H.R. No. 812
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Amarillo National Bank is celebrating its 125th
anniversary on March 18, 2017, providing a fitting opportunity to
recognize this venerable family-owned financial institution; and
WHEREAS, In 1892, just five years after Amarillo was founded,
a small bank opened on Polk Street; one of the institution's first
vice presidents was B. T. Ware, a cattleman and early business
leader in the town; he owned the bank from 1900 to 1906, when he sold
his shares and purchased another financial institution in nearby
Channing; three years later, he repurchased the Amarillo bank and
merged it with the one in Channing, and for the next 28 years, he
served as president of Amarillo National Bank; the business played
an instrumental role in the oil and gas industry in the Panhandle,
helped local families make it through the Great Depression, and
supported area farmers during the Dust Bowl; and
WHEREAS, Following Mr. Ware's death in 1937, his son Charles
became ANB's president, assisted by his brothers, Richard and
Arthur; together they led the institution through World War II and
the growth spurred by the opening of the Amarillo Air Force Base; in
1950, ANB opened the first drive-up bank in the State of Texas, and
two decades later, Tol Ware, B. T.'s grandson, became ANB's
president, overseeing the construction of a 16-story headquarters
in downtown Amarillo and establishing the first automatic teller
machine in the state in 1978; and
WHEREAS, Tol Ware's son, Richard, took over in 1982, and,
alongside his brother Bill, shepherded the bank through the
financial crises of the 1980s, the introduction of online banking
in the 1990s, and the recession of 2008; today, Richard Ware serves
as chair and president, and his sons, William and Pat, serve as
executive vice presidents; Bill Ware's son, W. Tol Ware, is also a
member of the leadership team, and the three men represent the fifth
generation of the Ware family to manage the institution; and
WHEREAS, Thought to be the largest 100-percent family-owned
bank in the nation, Amarillo National Bank has served its community
with unwavering dedication for a century and a quarter, and the Ware
family and their staff may indeed take great pride in the bank's
impressive history; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the 125th anniversary of Amarillo
National Bank and extend to the Ware family, their employees, and
their customers sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be
it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Amarillo National Bank as an expression of high regard
by the Texas House of Representatives.
Price
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 812 was adopted by the House on March
23, 2017, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House