Pictures tell the story of George Schloegel as banker, Gulfport mayor and family man
Mary Perez
·2 min read
George Schloegel made things happen and his resume couldn’t begin to list all of his accomplishments on one page.
He was president of Hancock Bank, mayor of his hometown Gulfport, a school board member and so much more.
He presided over countless ribbon cuttings. He filled leadership positions in many civic organizations. He won a lot of awards.
He served on the White House Task Force on Hunger and was passionate about early childhood education.
Schloegel, who died Friday, was raised in Gulfport and came up the hard way — helping his family operate a truck and poultry farm. His first job at Hancock Bank in 1956 paid $1 an hour.
He and his wife, Peggy, were married for 64 years and together they grew flowers in their greenhouses to landscape all the Hancock Bank offices. They kept horses on their city property and raised a family of four children, 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
“George Schloegel’s leadership transcended the private and public sector,” said Jamie Miller, president of the Gulf Coast Business Council. “His positive influence on business and industry in Mississippi is undeniable.”
Perhaps it was his humble beginnings that kept him grounded. “George treated everyone with kindness and respect and his legacy will love on with the people that had the pleasure of knowing him,” Miller said.
Schloegel served on the executive board of the Business Council and worked to pull South Mississippi back together after hurricanes Camille and Katrina, the oil spill and several national recessions. He was among the group of leaders who worked for years to get Infinity Science Center built to inspire generations of South Mississippi residents and visitors.
In 1996, while he was Hancock Bank president, he was surprised with the the Navy public service award to salute his four decades of support for the military. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jay Johnson said when few in the country showed support, Schloegel personally greeted Seabees returning from the Vietnam War. In the mid-1970s, Schloegel was instrumental in helping transfer the Navy’s oceanography program from Washington, D.C., to South Mississippi.
Here are photographs and memories of his six decades of service to the Coast.
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