Jerry was one to have influential and meaningful relationships that can gain success. When Jerry walks into a room with elected officials, they like him. He has a kind of magnetism.” “Sage has one of the strongest community banking associations in the country,” Fine said. “We have 46 state affiliate associations. We have outstanding execs around the country. I wish all our state execs were like Sage. If they were, community banking would be better served. There is a reason he has done this for 40 years. We broke the mold with Jerry.” “The Legend of Noel” When preparing his retirement article, one last question put to Sage by the MIBA staff was, “If you could pick your own epitaph, what would it be?” He jokingly said, “The Legend of Noel!” A fairly new association employee named Valerie had never heard the story, and she asked him about it. Laughingly, Jerry retold the tale of a college-era trip he’d taken with several friends and companions to southwestern Missouri and the little resort town of Noel on Shadow Lake, situated on the Elk River. It seemed the group planned to camp out in a cave in the bluffs overlooking the river and on the old 71 Highway near Noel. As the travelers climbed the bluff above the highway and river to explore the cave and its evening accommodations, one of the ladies climbed a little higher to get a better view and became afraid. Jerry, being the gentleman he was, climbed up and offered her his hand in assistance. However, being the graceful fellow that he was, he subsequently tripped, stumbled, and fell over the edge of the bluff, looking down at 71 Highway some 60 feet below. At that moment, he spotted a small four-inch oak tree growing a few feet below, and he determined it would be the instrument of his salvation. No such luck. As he grabbed the tree, it pulled away from its roots. Jerry and the tree both ended up in the middle of 71 Highway. At this point, the badly bruised, contused and slightly inebriated body of Jerry Sage was hauled by ambulance to the hospital in Gravette, Arkansas, where medical personnel commenced resuscitation procedures. Several weeks later, Jerry was released from the hospital and began a fairly long and painful convalescence back to semi-normality. The Rest of the Story Some 12 years later, Jerry, his friend and their wives returned to Noel on another trip where they intended to float the Elk River. They stayed at a small resort in Noel the night before the trip was to commence, and, the next morning, were collected at the motel by the float service with a pickup truck, trailer and canoes to be taken to the “put in” point on the Elk River at Pineville. Of course, Jerry and his friend sat in the back of the pickup truck on the coolers, and the two ladies joined the driver in the front seat. The driver pulled out of Noel along 71 Highway to north Noel and the bluff site of the Sage Fall from 12-plus years before. As they approached, the local truck driver informed the girls in the cab that this bluff had particular significance to the locals in Noel in that they called it the site of “The Legend of Noel.” He told a story to the girls of the man who had been up on the bluff and lost his footing, falling headlong into the middle of 71 Highway some 60 feet, and had miraculously survived. He told the ladies that he was now known as “The Legend of Noel.” The friend of Jerry’s wife, not aware of the previous incident years before, asked the driver what happened to the man. Jerry’s wife said, “Take a peek in the back of the pickup truck. He’s sitting back there eating cold pizza and drinking beer. That’s your ‘Legend of Noel,’ right there!” Jerry laughed and proclaimed, “I’ve had a lot of fun and a lot of great memories. Not a bad way to move into Phase Two with the lady who made it possible, my wife, Judy!” A True Legend After decades of large bank branching and steadily increasing regulation, Jerry Sage left Missouri independent banking with 310 state-chartered banks. Through his efforts, Missouri independent banks didn’t lose the war on branch banking until the DoddFrank Act removed the requirement that large banks buy a bank in the state before branching out. “The credit doesn’t go to me,” Jerry stated. “It goes to the bankers that supported me. Their contribution of time and effort is what made my career possible. I am very appreciative of the opportunities community banking gave to my family over the years.” After he retired, Jerry spent as much time as possible with Judy and at his cabin on the shores of Missouri’s Sac River. Missouri bankers remember the man who fought to keep their community banks open for business with the nickname chosen by his friends: they called him Sage. ■ I’ve had a lot of fun and a lot of great memories. Not a bad way to move into Phase Two with the lady who made it possible, my wife, Judy! Continued from page 25 26 | The Show-Me Banker Magazine
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