Aggie and Banker Mike Boyd Named San Angelo's Citizen of the Year for 2015

Mike Boyd, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of First Financial Bank, San Angelo was named 2015 San Angelo Citizen of the Year by the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce at the annual banquet Thursday night.

According to a biography released by the Chamber of Commerce Thursday night:

Boyd grew up an only child in the small farming community of Lamesa where his parents both worked in professional jobs.  He would meet the girl who would become his wife for the first time in 8^th grade spelling class.  He was known for his speed in a short race, played baseball as a lefty, and played football in Junior High and High School. Friends from his youth have described him as a charitable leader from his earliest years. Students just followed him.   

During Christmas breaks, he parked cotton trailers and ‘tromped cotton’ for his Grandfather.  During summers off from school, he worked on his Grandfather’s farm starting out in lowly jobs such as moving irrigation pipe, cleaning up hog pens, hoeing maze fields, gradually working his way up to his dream job of driving a tractor.  He graduated with honors from high school in 1970 out of 162 graduates.

The product of well organized, planning parents he knew at an early age where he would attend college and what would be his field of study.  He attended Texas A&M University, lettered in Wrestling, served on Staff of the 6th Battalion his junior and senior years as a member of the Corps of Cadets, married his high school sweetheart in 1973, and graduated in 1974 as a Distinguished Military Graduate, with a BBA in Finance and minor in Economics.  Upon graduation, he was commissioned into the Texas Army National Guard as a 2^nd Lt. He graduated from the Southwestern School of Banking and the Command & General Staff College. For almost three decades, he exceeded the majority of his peers by successfully juggling the demands of two complex professions: one of banking and the second one in military service through the National Guard.

His banking career began in the College Station area where he was employed as Credit Analyst at City National Bank in Bryan. He was recommended by a relative who worked for Frank Junell to become a Cashier in a newly chartered bank in San Angelo in 1976. 

At the same time that he was moving up the banking industry, he was also being promoted in his part-time career in the Texas Army National Guard. He served through a command position in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Associates from his banking and military careers tell common stories of Boyd that illustrate his essential character traits of hard work and attention to details, humility and civility shown by putting the needs of others before self, integrity as shown through his often repeated statement, “Let’s do what is right,”; and, a contagious sense of humor used appropriately.  Information from a now retired Colonel who served under Boyd describes him as the epitome of a citizen soldier and a model of selfless service. Several common threads are seen through each person interviewed about this citizen soldier. Several described him as one of the smartest men they knew demonstrated often by his attention to detail.  When it came time to fire tanks and qualify with the rest of his men, he practiced and strived hard so that he could make a good showing and push everyone else. The result was all his soldiers respected him…which is rare for most commanders.

The same description of attention to detail came from current San Angelo community members. One board member of a local bank insists that Boyd comes to every meeting having done his homework and knows every detail of every loan. Another friend has worked with Boyd for over 30 years on church committees at his church. He said no one out prepares him and consistently to listens to each team member’s ideas with kindness and respect.

Another gift described by multiple friends is his healthy sense of humor that he often uses to defuse tension, refocus off-task behavior, and create an environment of camaraderie to achieve goals. One military friend insisted, he has a very serious military and business side to him when it comes to getting a job done well.  However, he is known to tap into a lighter, more humorous side of his personality especially to break a very tense situation.    During one of his many Active Duty assignments at Fort Hood while a Commander initiating the annual Tank Gunnery efforts in the field, his troops gave him the call sign “Hot Pink 6” and tied an XXL pair of ladies’ pink underwear to the antenna of his M1A1 Abrams Tank.  He was able to be spotted rolling over the firing range while the panties hung 8’ above his tank for everyone to see.  His soldiers would not have done this if they did not highly respect him.

While in the field for long durations, knowing when to lighten the mood eases fatigue, helps keep minds sharp and improves troop morale.  During times of little sleep and very hot days of intense training, he was known to secure a hotel room and order in food not for himself, but for his men so they could rotate taking hot showers and eat a good hot meal. 

Boyd is described consistently as making others feel special. A military friend told the story that they were at Armor Training at Ft. Knox. The friend was a Captain at the time with paperwork submitted for a promotion.  One night late after they were already in their bunks, a First Sgt. walked into the room and was told that a late meeting had been called. The Captain was deeply concerned because he was normally the one who set up all of the Colonel’s meetings.  When he walked into the room, there stood his parents and wife at the arrangement of the Colonel, who then administered the promotion. That’s just the way he is, always wanting to make situations special for everyone else.

His military service lasted for 29 years 8 months. His military awards include: The Legion of Merit, The Meritorious Service Medal, The Lone Star Distinguished Service Medal; The Global War on Terrorism Medal; The Humanitarian Service Medal; The National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star Device; and the Order of St George from the U.S. Armor School. The story is told that he was offered the star of a Brigadier General, but it meant a year in study away, so he retired as a Colonel and continued his banking profession.

Another friend tells a fairly recent story of Boyd’s ability to give unselfishly for others and make situations special for others. Both men have worked for over a decade on the Hunt for Heroes or San Angelo Support for Veterans, Inc. On the hunt one year around 5:00 a.m. while it was still dark, Boyd and another Aggie were assisting a double amputee veteran have a memorable hunting experience. Holding a flashlight, they realized an almost insurmountable challenge was how to get the young airman out of his wheelchair and up into the blind of a tree. They were feeling fairly proud when they thought to take the wheelchair a part and wheels off, take it up into the blind and then move the airman up. The chair got moved into the blind and reassembled. At the base of the tree, together the two Aggies picked up the airman and with one slight scare they successfully moved him up into the blind and had a highly successful hunting experience.

The Colonel has modeled for the rest of us duty and service to God, family, employer, and vast involvement in making his community better. Past civic involvement has included: Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce; Chairman of Rio Concho, Inc.; President of the National Guard Association of Texas; President of San Angelo Industries; Chairman of Baptist Memorial Board; Chairman of West Texas Rehabilitation Center Board; and, Chairman of Southland Baptist Finance Committee and Personnel Committee.

Currently, he serves on the Board of Shannon Trustees; Shannon Hospital Board; Chairman of the San Angelo Health Foundation; Chairman of the Howard College Foundation; Vice President of the San Angelo Stock Show & Rodeo Foundation and Association. He is an organizer of the San Angelo Support for Veterans, Inc. and is Chairman of the Water Advisory Board for the City of San Angelo.  As a personal testimony, Boyd’s repeated generosity to San Angelo ISD has been demonstrated through time and resources. This unselfishness has significantly impacted thousands of lives of the children of San Angelo.

Boyd often says that if you enjoy what you do and appreciate those working for you, success will follow.  He lives by a simple philosophy of Maya Angelou’s, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  When asked of one of his assistants at work, what came to mind when thinking of him.  The answer, “he treats everyone the same—whether they have $1 or $100,000.” He currently serves as Chairman, President  & CEO of First Financial Bank of San Angelo where he has served for 39 years.

Last year's award went to Dr. Carol Ann Bonds, the then-outgoing Superintendent of the San Angelo ISD.