Ronald Anderson Terry's Obituary
Ronald Terry
A legend in the Memphis business, art and civic world died quietly on March 6, 2023, at Trezevant Manor at age 92. Ron Terry was a visionary who listened more than he talked. He was sought after for advice and assistance by local and national leaders including a United States president.
After serving in the U.S. Navy, Terry began working at First Tennessee Bank, now First Horizon Bank, as a management trainee in 1957. He rose through the ranks and was named chief executive officer and chairman in 1973. During his 22-year leadership tenure, First Tennessee grew to become the state’s largest bank holding company, and he became nationally known for his banking expertise. Terry served as president of both the Federal Advisory Board to the Federal Reserve System and the Reserve City Bankers’ Association. In 1982, along with a handful of other bankers, he was summoned to the White House to discuss the national banking industry with President Ronald Reagan.
When Terry retired, Ralph Horn succeeded him from 1995 to 2003. Horn said, “His were big shoes to fill. He was the one who made the decision to take First Tennessee from a Memphis bank to a statewide bank. He executed the strategy for us to become the largest bank in Tennessee in terms of deposits and market share. Ron did a tremendous amount of good for Memphis and Shelby County and seemed to always have the citizens and the community as his first priority.”
Today’s First Horizon Chairman and CEO Bryan Jordan considered Ron Terry a mentor and friend. “Ron was a leader who was ahead of his time. He created an employee-based corporate culture that elevated the way we interact with one another. The culture he put in place is an essential part of what First Horizon is about today. While he has long since retired, the interests of the organization remained his priority well into his 80s,” Jordan said.
Terry was sought after in the national banking arena, but he always found time to say "yes" to local business, civic and charitable causes. He was a leader in the Memphis community, serving on numerous corporate boards including Holiday Inn, BellSouth and AutoZone. He served on the board of directors of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the University of Tennessee, Rhodes College, The Boys Club of Memphis, and Arts Appreciation, Inc. Additionally, he was president of Future Memphis, chairman of Baptist Hospital’s Community Advisory Board and a member of the University of Memphis Ambassador Club.
Terry was an inspirational civic leader. As chairman of the 1981 Memphis Jobs Conference, he motivated other business leaders to lead the way for a decade of the city’s growth. He changed the face of downtown Memphis by joining other bankers in providing bank financing to resurrect the historic Peabody Hotel and led the movement to preserve one of the nation’s largest urban parks by founding the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy.
Terry was passionate about the arts. After the shock of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., downtown Memphis became deserted. Terry wanted to help revitalize downtown Memphis by installing a major art project, the First Tennessee Heritage Collection, in the lobby of the bank’s headquarters. Today a 110-foot-long work of art by artist Ted Faiers is a visual story of Tennessee history.
First Tennessee honored Terry’s lifelong contributions by naming its building on Poplar Avenue in Memphis the Ron Terry Center.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Wynoka, their three daughters, Natalie (Guy) Joyner, Cindy (Jason) McCowan and Aja (Jay) Evans Longino; six grandchildren, Emily Joyner, Julie Anne Joyner, Felicia Rogers, Alexis McCowan, Colby McCowan and Bo Longino; one great-grandchild, Harper McCowan; and countless friends from all walks of life. The family would like to thank caregivers Gloria Larry, Earlean Jones, Erma Stout, Yolanda Stout and Beatrice Mason for their loving care.
Visitation is noon, Friday, March 10, at Memorial Park Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave., with funeral services to follow at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations are encouraged to Alaqua Animal Refuge, 155 Dugas Way, Freeport, FL 32439, Church Health, churchhealth.org/donate/, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 142, Memphis, TN 3810, or a charity of your choice.
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