Florida Banking June/July 2026

high school on time with the rest of my class. My father made me get a job, and I got a job as a janitor at Mellon Bank. In less than a year I was drafted, and when I entered the military I was a punk. The military forced me to interact with many different personalities. I experienced many different leadership styles that I could draw from. It gave me a sense of pride to serve with the 75th Ranger Company, but I didn’t know how proud I would be until years later. In 1996 my teenage son and I were cleaning the garage and he found a box of military memorabilia containing my Bronze Star. We hadn’t talked a lot about my military experience, and his eyes just lit up — he was so proud that his dad had received a Bronze Star. It accelerated my pride, and today I wear it as a lapel pin. The memories and the lessons I learned from my military experience serve as a foundation for who I am today — but not nearly as much as the foundation my wife, Diana, created. She’s the one who motivated me to be successful, and she’s the one I go to for guidance. We’ll celebrate our 52nd wedding anniversary this October. Q. Outside of work, how do you recharge? A. People are busy, our colleagues and friends find themselves juggling many balls in the air every day. Of all the balls you’re juggling every day, most of them are rubber but one is glass. If you’re going to drop a ball, don’t drop the glass ball. If you drop a rubber ball, it’ll bounce, but if you drop the glass ball, it’ll shatter, and the glass ball is your family. Don’t drop the glass ball. I recharge with family. Diana and I have been blessed with three wonderful children. I am tremendously proud of each of them and they’ve been blessed with terrific spouses and with seven children of their own who give us great pride. We all get together often. My recharge is family! Rock and Roll

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