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John G Medlin, Jr
Nov 23, 1933- June 7, 2012
John G. Medlin, Jr. died Thursday, June 7, 2012, at Grandfather Mountain, N.C., of a heart attack while playing tennis. He was 78. Mr. Medlin was born in Elevation, N.C., on November 23, 1933.The son of John Grimes Medlin and Mabel Stephenson Medlin, he grew up in Benson, N.C., and graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1956. From 1956-1959, he was an officer in the U.S. Navy. In 1959, Mr. Medlin joined Wachovia Bank and Trust Company where he rose through various managerial positions until his election as President and Chief Operating Officer in 1974. He was elected President and Chief Executive Officer of Wachovia Corporation and the bank effective January 1, 1977 until he stepped down as CEO in 1993. Mr. Medlin continued to serve on the Wachovia board until 1998. In 1991 and 1992, he received the American Banker Award as the most admired CEO in banking as well as the American Banker Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. He was selected by Financial World in 1990 as the Chief Executive of the Decade of the Eighties for Southern Banks and the best Chief Executive in the nation in 1993. He served on the boards of directors of Bell South Corporation, Burlington Industries, Inc., Carolina Power & Light Company, Hanes Corporation, Media General, Inc., RJR Nabisco Holdings Corporation, National Service Industries, Inc., Norfolk Southern Corporation, Piedmont Airlines, Inc., Summit Communications, and US Airways Group, Inc. Mr. Medlin also served twice as Chair of the Board of Wake Forest University and on the boards of Davidson College, Duke Endowment, the Kenan Institute for Ethics, the National Humanities Center, the National Urban League, the Research Triangle Foundation, Salem Academy and College, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and many other nonprofits. He served as Chairman of the Future of Justice and the Courts in North Carolina and as President of the Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve System and the Association of Reserve City Bankers.
Mr. Medlin is survived by his wife of 54 years, Pauline Sims Medlin, his daughters Elizabeth Medlin Hale (Sheffield) of Atlanta and Ridgely Medlin Phillips (John) of Charlotte, by a granddaughter Pauline Winston Phillips and grandsons John Merrill Phillips, Jr., Sheffield Medlin Hale, Thomas Harrold Hale and John Bradley Hale. He also is survived by his sister Patsy Blackman and brothers Jerry and Tracy Medlin. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Monday, June 11 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Winston- Salem, N.C. The family will receive guests at the church following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to a charity of your choice.
Click on link below -- it's a Memorial Page on the "Find A Grave" website for Mr. Medlin
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=91602371
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Medlin
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Irma Comer
I willl forever be grateful for having been a part of Mr Medlin's legacy, and among the thousands who called him a friend.
Two favorite memories: 1) Years ago (late 70s), I happened to be passing thru Benson, NC (Mr Medlin's hometown) on their annual "Mule Day" Its been too many years to recall the length of the delay - but I was quick to share the experience w/ Mr Medlin upon my return to the office. For years afterwards, when he would see me he would ask if I had run into any mules lately. 2) In the early 90s, I donated a personal letter written in July 1922 by my paternal grandfather (a Wachovia employee in Asheville) on Wachovia Bank stationery - which displayed the officers and assets of the bank on the stationery. Mr Medlin would often ask me if I was following in my grandfather's footsteps and making good use of business time doing personal business.
What a sad time for so many, but at the same time, comforting in knowing he enjoyed a long and successful life, and is now in God's eternal home
Dale Chilton
Absolutely the best leader in any industry. I was in Wachovia building, the square box one in Winston Salem, and the elevator door opend, he was the only one in the elevator. So, I entered thinking what am I going to chat about with Mr. Medlin. It was the fall and it was a Friday, we chatted about the weather and the fact that we were both planning to rake our leaves that weekend. I left thinking the CEO of Wachovia is going to rake his leaves, he certainly could have paid someone to do his manual labor, but that is just an example of how he did not place himself different that the common man, but he was very special.
Another case of Mr. Medlin's ability to relate to employees. Wachovia had private dining facilities used for entertaining large corporate customers etc and in many banks the executives ate in those facilities to set themselves apart from the common employees. Mr. Medlin ate with the rest of us. He would get his plate and find the table with a vacant seat and he would ask if he could join you. He was a fantastic person. I agree with Jan Hull, if he had continued as Wachovia CEO there would have been no banking crisis for the Wachovia bank. However, I'm glad he was able to retire and enjoy time with his family, he served the Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and the banking community very well. The best to his family !
Brenda Diggs
What a sad sad day in the life of the Wachovia Family. John Medlin was the heart and soul of an organization that once was one of the most respected business partners in this community. He embodied the true spirit of Wachovia and was a tremendous role model for all employees. He cared about the people, which is a rare emotion that we see expressed in today's fast pace world of business. I will never forget his kind gestures and support of me in my career at Wachovia. May he rest in peace. My prayers are with his family.
Jerry Ayers
There were numerous times in the cafeteria when Mr. Medlin sat down at the table where I was eating and engaged in pleasant conversation for the balance of the meal. There were some other memorable moments, too. I remember one morning coming in early to the training center on the day Mr. Medlin, the CEO and Chairman, was due to speak to a room full of new management trainee hires. I found the room wasn't set up for the meeting due to start in about 30 minutes. So as I frantically started moving tables and dragging chairs, who should appear in the doorway but Mr. Medlin, himself. And he just picked up the other end of the table I was dragging and helped me complete the set-up before anyone else arrived. For him, it was just a job that needed to get done. That's the kind of man he was.. I also remember doing a "management reinforcement" training workshop with Mr. Medlin as one of my "students". He showed up and went through the paces (as if I could really teach him anything!) He seemed to remember everyone's name, and that made you feel really special that the CEO knew your name when you encountered him. Those were the glory days for Wachovia with Mr. Medlin charting out the "Wachovia Way". It was an honor and privilege to serve under his leadership.
Rick Stegall
It was 1978, on the sixth floor of the Phillips Building around 9PM, when I had my first interaction with John Medlin. As a Data Processing Coordinator, my workstation was located just inside the main entrance to the Computer Room which allowed me to see anyone who approached our secured area. This particular evening, as I walked toward my desk with urgency to phone a programmer about a computer application problem, I noticed someone peering through the glass security door. As I got closer, and to my amazement, it became clear that this person was the recently appointed head of Wachovia Bank, my employer for the past two years. My first thought was, what the heck is John Medlin doing here? Then, after collecting myself I nervously asked could I help you. His reply was shocking to me at the time but made perfect sense as I observed him over the years, and was simply, I knew that you guys here on the night shift were working hard getting today's business processed and just wanted to come by and say hello. At that, I signed him in, issued him a visitors pass, and we began talking about what my job consisted of, how long I had been at the bank, and even my family life and hobbies. As we sat and talked, enjoying our favorite smokes, a Winston for me and Salem for him, I thought of how real this person was while not knowing at the time the profound impact this man would have on me, the banking industry, the Wachovia Bank family, and the many other people he would come in contact with during his lifetime. My sincere condolences to the family, rest in peace John G. Medlin, Jr.
Rick Stegall, Retired Wachovian
Patti Kiser
My thoughts and prayers go out for Mr. Medlin and to his family. I will always remember him as a wonderful leader and a thoughtful man who always looked out for his employees...I remember the early days when Mr. Watlington and Mr. Medlin would come around every Christmas and make a point of shaking every employees hand.
Barbara Lynch (Lynch)
I think of John Medlin when I think of great men with integrity. He will be missed.Cindi Naylor
I will always be grateful to have known and worked under Mr. Medlin. He made employees proud to work for Wachovia. Because of his strong and humble leadership it's so easy to see the work ethics of those that had the privilege to work under his leadership. He will be greatly missed in the Banking Industry and those that knew him..
Wayne Price
The loss of John was a biig one. He always made the concerns of his fellow Wachovians a priority. His legacy will have an ongoing impact on the entire bankjng industry.
Richard Marvin
This is somewhat belated but I felt the need to comment on John's passing in 2012. In 1987 I started work with Wachovia in the Bond department as the Manager of Public Finance. The main reason I chose Wachovia to continue my career was his caring and open personality. When I was interviewing with Rex Teany (who recruited me), we went to the executive floor to talk with Jack Runion (another favorite of mine). After meeting with him, we were walking by John's office and we just walked in to talk with him. He was welcoming and very interested and knowledgeable about Public Finance and I was very impressed. I had also interviewed with NCNB and had a very formal meeting with Jim Thompson but was cautioned not to ask him any questions, which I ignored. Big difference in culture.
Finally, John was instrumental in helping us market Wachovia. We were agressively marketing a refunding transaction with a NC Hospital that had most recently always used Merrill Lynch for their bond business. I called John to ask he could could help us win the transaction and he agreed. He called the CFO and told them how important their business was to Wachovia. The CFO called me back and asked me if John Medlin called all my potential clients and I responded " Only when it was important!"
John was a great banker and one of the most astute CEO's that I had met. When he stepped down Wachovia Bank was definitely diminished.