Mississippi-born in the small town of Forest, Gene was the son of Herbert, also a banker and the town's long-serving mayor, and Lavonne, a community leader and church organist, who together imbued their cherished son with the devotion, discipline, and bedrock principles that guided his life and led him to his successes, his strong family, and his many deep friendships.
Graduating from the University of Mississippi in 1952, he left with a degree in business and a wonderful trove of memories of a school with an enrollment of only two thousand students, and where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and was elected Vice President of the Student Body. After graduation, he entered the United States Air Force commissioned as a lieutenant, and was stationed at Fairchild, a Strategic Air Command Base in Spokane, Washington, where he was the budget and accounting officer.
Arriving in Dallas in 1954, Gene began a distinguished, fifty-year career in banking and financial services. He began his career as a credit analyst at the First National Bank of Dallas, and it culminated with running MCorp, the largest banking organization in Texas. Under the MCorp banner, Gene's strategic vision and unstoppable work ethic anchored the development of significant non-bank enterprises and the creation of thousands of jobs. These businesses, along with those who led them, ultimately helped to transform banking services throughout the country.
Additionally, Gene served on the boards of over twenty publicly traded corporations, including Southwest Airlines, for twenty-five years. He was also a presence on non-profit boards of educational, medical and cultural organizations. In the process of doing so, he met wonderful people and always felt an intense gratitude for the opportunities that this city afforded him, and felt that God had a big hand in placing him in Dallas and giving him these opportunities. He was a member and supporter of Highland Park Methodist Church.
Gene, a long-time tennis player, developed his affection for golf after retiring, and did so at the Dallas Country Club and Brook Hollow Golf Club, where he was President for a term. He also enjoyed golfing in Southern California, where he and his wife spent winters for many years. Quail hunting in South Texas was a pastime for several decades, and later, that diversion was supplanted with fishing in East Texas, rekindling for him comforting memories of his childhood outings with his father.
Predeceased by his parents, and also by his older and only sibling, Nell Bishop Barton, Gene is survived by his adored and adoring wife of thirty-five years, Kathy (Kathryne Schroder Morris), his treasured children, Kathryne ("Kate") M. Morris, John Hulon Bishop, and Andrew Taylor Morris, as well as his vibrant grandson, Hulon Henry Bishop. Surviving him also are John's wife, Thavy, John's mother, Sue M. Bishop, Gene's nephew, Gene Barton of Mississippi, Ann Meek, executive assistant to Gene for thirty seven years, and an integral and valued mainstay in his life, and Luciana ("Lucy") Castillo, beloved and trusted housekeeper for years.
Memorial contributions, if so desired, may be directed to Lumin Education, 924 Wayne Street, Dallas, TX 75223, or to CMC Foundation, Attn: Dr. Sean Morrison, Director, Children's Medical Research Institute, 2777 Stemmons Freeway, Suite 700, Dallas, TX 75207, or to a charity of one's own choosing.
A memorial reception will be held on Wednesday, February 27th, from 2:00 PM 4:00 PM at Brook Hollow at 8301 Harry Hines Boulevard.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18