Allegiance Bank 2022 50-Year Banker Award Recipients

We are proud to announce that Allegiance Bankers Claude B. Leatherwood and M. Dale McGill join George Martinez and Linda Humphries as recipients of the 50-Year Banker Award by the Texas Bankers Foundation. This honor was recently announced at the Texas Bankers Association’s 137^th Annual Convention during a special awards luncheon.

Launched in 1989 by the Texas Bankers Association, the 50-Year Banker Awards honor the men and women who have devoted 50 years or more of service to the banking industry. This esteemed group of bankers have seen the industry change dramatically throughout their time and continue to take pride in serving their communities.

After graduating from the University of Texas in 1963 and serving six years in the active reserves with the U.S. Army, Dale McGill started his extensive banking career. In 1972, Dale began working as Vice President at People’s Bank in Spring Branch, Texas. He was the first banker in Harris County to make calls out of the bank, as bankers did not make sales calls at that time. In 2015, he began working at Allegiance Bank, and has successfully served our customers in the Houston community ever since.

Banking has provided Dale with a challenging, yet rewarding, career that has afforded him the opportunity to learn about a variety of different businesses and what it takes to make them successful. Throughout his 50-years in the industry, the biggest thing has learned is, “life is about people and relationships, not things.” The people he has met and the long-lasting relationships he has established by helping customers accomplish their financial goals has been the most rewarding part of his career.

Claude Leatherwood’s passion for banking began at an early age. As a young boy, he accompanied his father regularly to their local bank and has fond memories of being greeted by the bank president and bank office staff. These interactions taught him the importance of providing exceptional customer service and ultimately led to his pursuit of a career in banking. Claude went on to attend Texas Tech University, the American Institute of Banking, the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU, and the National Commercial Lending School at Oklahoma University. In January of 1971, Claude began his career at the Republic National Bank in Dallas. In 2020, he joined Allegiance Bank. Throughout his 50 years in the industry, he has served both customers and the community at large. Claude has been in over 20 different community service positions for a wide array of organizations including the Fort Bend Education Foundation, the Government Finance Officers Association of Texas, the Literacy Council of Fort Bend, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and the Texas Bankers Association, just to name a few.

To Claude, the most rewarding part of working in the banking industry has been making a difference in people’s lives by being a part of successful teams that collaborate to provide financial solutions for businesses and the community. Many of these relationships have resulted in long-time customers, great friendships and fond memories that he will always cherish. His advice to any young professional entering banking is to continue your education, be a team player, get to know your customers, be prepared, be involved in your community, and dress for success.