MS Coast loses ‘an icon’ with death of former Gulfport mayor, banker and community leader
The Mississippi Coast has lost a leader who preferred to credit others for work to better the community rather than accept praise for all he did, especially for his beloved native city of Gulfport.
George Schloegel, long-time president of Hancock Bank and a former mayor, died unexpectedly early Thursday morning. The 83-year-old leaves behind a legacy of community service, and a family and host of friends who are mourning his loss.
“We’ve lost an icon worthy of emulation,” said Schloegel’s successor, Mayor Billy Hewes.
“As a civic leader, George had no equal, devoting endless time and energy for the betterment of a community he dearly loved. He always saw what was possible, engaging on all fronts to find common ground to bring about better opportunities, to all. As a business leader, he made community service a hallmark of his career, instilling those values in his family and employees, providing leadership at national, state, and local levels. A true Ambassador for Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.”
Schloegel worked his way up from the mail room to CEO of Hancock Bank before retiring to run for Gulfport mayor. Schloegel said when he announced his candidacy in March 2009 at age 68 that he had wanted to serve as mayor since he was 12 years old.
Schloegel’s longtime colleague and friend, Hancock Whitney Corp. CEO and president John Hairston, said Schloegel always said he wanted to die on horseback, on a tractor, or sleeping peacefully next to his beloved wife Peggy.
Schloegel got his wish, Hairston said, dying in his sleep with his childhood sweetheart by his side.
“It’s a tough hit,” Hairston said. “He knew so many people and loved so many people, and was loved by so many people. That makes it a tough loss.”
George Schoegel put financial skills to work
Schloegel met his wife when they were teenagers. They had their first date, as was a tradition back then, among the branches of the legendary Friendship Oak in Long Beach, Hairston said.
Schloegel was one of seven siblings, his biography from Hancock Whitney says. He was a hard working boy, pulling a wagon from door-to-door to sell eggs and vegetables. He secured a job at the bank at age 16 after his father died. Schloegel earned $1 an hour as a mail runner and messenger.
As a child, he wanted to be mayor by the time he turned 32, but he and Peggy had four children, so he stayed in banking to raise and educate them.
Schloegel was known in banking circles throughout the Gulf South. As former president of the Mississippi Bankers Association, he traveled cross-country to tell the bank’s story and describe for top financial firms the economic development potential along the Gulf, his Hancock Whitney biography says.
“Additionally,” the biography says, “Schloegel remained a mentor for thousands of banking students as a distinguished faculty leader at both the Mississippi School of Banking and the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University for nearly 40 years.”
He and Peggy Schloegel even grew the plants for 160 branches of Hancock Bank. His parents had been in the nursery business.
Schloegel always stressed the importance of education and served for 10 years on the Gulfport School Board. While on the board, he helped oversee school consolidation that increased efficiency and improved finances.
When he announced his candidacy for mayor, he said that “the burning desire” to serve in the office had never left him.
The city was still recovering from Hurricane Katrina when he took office, but Schloegel was focused on the future and, ever a money manager, getting the bills paid. He said that he would be a one-term mayor and stuck to his plan.
The city faced a general-fund deficit of more than $8 million when Schloegel took office. It has been whittled to $533,000 when he left.
Peggy Schoegel said she intended for his second retirement to stick, but he continued to help out at the bank after leaving office.
On the last day of his life, Hairston said, Schloegel attended a bank retirees luncheon where he was able to visit with many of his former friends and colleagues. He was in good spirits.
Gulfport leaders built consensus
His greatest talent, those closest to him have previously told the Sun Herald, was pulling together a team, building consensus and then getting the job done. He led the unprecedented growth of Hancock Bank, now Hancock Whitney, into a multistate operation, taking it from a $500 million to a $7 billion bank when he retired.
Although he was a Republican, Schloegel worked with Democratic and Republican governors, including William Winter and Haley Barbour.
He was a member of Barbour’s Katrina recovery committee.
Schloegel’s work ethic and leadership skills were widely admired.
He won too many awards to mention all of them, but among the most notable were Gulfport Young Man of the Year in 1965; Mississippi’s Man of the Year in 1966, U.S. Jaycees Outstanding State President in 1969, Pine Burr Scouting Award in 1974, Mississippi Gulf Coast Carnival Association King in 1988, NAACP Humanitarian Award in 1994, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Hall of Fame in 1984, the Pat Santucci Spirit of the Coast Award in 1996, United States Navy Superior Public Service Medal in 1996, Coast Citizen of the Year in 1997, the Laurel Wreath Citizen of the Year Award in 1999, the NASA Distinguished Service Award in 2001 and the Boys & Girls Club Citizen of Year in 2002.
Schloegel had a lifelong passion for history, especially the history of the Mississippi Coast. Derrick Evans, a historian and sixth-generation resident of the Turkey Creek Community, enjoyed comparing notes with Schloegel, although they did not always see eye-to-eye on development issues.
“I will miss George Schloegel as an inimitable character, longtime friend and frequent ‘friendly foe,’ “ Evans said. “ . . . Mr. Schloegel and I never failed to enjoy or learn something new from the other’s lifelong curiosity and devotion to our overlapping local history and culture.”
“Filling in gaps by endlessly one-upping each other’s favorite tidbits and insights about old Gulfport (established in 1898) and older Turkey Creek (established in 1866) was always both a lesson and a good time.”
Evans said “an era truly ends” with Schloegel’s death.
Schloegel mentored many Coast residents who are themselves leaders in the business community today, including Dave Dennis, owner of Specialty Contractors & Associates in Gulfport.
“George was simply a leader’s leader, but so much more than that to me personally, and to all those who were fortunate enough to know him,” Dennis said. “He was a friend, indeed an unconditional friend, a mentor, an advisor, a confidant and truly a good man. George will be sorely missed as a positive influence and visionary pillar for the Mississippi Gulf Coast and beyond.”
Funeral services
Visitation will take place at Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home, 15th St., Gulfport from 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. James Catholic Church in Gulfport, with visitation from 9:30-11 a.m.
