Southern Methodist University's SW Graduate School of Banking at Cox Honors Alumnus F. Scott Dueser

DALLAS, June 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Office of the President of the SW Graduate School of Banking Foundation at Southern Methodist University (SWGSB-SMU) is pleased to announce that F. Scott Dueser, Class of 1981 (Class XXII), is the recipient of the 2013 SWGSB Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumnus Award.  Mr. Dueser is Chairman, President and CEO of First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIN), a publicly traded financial holding company based in Abilene, Texas, with 62 branch locations.  This lifetime achievement award was presented to Mr. Dueser at the SWGSB-SMU Keynote Address during the most recent session of the SW Graduate School of Banking in May.  Dwight Garey, senior vice-president of Amegy Bank N.A., and president of the SWGSB Alumni Association, made the presentation.  Only five other graduates in the School's 56-year-old history have received this prestigious honor.

Mr. Dueser received a BBA in Finance and Accounting from Texas Tech University in 1975, and graduated from the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University in 1981.  He started his banking career in 1971 and joined First Financial Bank, Abilene, in 1976.  Mr. Dueser has served as Chairman of Texas Bankers Association and as President of American Institute of Banking.  He served on Texas Tech University's Board of Regents from 2005-2009--as Board Chairman 2008-2009.  In 2006, he received the Rawls College of Business Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater.  In 2009, Mr. Dueser was named Abilene's Outstanding Citizen of the Year by the Abilene Chamber of Commerce.  He currently serves on the Board of the American Bankers Association.

In making this announcement, the President and CEO of the SWGSB Foundation Dr. S. Scott MacDonald said:

"Scott Dueser has made a tremendous impact upon the banking industry across the country.  He has been a pioneer in many of the most successful approaches to community banking and is a sought after resource.  Scott's service to countless boards and committees is testament to his commitment to a profession that is critical to the economic lifeblood of so many of our communities.  A member of Class XXII, he has brought honor to SWGSB for many years.  We are privileged to award him the highest recognition the SW Graduate School of Banking can bestow on any graduate, the Distinguished Alumni Award.  For his many contributions to the industry and banking education, it is an honor he richly deserves.  I am proud to call him a friend."

Established in 1957 and celebrating its 56^th anniversary in 2013, the SW Graduate School of Banking is one of the industry's top banking educational institutions.  It is a professional school for bank officers, regulators, and others holding management positions in the financial services industry.  SWGSB-SMU meets two weeks annually over three years, bringing into focus and augmenting these managers' on-the-job experience.  Emphasis is placed on financial management, leadership development, and strategic planning.

The graduate school's sponsoring partners include the Arkansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas bankers associations, and Southern Methodist University.

At the forefront of bank leadership development, the SW Graduate School of Banking is known throughout the industry for the quality of its curriculum, outstanding faculty, and innovative scholarship program, which recognize and reward the School's top performing students.  The SWGSB Foundation also conducts the prestigious Assemblies for Bank Directors, a series of annual seminars and workshops held throughout the United States, Canada and off shore for bank board members and senior officers.  It partners with the American Bankers Association to conduct the ABA's National Commercial Lending School and Graduate Commercial Lending School and the Independent Bankers Association of Texas to conduct the Bank Operations Institute.  SWGSB and SWGSB Foundation are headquartered at Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business, one of the top business schools in the country.

Those interested in attending the SW Graduate School of Banking—or in learning more about the school and other SWGSB Foundation programs—may write, call, or e-mail:  SWGSB, SMU Box 214, Dallas, Texas, 75275; (214) 768-2991; info@swgsb.org.  The SWGSB web site is www.swgsb.org.

SOURCE First Financial Bankshares, Inc.