Rooted in Legacy, Driven by Purpose A Conversation with KBA Board Chair Julie Hower By Mary Taylor, SVP, Communications & Marketing Director, KBA The Kansas Bankers Association had the pleasure of visiting Julie Hower in the historic town of Council Grove — a place where Kansas heritage, community pride and visionary leadership all converge. As President and CEO of Farmers and Drovers Bank, Julie represents the fifth generation of her family to carry forward a proud legacy of service, both to customers and to community. Her warmth, humility and passion for Kansas banking shine through in every conversation. We sat down with Julie to learn more about her roots, her journey in banking and her hopes for the future. Farmers & Drovers is a fifth-generation family-owned bank. What are its roots? The story begins with my great-great-grandfather, William Henry (W.H.) White. He came to Council Grove from Kentucky in 1857 by wagon train. Tragically, his mother died along the way, and after his father passed, he was left to make his way alone at just 17 years old. Armed with little more than a bony horse and sheer determination, he drove cattle across the region to earn a living. On one return trip from St. Joseph, Missouri, he stopped to rest at a hotel near Baldwin City, Kansas — only to narrowly escape a robbery by someone who knew he was carrying cash. That harrowing experience convinced him his money would be far safer in a bank. And the rest, as they say, is history. For over 140 years, Farmers and Drovers Bank has been guided by generations of dedicated family leadership: • W.H. White (1882-1935) • C.H. White (1935-58) • Hale White (1958-90) • John H. White (1990-2015) • Julie Hower (2015-present) Was joining the family bank always your plan? I was born and raised in Council Grove, and some of my earliest memories are of shadowing my father, John White. Whether we were inside the bank or out in the community, he modeled what it meant to be a leader. During the agricultural crisis of the 1980s, I watched him go far beyond his role as a 6
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