House Resolution 51

(As Adopted by House)

A RESOLUTION MOURNING THE LOSS AND HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MR. GEORGE A. SCHLOEGEL.

WHEREAS, it is written in Ecclesiastes 3:1 that "To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the Heaven," and as such, the immaculate author and finisher of our soul's destiny summoned the mortal presence of dearly beloved, Mr. George A. Schloegel, to eternal rest, rendering great sorrow and loss to his family, friends and community; and

WHEREAS, Mr. George A. Schloegel, who rose from high-school-age mailroom associate to Hancock Bank Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, then Mayor of Gulfport, passed away unexpectedly and peacefully on Friday, October 6, 2023, at the age of 83; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Schloegel actively managed almost every facet of bank operations and amassed an extensive resume of personal and professional achievements spanning more than 60 years, and he was a driving force in Hancock Bank's growth; and

WHEREAS, following Hurricane Camille in 1969 and again after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, he instigated the "Together We Build" and "Together We Rebuild" campaigns, respectively, for Gulf Coast recovery, and after retiring from Hancock Bank in 2008, he served as mayor of Gulfport, Mississippi, from 2009 to 2013 and was instrumental in the city's and the Gulf Coast's continued economic redevelopment after Hurricane Katrina, using his extensive financial and management expertise to help his hometown recover from the storm's devastation; and

WHEREAS, additionally, he was influential in assisting the successful merger of Hancock Bank and Whitney Bank in 2011 and served on the bank's advisory board until 2017, and even after his final retirement in 2017, he carried in his pocket the original mailroom key given to him by Leo Seal, Jr., in 1956 because he said the key reminded him of humble beginnings and to treat each person he encountered as if they would one day be the leader of an important civic or business organization; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Schloegel, the former president of the Mississippi Bankers Association, maintained a grueling cross-country travel pace to tout the Hancock Bank story, eventually the Hancock Whitney story, and the Gulf South's economic potential to some of the nation's top financial firms, and he 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; and

WHEREAS, an inspirational leader by style, Mr. Schloegel challenged future leaders to combine aspirational goals with uncompromising fundamentals, and throughout his career and retirement, he inspired the highest standards of commitment and integrity among colleagues, community leaders, and government officials who recognized him as one of the Gulf South's most passionate and involved advocates for strategic economic growth, educational opportunity, and strong quality of life for all citizens; and

WHEREAS, born on June 17, 1940, to Joseph A. and Nancy Bertucci Schloegel, young George was actively involved as a youngster in the family business, and as one of seven siblings, he helped his family operate a truck and poultry farm as a young man, often pulling a wagon to sell vegetables and eggs door to door; and

WHEREAS, after his father's sudden death, 16-year-old George added a second job at the then Hancock Bank in October 1956, earning $1.00 an hour as a mail runner and messenger, and in that same month in 1956, he and his wife of 64 years, the former Peggy Harry of Gulfport, had their first date at the Friendship Oak on the University of Southern Mississippi-Gulf Park campus; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Schloegel was a graduate of Louisiana State University in New Orleans (now University of New Orleans) as well as senior management tracts at Harvard Business School, Columbia University and Northwestern University, and always dedicated to hard work, he worked in the Whitney National Bank while at school in New Orleans and at Hancock Bank while home for weekends; and

WHEREAS, upon graduation, Mr. Schloegel returned to full-time employment at Hancock but remained close to the Whitney organization, and he was instrumental through the decades at multiple regional endeavors involving both banks and both states, the most notable of which may have been meeting President George W. Bush in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to deliver the blueprint of opening a joint emergency branch location for all New Orleans area banks; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Schloegel served as chair of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Mississippi, and in his 10 years of service on the Gulfport School Board, he witnessed the consolidation of Gulfport East and Gulfport high schools, vastly improving the school system's efficiency, instruction, and financial stability, and during that decade, he also insisted on and succeeded in preventing raises for taxpayers in the school tax millage; and

WHEREAS, additionally, Mr. Schloegel helped to secure four years of worldwide television coverage and international attention for the Mississippi Gulf Coast as four-time chair of the Miss USA Pageant hosted in Biloxi, and he also served on the White House Task Force on Hunger and as a two-term president of the Harrison County Association for Retarded Citizens, a Salvation Army board member, Gulfport Little Theater board member, Gulfport Yacht Club Commodore, and St. James Catholic Church Parish Council president; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Schloegel was a past president of Mississippi Jaycees and national vice president of U.S. Jaycees, and as a co-founder of Leadership Mississippi, Leadership Gulf Coast, and Coast 21, a regional coalition of business leaders committed to well-planned economic development, he was selected as one of South Mississippi's inaugural Top Ten Community Leaders in 2002 and to the Mississippi Business Hall of Fame in 2004, and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour appointed Schloegel as chair of Barbour's transition team; and

WHEREAS, he earned accolades as Gulfport Young Man of the Year (1965); Mississippi's Man of the Year (1966); U.S. Jaycees Outstanding State President (1969); Pine Burr Scouting Award (1974); Mississippi Gulf Coast Carnival Association King (1988); NAACP Humanitarian Award (1994); Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Hall of Fame (1984); Hotel-Motel Citizen of Year (1995); Pat Santucci Spirit of the Coast Award (1996); United States Navy Superior Public Service Medal (1996); Coast Citizen of the Year (1997); Gulfport Rotary Club William Harris Hardy Founders Award (1999); Laurel Wreath Citizen of the Year Award (1999); NASA Distinguished Service Award (2001); and the Boys & Girls Club Citizen of Year (2002); and

WHEREAS, a dedicated family man, Mr. Schloegel was an ardent historian with exceptional knowledge of South Mississippi's evolution from a campsite on the Old Spanish Trail to a thriving tourism and business destination, and as a cofounder of the Friends of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, he helped lead the construction of an exact replica of the Ship Island Lighthouse, a familiar Gulf Coast landmark that burned in 1972, and the inspiration for Hancock Bank's corporate hallmark, according to original 1886 blueprints; and

WHEREAS, an ardent supporter of regional economics, Mr. Schloegel celebrated his birthday by walking between the Bay of St. Louis and the Bay of Biloxi bridges, many times with young emerging coastal leaders in tow, and his love of family and history were intertwined and led him to purchase the original Harry family home as an anniversary gift for Peggy so she could raise their children in the house where she was raised, and he was proud to track the lineage of the old antebellum home back to the descendants of our Nation's first president, George Washington; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Schloegel was a horse enthusiast with a passion for raising Paso Finos and Peruvian Pasos, and he was an avid gardener who for many years grew the bedding plants that eventually graced the grounds of Hancock's Gulf South locations; and

WHEREAS, in the last days of his long life, Mr. Schloegel was hard at work in the archives vault of Hancock Bank, participating in the development of the 125th Hancock anniversary publications for 2024, and to the end of his life, he remained committed to his faith, his family, the bank, and the coastal community, as he had many pursuits, and took on each with tremendous energy and passion; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Schloegel is survived by his wife, Peggy Harry Schloegel; his children, Matt Schloegel (Linda), Melissa Schloegel Marion (Andrew), Mark Schloegel and Michael Schloegel (Ashley); 10 grandchildren, Andrew Marion (Kelly), Brooks Marion, Christian Schloegel (Sarah), Matthew Schloegel, Mary Rebecca Schloegel, Anthony Schloegel, Grace Schloegel, Jack Schloegel, Sophie Schloegel and Lily Schloegel; two great-grandchildren, Paul George Marion and Martha Kay Marion; and a host of other relatives and friends; and

WHEREAS, a genuine man of exceptional character, Mr. Schloegel's outstanding legacy will continue for generations to come, and precious memories of time spent with him will hopefully continue to provide warmth, peace and comfort to his loved ones; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to recognize and honor the lives of great Mississippians, especially those such as Mr. George A. Schloegel, a man whose life's light illuminated the path of hope for all he encountered along this earthly sojourn:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby mourn the loss and honor the life and legacy of Mr. George A. Schloegel, and express deepest sympathy to his family and friends upon his passing.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the family of Mr. George A. Schloegel, and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.