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biosketch as of 2003
A. W. RITER, JR. retired as Senior Chairman of the Board of NCNB Texas
(now Bank of America) on September 30, 1988, a position he had held since June 30, 1988. He
had served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank and its predecessors
since August 1979. He had been President and Director of the Bank since December 1963, and
Chairman of the Executive Committee since October 1973.
He served as a member of the board of directors of TCP Cable TV, Inc., until their merger with Cox
Communications in 1999. Mr. Riter served as President and a member of the board of the Tyler Economic
Development Council from its inception in 1988 to 1991.
Since 1992 he had served as Chairman of The University of Texas Health Center at Tyler Development
Board, and he served as Chairman of The University of Texas at Tyler Development Board. He was past
president of The University of Texas at Tyler Educational Foundation, Inc., and past chairman and
president of the Texas Chest Foundation.
He served actively on the boards of the East Texas Communities Foundation, East Texas Medical Center
Regional Healthcare System, Regional East Texas Food Bank, Salvation Army, Tyler Area Chamber of
Commerce, Tyler Junior College Foundation, and the United Way. He also served on the boards of the
East Texas State Fair Association, East Texas Mental Health Association, Junior Achievement of Tyler,
TISD Foundation, the Tyler Rose Museum, Inc., and the R.W. Fair Foundation and was a founding member
of the All Saints Episcopal School advisory board.
At the State level, he was a life board member of the Texas Research League, having served as its
treasurer for six years; he served two terms as president of the Texas Association of Taxpayers; and
he was a past board member of the Texas Chamber of Commerce, having served as Vice Chairman for
Administration and Finance for that organization. In June of 1989 Governor Bill Clements appointed
Mr. Riter to the Texas Growth Fund Board of Trustees and in August of 1990 he was appointed by the
Governor to the Teacher Retirement System Board of Trustees. He served in both of these positions
until October 1, 1994. He served as a member of the Governor's Select Task Force on Public
Education. He was also a member of the Governor's Business Council - Executive Committee and
served on the Governor's Select Task Force on Public Education. He was also a member of the
Executive Committee of the Chancellor's Council for The University of Texas System.
In early February 1997, he was appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate to serve as a
member of the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System for a six-year term ending
February 1, 2003. At the request of the Governor, Regent Riter continued to serve on the U. T.
Board of Regents until his death on September 23, 2003. He was a Vice-Chairman of the U. T. Board
of Regents and a member of the Finance and Planning Committee; the Facilities Planning and
Construction Committee; and the Student, Faculty, and Staff Campus Life Committee.
He had been active in civic affairs and had served as President of the following organizations
in the community: East Texas State Fair Association, East Texas Hospital Foundation, East Texas
Symphony Association, Great Tyler Drug Free Business Initiative, Mother Francis Hospital Foundation,
Texas Rose Festival Association, Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce, Tyler Economic Development Council,
Tyler Industrial Foundation, The United Way, Willow Brook Country Club, The Plaza Club, and Tyler
Petroleum Club. He was one of the founders and served as board chairman of the Better Business
Bureau of Central East Texas.
Mr. Riter was an elder and trustee in the First Presbyterian Church of Tyler and had been involved
in all phases of church work. He served as a Sunday school teacher, deacon, elder, and trustee and
had always supported the ministries of that church when called upon. He was a former member of the
board of directors of Grace Union Presbytery and was a past chairman of the Committee on Stewardship
for the Presbytery. He actively participated in a non-denominational men's Bible study group that
had met weekly for the past nineteen years.
He was married to the former Betty Jo Baxter, and they have two children - Mrs. Melinda Shoemaker
and Whit Riter, both of whom reside in Tyler. Whit is associated with his father as a general partner
in Pinstripe Investments and Melinda is a homemaker.
Mr. Riter received the W. C. Windsor Award as Tyler's Most Outstanding Young Man of the Year in 1958
and the T. B. Butler Award as Tyler's Most Outstanding Citizen of the Year 1968. In 1987, he was the
recipient of the Patriot of the Year Award from The University of Texas at Tyler. In September of
1994, he and his wife were recipients of Tyler's All Saints Episcopal School "Flame of Excellence"
award. In 1985 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at New Mexico Military Institute. In addition,
the Texas Chamber of Commerce named him East Texan of the Year for 1992. In 1993 he received a
special citation from the Texas Industrial Development Council in recognition of outstanding
leadership in economic development for the State of Texas. The East Texas Communities Foundation
recognized him as the Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser in 1996.
He served as a Class A Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas from 1969 to 1974 and was a
past chairman and member of the Advisory Council of Financial Institutions for the Federal Reserve
Bank of Dallas. He was active in Texas banking for a number of years, serving as president of the
Texas Bankers Association for the year 1984-85, the TBA's centennial year. He was a life member of
Robert Morris Associates, the national association of bank loan officers, and served as president of
the Texas Chapter of RMA in 1960. He was also active for a number of years with the American Bankers
Association, serving several years on the Governing Council and various committees, and served a
two-year term as State Vice President from Texas. He also served as a member of the Comptroller of
the Currency's Regional Advisory Committee on Banking Policies and Practices.
last updated September 2003
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