAVE EITHER  MOVED  TO  THE  NEW  BANKING FACILITIES ON DOWLEN OR
RETIRED, LAMAR BANK STILL HAS A VERY COMPETENT STAFF AT THE STADIUM BANKING FACILITY.

    LAMAR BANK PRESIDENT, LONNIE WEIR IS MARRIED TO VITA BONURA, (DAUGHTER OF LABO
BONURA), AND THEY HAVE ONE DAUGHTER, MARGARET (MAGGIE) WEIR.

    LAMAR BANK OVER THE YEARS HAS BEEN A VERY VITAL AND IMPORTANT PART OF OUR SOUTH
PARK COMMUNITY, AND THEIR OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES HAVE PLAYED A VERY SIGNIFICANT
ROLE IN OUR SOUTH PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION - ALWAYS BEING READY TO HELP IN
WHATEVER WAY THE CAN. WE APPRECIATE LAMAR BANK BEING A PART OF THE SOUTH PARK
COMMUNITY, AND A VERY SPECIAL THANKS FOR ALL THEIR SUPPORT.
 

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