De Leon High School - De Leonian Yearbook (De Leon, TX)

Page 87 text:

1 AUTO REPAIR Sc SERVICE Donn ALQTO PARTS LATE MODEL AUTO AND AUTO PARTS REBUILDABLE CARS 5-State Phone Locator Service 1 Highway 6 A Deheon A Phone 893-6626 OWNER-RICHARD Donn N Auto Repair 86 Service 200 North Texas Phone 893-6776 SADBERRY GARAGE SADBERRY GARAGE 110 East Reynosa Phone 893-2161

Page 86 text:

AUTOMOBILE DEALERS AUTOMOBILE DEALERS MAHAN CHEVROLET- -PONTIAC- - BUICK BOEN 8a BROWNLEE BOEN 8. BROWNLEE 103 South Texas DeLeon, Texas Phone 893-6464 New Sc Used Cars AUTO PARTS 8. SERVICES DELEON AUTOMOTIVE DELEON AUTO SUPPLY DODD AUTO PARTS MASON AUTO SUPPLY DE LEON AUTO SUPPLY 200 North Texas DeLeon, Texas Phone 893-6776 H- . I- I 52 AJII G, ll . I DE LEON AUTOMOTIVE 601 Fannin Street Phone 893-6869 AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIES DAYTON TIRES COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR fl 2

Page 88 text:

BANKS Banks DUBLIN NATIONAL FARMERS at MERCHANTS GORMAN NATIONAL FARMERS 81 MERCHANTS BANK A History In the early 1900's De Leon, with a population of 1200 people, the second largest town in the county, was chiefly noted as the center of the most fertile section of farm land in the county, and the shipping point for many of its agricultural products. R. W. Higginbotham, one of the founders of Higginbotham Brothers, and Dr. T. P. Weaver, a co-founder of T . P. Weaver 85 Son Drug, led a group of pioneer citizens of De Leon in the establishment of a bank here . Little did Dr. Weaver realize that some member of his family would continuously be connected with the bank organization on down to 1976 . In 1905 a bank was added to the business district of De Leon, the Farmers and Merchants National Bank. The bank was chartered on January 1, 1905 , with a capital stock of 350,000 . The first officers were R. W. Higginbotham, President: Dr. T. P. Weaver, Vice-President: W. S. Whaley, Cashierg R. R. Harvey, Assist- ant Cashier. W. A . Nunnally was the first Chairman of the Board of Directors, and the first directors were R. W. Bartlett, W. A. Nunnally, Dr. T. P. Weaver, J. B. Wilson, andl. D. Ham. The bank opened its doors in January , 1905, with no previously secured commitments for deposit, loans , or funds , but with the 350 , 000 capital stock paid in full. Within a few years the business had become one of the strongest banks in Central Texas. By 1911 the personnel of the institution had changed somewhat. R. W. Higginbotham was still President: but to his Vice-President, Dr. T. P. Weaver, had been added another, W. M. Manchester. W. E. Lowe was cashier for the bank, R. R. Harvey was assistant cashier, and the members of the Board of Directors were: R. W. Higginbotham, Dr. T. P. Weaver, W. M. Manchester, W. H. Wil- liams. C. R. Carruth, W. A. Nunnally, and W. E. Lowe. At Mr. R. W. Higginbotham's death, William Peyton Weaver was elected to the Board of Directors. After W. P. Weaver died , his son Sam E. Weaver served as a Director, thus he became the third generation of the Weaver family to participate in that capactity. Mr. R. R. Harvey, who was born June 2, 1881, is still living in De Leon. He says that when he began working in the bank in 1905, he swept the floors as well as served as assistant cashier. He worked continu- ously for 58 years. He was elected Active Vice-President in 1921 and served in that capacity to 1941, at which time he becarne the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, and this was the position he held until his retirement in 1963 . When Mr. Harvey started working at the bank , they did not have regular opening and closing hours. They opened shortly after day break and usually closed about sundown. He proved his ability as he progressed through all phases of the bank. Even during the great depression days the F. 8a M. National Bank remained strong. The stockholders received 20010 dividends from their investments for many years and virtually no stock was for sale for a long period of time, not until after the deaths of the original owners, and at one time most of the stock was mainly in the hands of the widows of the bank founders. It is impossible to measure the infinite value of the F. 84 M. Bank to this community and its contributions to all good causes.