Morrison G. Tucker, founder of American Bank Systems, was inducted on December 5, 2019, into the Oklahoma Bankers Hall of Fame for his influence on banking in Oklahoma. This is a well-deserved honor to add to his 1978 induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.
Drawing from the biographies of Morrison posted by these two institutions, one learns the following notable achievements in his long career: winning the intercollegiate figure skating championship as a junior at Dartmouth; serving on the original 1933 team of examiners for the newly-formed FDIC where he became Assistant Chief for the Examination Division and wrote the agency’s first examination manual; after his World War II naval service, serving as the banking advisor to the president of the Philippines and managing the South American investments for fellow Dartmouth alumnus and friend, Nelson Rockefeller; and becoming executive vice president at Liberty Bank & Trust of Oklahoma City. Beyond his prominence as a consummate businessman, Morrison was also a philanthropist well-known for his service in the Oklahoma City community, serving as a principal founder of Oklahoma City Beautiful and as board member of Mercy Hospital. You can read more about Morrison’s life and times at the OBA website https://www.oba.com/2019/12/05/five-bankers-inducted-into-oklahoma-bankers-hall-of-fame-as-2019-class/ as well as at the Oklahoma Hall of Fame website https://oklahomahof.com/member-archives/t/tucker-morrison-g-1978.
I was privileged to attend the Induction Ceremony with my father and ABS Chairman, Jim Bruce, and hear him speak about Morrison’s influence on his own banking career beginning when he worked for Morrison at Liberty Bank in the 1960s and, later, when he bought Morrison’s interest in ABS in 1993. I am daunted by the thought of having stepped into the leadership of ABS and now trying to live up to the standards of business excellence and community philanthropy set by both Morrison and my father.
— Jay Bruce, President & CEO of American Bank Systems
