'An incredible human being': Coastal Bend businessman George S. Hawn dead at 93
George S. Hawn, a founder of American Bank and Coastal Bend businessman, died in Corpus Christi on Dec. 10.
Hawn was 93.
Born in Beeville on Aug. 3, 1929, Hawn was the youngest of four brothers. He earned his pilot's license at 16, before receiving his driver's license, and flew himself to St. John's Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin. After graduating from the academy, he earned a degree from the University of Houston.
In 1950, Hawn married Gippie "Tiny" Denison Walling, and the couple settled in Corpus Christi and Port Aransas, where they raised four children. His wife died in 2018.
Two decades later, Hawn helped shape the Coastal Bend with water supply and land development.
Hawn was a founder of American Bank in 1970. The bank is the largest locally owned and independent financial institution in the Coastal Bend, with assets totaling more than $2 billion. It has 12 locations in Austin, Corpus Christi, Goliad, Port Aransas, Rockport, San Antonio and Victoria.
Hawn was chairman emeritus of the board of directors at the time of his death.
American Bank President and CEO Stephen Raffaele said he will always remember Hawn as kind and wise.
“He was a gentle giant who had boundless vision — a 50-plus year vision for building a strong and fiercely independent regional Texas bank committed to helping people and communities to prosper," Raffaele said in an email. "George lived by the credo to 'always do the right thing' for his clients and employees. George shaped the culture and mission of the bank, and we are all a part of his legacy. We will miss him dearly.”
Hawn was a member and president of the Nueces County Water Control and Improvement District No. 4, which manages the water supply for Port Aransas. Hawn served on the board from 1974 to 1980 and 1982 to 1994.
Until the late 1920s, the citizens of Mustang Island were in charge of supplying their own water needs. Water wells were installed, but good drinking water was in short supply.
Hawn and other district board members saw the growth potential in Port Aransas and the need to expand the capacity to deliver potable water to the community in the 1970s. To avoid putting a financial burden on taxpayers, Hawn and the board put into action capital impact fees.
The fees would be used to help pay for increasing the systems that the taxpayers had already financed through 10 previous bond issues. It was a "pay as you go" system that few districts or utility companies throughout the state used at the time, but today, most cities, districts and utility companies have adopted the approach, according to the district's website.
Board members signed the resolution implementing the fees in 1982.
Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales said he was one of the icons of the Coastal Bend. She said she remembered the love Hawn and his wife had for the community.
"This guy did everything: real estate, banking, oil," Canales said. "I never thought of him that way. I just thought of him as an incredible human being. To me, when I think about him, I think about how wonderful he was and always giving to the community."
In lieu of a public funeral service, the family asks for people to celebrate Hawn's life. Memorials can be made to The Church of the Good Shepherd at 700 S. Upper Broadway.
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John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Contact him at john.oliva@caller.com or Twitter @johnpoliva.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Coastal Bend businessman George S. Hawn dead at 93
