Dear Denison friends and colleagues,
I am deeply saddened to share with you that Denison Life Trustee Bill McConnell ’55 has died at the age of 91.
After graduating from Denison in 1955 with a degree in economics, Bill attended the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, graduating in 1959. He joined Park National Bank as a management associate in 1960 and rose to become the bank’s president in 1979. He served as the company’s president until 1993, its CEO from 1983 to 1999, and chairman from 1993 to 2005.
Bill is credited with expanding Park National from its Newark roots to a holding company with locations across Ohio. As CEO, he oversaw its first acquisition outside of Licking County and converted the bank to a holding company in 1986. Park grew from two banks with $500 million in assets in 1986 to $9.9 billion in total assets today, with 95 offices operating in four states: Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, and South Carolina. He retired from the board in 2015 after 55 years with the company.
Bill joined the Denison Board of Trustees in 1986. An active trustee, he served on the Honorary Degrees and Investments committees and was vice-chair of the Finance committee. He championed Denison in many roles: as a member of the Alumni Council, career advisor, Denison Alumni Recruiting Team (DART) volunteer, reunion volunteer, and past chair of the Denison University Research Foundation. Denison honored Bill’s contributions to the college and community with an Alumni Citation in 1980.
Bill was widely respected in the banking industry and the local community. He served two terms as director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and served as president of the American Bankers Association. In 2010, Bill received the John G. McCoy Pioneer in Banking Award, the Ohio banking industry’s highest recognition. He served as chairman of the Board of Licking Memorial Hospital and president of the Newark Chamber of Commerce and the Newark United Way Campaign. Bill was a life trustee of Dawes Arboretum and a past director of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.
Bill was married to Jane Cook McConnell ’56 until her death in 2007. Our deepest condolences go out to his family. A memorial service is planned for later this fall. The Denison flag will fly at half-staff for three days in his honor.
Adam S. Weinberg
President