Life’s journey is always full of surprises. Some good. Some bad. One of the best things to happen to me in my life was becoming friends with William Fields. Some may look at the two of us and wonder, how could two fellows like you be friends, even spiritual brothers? William grew up in a… Read more »

As a young banker, I had a wonderful mentor in Bill Clements, a progressive banker who in many ways was ahead of his times. However, I was also blessed to have many other professional influences in my life, especially our Bank Board. William Kanto who was a great influencer on the establishment of Lenowisco and… Read more »

On my way home from a College Board meeting one Thursday evening, I spotted him. On my left. The young fellow (10ish) on his bike in the lot of the local VDOT office. He popped a “wheelie” on his bike and rode across the entire lot. He looked at me, and I gave him a… Read more »

One of my favorite pictures of all time is of my son in his blue cap and gown graduating from preschool at Abingdon Presbyterian. A broad smile graced his face while his hands were wrapped around a diploma like an upright baseball bat. A perfect picture if there ever was one of the happiness and… Read more »

Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Austin, Texas to attend the American Bankers Association’s (ABA) Summer Leadership Conference. Bank CEOs, leaders of state Bankers Associations and ABA staff spent time discussing legislative, regulatory, cyber security, COVID and other issues impacting our industry. The all-day sessions were thorough and very informative (what you… Read more »

This month my wife and I returned to being “physically” at church. With family members at risk, we have been careful about reintegrating into society and had spent the last 18 months attending services via the internet. It was great seeing folks, and pastor Mike’s lesson was, as always, meaningful. As we left and returned… Read more »

As a young lad, we used to often roam the mountains and hollows, especially in the fall. The smells, the colors of the trees, the refreshing coolness of the day. Every fall these sensations take me back to a time of fun with my cousins. On occasion during our days of fun, we would play… Read more »

I recently attended the opening of Virginia’s newest and most unique state park, the Clinch River State Park. As I stood on the hill overlooking the beautiful river and vista, I was reminded of my own trip navigating the Clinch one early June day many years ago – a canoeing trip with two good friends… Read more »

On a regular basis, I receive calls or emails from consultants, investment firms or other bank product salespeople saying they will be “in the area” soon and would like to stop by PVNB to meet with me.  I like to learn and meet new people, so I respond, and we schedule a time to meet… Read more »

Earlier in my life I was a hero. I was a pioneer. I was “Daniel Boone”. Inspired by Fess Parker’s portrayal of Daniel Boone in the 1960’s, my cousins and I would play “Daniel Boone and family”  – me as Daniel and my cousins as other members of the show. We played with old kettles, pots,… Read more »