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DALLAS (SMU) — Longtime SMU supporter, former member of the SMU Board of Trustees and civic leader Gene H. Bishop died Friday, February 22. His legacy of financial leadership, business savvy and community service helped drive Dallas’ dynamic growth for more than half a century. 

“We are deeply saddened by Gene’s passing,” said R. Gerald Turner, SMU president. “As a passionate advocate for education, he made an indelible mark on SMU and the City of Dallas. I met Gene in 1984 when I was Chancellor of the University of Mississippi, where he was a dedicated alum. He has been a friend to me ever since, always offering sage advice behind the scenes.”

At SMU, Bishop served on the Board of Trustees and the Board of Governors (1979 – 1987), on the board of the Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture Series, and on the executive board of the Cox School of Business (1985 – 1989). He is survived by his wife, Kathryne Bishop, who previously served on the board of SMU’s Godbey Lecture Series; his son, John Hulon Bishop, who earned an M.B.A. from SMU in 2006; Mrs. Bishop’s daughter, Kathryne Morris, who earned her Bachelor’s and J.D. degrees from SMU in 2001 and 2008; and Mrs. Bishop’s son, Andrew Morris. 

Bishop served as an advisory director of Tolleson Wealth Management. He previously was chairman and CEO of Life Partners Group Inc., vice chairman and president of Lomas Financial Corporation and CEO of MCorp. He started in banking at First National Bank of Dallas in 1954.

His community involvement included Children’s Health Services of Texas, Southwestern Medical Foundation, Communities Foundation of Texas, Dallas Methodist Hospitals Foundation, the Dedman Foundation, the Nancy Ann and Ray L. Hunt Foundation, and the Constantin Foundation.

Bishop earned his B.B.A. degree from the University of Mississippi at Oxford and served in the U.S. Air Force.