Born in Norman in 1929, Henry Eugene Rainbolt has always been better known by his nickname.
“I went by Gene because I did not like the name Eugene,” Rainbolt told Voices of Oklahoma in 2019.
In between receiving his bachelor’s degree and his MBA at the University of Oklahoma, Rainbolt served in the U.S. Army in the Korean War through ROTC.
Rainbolt bought his first bank in Purcell in 1962. Nearly three decades later, his holding company founded BancFirst. It’s now Oklahoma’s largest state-chartered bank, with more than 100 locations in 60 communities.
Alongside his son, David, Rainbolt lobbied to modernize Oklahoma’s banking laws over several decades.
Rainbolt co-founded the Oklahoma Symposium, which convenes state leaders and thinkers at Quartz Mountain each year to discuss ideas.
“His vision, generosity and relentless optimism transformed our state for the better,” Sen. Lonnie Paxton said in a statement mourning Rainbolt’s passing. “Through his philanthropic endeavors, advocacy work and leadership, it was clear that Gene was committed to solving problems facing our state.”
Rainbolt told the Rotary Club of Oklahoma City in August that he saw education as the most important of those problems.
“Education is the single lever that changes any society,” Rainbolt said. “Education at every level, beginning pre-K through higher ed, is so important, with great necessity of more funding for our two research institutions so that we can utilize aerospace medicine and technology to diversify our state.”
Gene and his late wife Jeannine lent their financial and advisory support to many philanthropic causes, especially education and health. The Rainbolts financially supported public radio stations KOSU and KGOU.
When Jeannine died in 2007, she and Gene had been married for 57 years. They met as students at McKinley Elementary School in Norman, according to her obituary in The Oklahoman. A year after her death, Gene donated $8 million to the University of Oklahoma’s School of Education, leading to it being renamed in her honor.
The couple had two children, David and Leslie.
Rainbolt wrote his own obituary for The Oklahoman, summarizing his “specific philosophy of life.”
“Change the world,” he wrote. “Have some fun. Make some money. Give it away. Believing the tragedy of death has to do entirely with what was left undone, mine ended with my having done all I could do, but with so much more needed!”
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
