Page 12 - South Mississippi Living - November, 2026

COAST NOTE
story and photo courtesy of Hancock Whitney
Last month, Hancock Whitney unveiled a life-size bronze
sculpture honoring longtime banking and community leader, the
late George A. Schloegel, creating a permanent tribute to one of
the Gulf Coast’s most influential civic and business figures.
Located at the west entrance of the company’s downtown
Gulfport headquarters at Hancock Whitney Plaza, the sculpture
depicts Schloegel seated and facing the 15-story corporate tower
he helped design and build in the late 1970s and where he spent
more than half of his 50-year banking career.
The private unveiling took place in conjunction with the
127th anniversary of Hancock Whitney’s 1899 bank charter
and the company’s annual month-long observance honoring its
founders.
“George Schloegel was a treasured colleague, mentor, teacher,
counselor, and friend to countless members of our Hancock
Whitney family and bankers and community leaders across the
Coast, around the state, and throughout the country. George was
dear to so many of us, and we miss him,” said Hancock Whitney
President and CEO John M. Hairston. “This bronze likeness
provides a fitting testament to his leadership and remains a
permanent reminder of the good he did, the lessons he taught,
12 | November 2026 and the difference a person can make through a life of service.”
Schloegel embodied an American success story built on
hard work, humility, and dedication. Starting at the bank as a
16-year-old mailroom runner earning one dollar an hour, he
actively managed every facet of bank operations before rising
to the company’s highest executive positions as Chairman and
CEO. Throughout his career, he also led countless economic
development initiatives across the region. After his retirement,
he served as mayor of his beloved native city, Gulfport, and
remained a driving force in helping the bank continue to grow
across the Gulf South.
Schloegel passed away peacefully and unexpectedly on
October 6, 2023. In 2024, as the company celebrated the
125th anniversary of its 1899 bank charter, the bank rededicated
Hancock Whitney Plaza park as the George A. Schloegel
Lighthouse Memorial Park, with a bronze monument sharing
the lifelong Gulfport resident’s remarkable story.
Sculptor Matt Glenn with Big Statues created the Schloegel
sculpture. Bonnie Blackledge, principal with Transmedia
Creative Services, Inc., in Gulfport, designed and directed
production of the sculpture.
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