12 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 MERLE J. KENDALL Spencer County Bank Santa Claus MORRIS L. MAURER The National Bank of Indianapolis Merle J. Kendall is chairman of the board of Spencer County Bank, Santa Claus. His career began with The Dale State Bank in 1954 and took a remarkable turn in 1965 when William A. Koch requested a loan to develop the Santa Claus area. The bank declined, but Kendall offered to partner with Koch to purchase The Lake State Bank, Richland City. By 1968 Kendall had relocated The Lake State Bank to Santa Claus, renamed it Spencer County Bank, and proceeded to lead it through decades of success, all while helping develop the Santa Claus community. Kendall has been honored as Businessman of the Year by the Spencer County Regional Chamber of Commerce, was presented with a Century Award for the bank by former Gov. Mitch Daniels and is a member of the Indiana Bankers Association 40 Year Club. Morrie Maurer is a member of the board of directors and consultant with The National Bank of Indianapolis and The National Bank of Indianapolis Corporation. He retired as president and CEO of the bank and its holding company in early 2019. Maurer previously served from 1975 to 1992 with Indiana National Bank, and in 1993 he became a founder of The National Bank of Indianapolis. During his 25-year tenure with NBofI, the bank grew from a staff of 18 to 330, and its assets grew from $14 million to over $2 billion. Maurer has been active with organizations including the Indy Chamber, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Indiana Landmarks, Newfields, the Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre and the Indiana Board for Depositories. He earned bachelor’s and MBA degrees from Indiana University and is a member of the Indiana Bankers Association 40 Year Club. Robert C. Nelson, leader of the Indiana Bankers Association from 1967 to 1988, passed away in 2018. He had served the Association for 33 years before retiring as president, the highest staff rank at the time. Previously, he was with LaPorte Bank and Trust Company, the U.S. Army Air Corps finance department and Associates Investment Company of South Bend. Affiliations included the Foundation for Full Service Banks, American Bankers Association, Central States Conference of State Associations, Indiana Council for Economic Education and the Economic Club of Indiana. Additionally, he volunteered with Kiwanis International and served on the board of SCORE. Nelson was an Army veteran of World War II, a Sagamore of the Wabash and Kentucky Colonel, a member of the IBA 40 Year Club, and an alumnus of Oxford University in England and Indiana University. ROBERT C. NELSON Indiana Bankers Association Indianapolis KIP WHITE The Fountain Trust Company Covington Kip White is chairman and CEO of The Fountain Trust Company and Piper Holdings Inc., Covington, and practices law with White & White Attorneys LLP. He joined the bank in 1970, serving as president from 1995 to 2015. White is a past Indiana representative of the Independent Community Bankers of America (formerly Independent Bankers Association of America); legislative director, treasurer and president of the Community Bankers Association of Indiana (formerly Independent Bankers Association of Indiana); Covington School Board member; and Pension Management Oversight Commission lay appointee. He was instrumental in the negotiation and passage of the landmark Banking Structure Reform Act of 1985. The third generation of his family to serve as both a lawyer and bank leader, White is a member of the Indiana Bankers Association 40 Year Club and a graduate of DePauw University and the Indiana University School of Law. HB LEADERS IN BANKING EXCELLENCE Event photos on page 14. For more information, visit: indianabankers.org/leaders-banking-excellence
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