Scott Graham

Obituary May 17, 2013 It took Scott Graham a while to come around to ATMs. Before First National Bank of Broken Arrow introduced the 24-hour teller machines to the community in 1977, the bank chairman had been firm in his belief that customers would choose to deal with people over computers. But ATMs proved wildly popular. "People like the convenience and most of all they like the privacy," Graham told The Tulsa Tribune at the time, adding that he, too, was warming up to the idea. As chairman of the bank's board for 46 years, Graham oversaw countless changes to the business over the years. But one thing, thankfully, remained the same. "Banking is a good living, but its real value is that it leverages your ability to achieve a greater good for the community - that's what my father believed," said his son Greg Graham, who succeeded his father as chairman in December. "He believed that was our duty and obligation as community bankers." Scott L. Graham died Monday, May 13. He was 77. A memorial service was held Friday, May 17, 2013 at the First Baptist Church under the direction of Kennedy-Kennard Funeral Home. Graham was chairman of the Broken Arrow bank from 1966 to 2012. He also served in that role for First National Bank of Coweta from 1981 to 2007. Greg Graham said his father was always deeply moved whenever a customer told him about the impact he had had on them through the bank. "Just last week, he told me about a woman he saw in Lowe's. He introduced himself and she said, 'Oh, I know who you are - you're Mr. Graham.' And she told him if it hadn't been for him they wouldn't have made it as a family." A native of Durant, Scott Graham was a graduate of the Oklahoma Military Academy in Claremore, George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and the University of Oklahoma law school. He and his family moved to Broken Arrow in 1941 when his father, A.L. Graham, bought controlling interest in First National. The institution, which had opened in 1902, dated to before the city incorporated. Scott Graham worked part-time at the bank during high school. In 1963, having completed his law degree, he joined the family business full time as vice president and general counsel. After the death of his father in 1966, he was elected board chairman. He was 31 at the time. And although he'd been thinking about a career in law or politics, he was committed henceforth to banking. Graham was influential civically in Broken Arrow, as well as in Tulsa and on the state level. He was active with both the Tulsa and Broken Arrow chambers of commerce, leading the Tulsa chamber's onetime Goals for Tomorrow program and various other committees between the two organizations. He also was a former chairman of the Oklahoma Development Authority; served a term on the state Arts Council and was a past chairman of Tulsa Opera. At one time, he also was a contributor to the Tulsa World's Point of View column. But Broken Arrow, where he was named Citizen of the Year in 1972, got the bulk of Graham's attention. Among the many local projects he spearheaded, he was proudest of his leading roles in the establishment of the Broken Arrow Community Foundation, the city's Margaret Hudson Program and Northeastern State University-Broken Arrow, family members say. Graham's survivors include his wife, Anne Graham; two sons, Frank Graham and Greg Graham; two daughters, Leslie Graham and Claire Graham-McDonnell; and six grandchildren. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Scott Graham, please visit our floral store.