Robert M Strickland

Robert Strickland, former chairman of the board and chief executive officer of SunTrust Banks, Inc. (NYSE: STI), died Tuesday, November 8 1994, at his home in Atlanta. Widely regarded as one of the nation's outstanding bankers, he was one of Atlanta's most respected community leaders. Strickland, 67, had been undergoing treatment for cancer diagnosed shortly after his retirement as chairman of the SunTrust executive committee in June 1992. Robert Marion Strickland was born May 20, 1927, in Atlanta, the son of Robert and Jessie Dickey Strickland. His father served as president of Trust Company of Georgia from 1937 until his death in 1946. A 1944 graduate of the Marist School, Strickland received a B.S. degree in economics from Davidson College and later earned an LL.B. degree from Atlanta Law School. At Davidson, he was student body treasurer and president of the Junior Class. He was also president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, member of the Student Council, the varsity football team, ODK leadership fraternity and Judge of the Court of Control. He began his banking career with Trust Company of Georgia in 1948 as an auditing clerk and was on military leave serving with the U.S. Army in 1950-52 during the Korean War. He was elected president of Trust Company in 1973 and chairman of the board in 1978. After retirement from SunTrust in 1992, he continued as chairman of the Trust Company advisory council. Corporate directorships included Equifax Inc., Georgia Power Company, Life Insurance Company of Georgia, Georgia US Corporation, the Investment Centre and Oxford Industries, Inc. A former member of the Federal Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, he was a past president of the Georgia Bankers Association, member and former director of the Association of Reserve City Bankers and past state vice president of the American Bankers Association. He had been chairman of the board of trustees of Emory University since 1979. At its 1994 commencement exercises, Emory conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws degree on Strickland. He had earlier received an honorary LL.D. degree from his alma mater, Davidson College. Strickland headed the search committee which this year called Dr. William M. Chace to succeed Dr. James T. Laney as Emory's president. A member of the Atlanta Action Forum, he chaired the capital funds campaigns for the Atlanta Botanical Garden and Zoo Atlanta. He was a past president of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, past president of the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta and chairman of the 1972 United Way campaign, past chairman and life trustee of the Woodruff Arts Center, past chairman of Central Atlanta Progress, past president of Big Brothers of Atlanta and past vice president of the Atlanta Rotary Club. He served on the board of visitors of Ida Cason Callaway Foundation and the board of councilors of The Carter Center of Emory University. A trustee emeritus of The Westminster Schools, he had also served as a trustee of Davidson College, Fernbank Science Center, Georgia Council on Economic Education and advisory boards of the Atlanta Area Council of Boy Scouts of America and the German-American Chamber of Commerce. At Piedmont Hospital, he was vice president of the board of trustees and chairman of the finance committee. In 1989 and 1990, he was Atlanta area campaign chairman for the U.S. Savings Bonds Division of the U.S. Treasury Department and in 1991 he served as banking industry chairman of the Savings Bonds National Volunteer Committee. In 1990, Georgia Governor Joe Frank Harris appointed him to a term on the board of the Metropolitan Atlanta Olympic Games Authority, playing an early role in attracting the 1996 Summer Olympic Games to Atlanta. Past president and director of Piedmont Driving Club, he was president of the Commerce Club during 1987-90. Memberships included the Augusta National Golf Club, Capital City Club, Peachtree Golf Club and the Nine O'Clocks. He was an active member of Northside United Methodist Church. Survivors are his wife, Telside Matthews Strickland; four sons, Robert Marion Strickland, Jr., Caracas, Venezuela; Douglas Watson Strickland, Atlanta; William Logan Strickland, Jacksonville, Fla., and Walter Dickey Strickland, Atlanta; two granddaughters, Catherine and Margaret Strickland, Caracas; a sister, Jessie Strickland Elcock, Big Canoe, Ga., and three nieces and a nephew, Jessie Elcock Smith, Claire Elcock Banks, Nancy Elcock and Walter Elcock, III.