March 28, 2015
MARSHALL, Texas (3/25/15) - Local BancorpSouth President and former East Texas Baptist University Board of Trustee member Glenn Bickerdike received the 2015 Sam B. Hall, Jr. Civic Service Award Monday evening during the Sam B. Hall, Jr. Lecture Series Banquet. The 20th annual event was held in the Phillips Great Room of the Bennett Student Commons and commemorates the late U.S. Representative and federal judge Sam B. Hall, Jr., who was a Marshall native and an alumnus of the College of Marshall, which is now ETBU.
Amanda Wynn and Becky Palmer, daughters of Judge Hall, revealed the winner of this year's award as they both shared about the recipient before calling his name. Daughter Sandra Bodenhamer was unable to attend this year's banquet. The banquet was originally scheduled for February 23 but had to be moved due to wintry weather on that day.
"Our recipient tonight is married with three children, not born in Marshall, but choosing to call it home for over 13 years," said Wynn. "Very devoted to family and always seeking ways to better the community and lives of others."
Palmer continued sharing more about Bickerdike. "After marrying his high school sweetheart, he moved to Lufkin in 1991 to work for Nations Bank then to Merrill Lynch, and in 2001, moved to Marshall to work for BancorpSouth where he has been the market president since 2002."
"Glenn Bickerdike is man of integrity, striving for 'whatever's right.' We are proud tonight to name him as the recipient of the Sam B. Hall, Jr. Civic Service Award," concluded Palmer.
Bickerdike, a native of Tyler, was presented a blown-crystal award cup. The first words out of his mouth at the podium were, "I have been snookered. Amanda started talking to me last night in how to get Karen here because we were supposed to be at a baseball game tonight. I thought my wife was getting the award tonight."
"I am extremely honored to receive this award. I was completely caught off guard. Thank you so much to all of the family," said Bickerdike.
The graduate of John Tyler High School and the University of Texas-Tyler has been very involved in the Marshall community. He is a member of Rotary, the Citizens Advisory Commission, the Board of the Turney Foundation, and a member and former President of the Board of Directors of Good Shepherd Medical Center, Marshall.
Bickerdike is a member of the GSM-Marshall Foundation, former president of the United Way, Harrison County, former volunteer with Junior Achievement, member and former President of the Marshall Maverick Football Booster Club, and a member of the Marshall High Baseball and Basketball Booster Clubs as well. He is the Chairman of "Yes Matters" PAC and was named Marshall Citizen of the Year for 2014.
He and his wife, Karen, have three children; Chase, 19, Cade 15, and Kendall, 10. Bickerdike serves as a deacon of Immanuel Baptist Church of Marshall.
After the presentation of the Sam B. Hall, Jr. Civic Service Award, Rebecca Smith, Hall's first granddaughter, shared personal stories about her grandfather. ETBU Assistant Professor of English Dr. David Splawn voiced the invocation. Dr. Jerry L. Summers, the Sam B. Hall, Jr. Professor of History served as Master of Ceremonies.
ETBU Interim President Dr. Lawrence Ressler introduced Phillip Meyer of Houston, the keynote speaker for the evening. He spoke on his life experiences as a Christian businessman.
"Something I believe in strongly is that you can be a compliant Christian and fierce competitor at the same time," remarked Meyer before the large crowd. "A fierce competitor and compliant Christian go hand in hand. I don't think ETBU football coach Joshua Eargle tells his lineman before a game, 'all right guys, let's go out there and win. But remember, we are Christians so don't hit them real hard'. I'm sure, after visiting with him, that does not happen. Competition is a full contact sport."
Meyer is the Vice President of Oilfield Precision Products and current ETBU Board of Trustee member. A former student of East Texas Baptist College and of the University of Houston, he is the sponsor of the Meyer Lecture Series at ETBU and the Dr. Doris Meyer Endowed Scholarship. Meyer has more than 36 years of experience in various facets of the petrochemical industry, including finance, sales, engineering, operations, customer service, and capital equipment sourcing.
This year's Hall Lecture and Banquet were jointly sponsored by the Fred Hale School of Business, ETBU Institute for Economic Education, the Future Business Leaders of America, and the Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization.
The Sam B. Hall Professorship and the Lecture Series were endowed in 1993 by the family and friends of Congressman and U.S. District Judge Sam B. Hall, Jr. A native of Marshall and an alumnus of the College of Marshall, and the Baylor University School of Law, Judge Hall served in and was president of several civic organizations and the Marshall Regional Medical Center before his death in 1994. Dr. Jerry L. Summers, Dean of the School of Humanities at ETBU, is the Hall Professor of History.
East Texas Baptist University offers graduate programs in business, counseling, religion and education, as well as 40 undergraduate degree programs. ETBU provides a Christ-centered education that emphasizes the integration of faith and learning. The ETBU experience is known for "Embracing Faith, Engaging Minds, and Empowering Leaders." For information, visit www.etbu.edu.