Patrick Blanchard, 81, of Augusta, died Nov. 4 in Augusta.
Pat was born in Appling, Georgia, in 1943 to parents, Mildred and John Pierce Blanchard. He was the second of five sons.
After graduating from Harlem High School in 1961, he entered Georgia Southern College, where he received a degree in business administration. During his college tenure, he was the president of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and served as vice president of the student congress. He was also an initial founder of the professional fraternity Delta Sigma Pi.
After graduating college, Pat began his professional career with Georgia Railroad Bank & Trust Company in Augusta in 1966. At the age of 27, he was appointed to the position of assistant state treasurer of Georgia in Atlanta and was considered to be the youngest assistant state treasurer in America. He then became one of Georgia’s youngest bank presidents in 1974, at which time he was elected president and CEO of Georgia State Bank in Martinez at the age of 30.
During the span of a 52-year career in banking, he went on to hold other positions as well, such as organizer, president and CEO of Georgia Bank & Trust Company of Augusta and a contributing founder of Georgia-Carolina Bancshares, Inc., and president and CEO of First Bank of Georgia, also in Augusta. He continued to serve as vice-chairman of the board of directors of Georgia-Carolina Bancshares, Inc., after his retirement in 2008.
Blanchard served a two-year term as chairman of the board of directors of the Georgia Southern University Foundation, Inc., and served as chairman of the Business Advisory Council of the College of Business Administration at Georgia Southern.
He is recognized on local and national levels in the field of banking. He was named “1994 CEO of the Year” by the Augusta Business Journal.
In 1999, Blanchard was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the College of Business Administration at Georgia Southern University. Shortly thereafter, he was honored by the business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi, with the 1999 National Career Achievement Award. In 2002, Blanchard was named the international chairman of the board of the Delta Sigma Pi Leadership Foundation.
In 2007 and again in 2008, the Atlanta Business Chronicle named Blanchard one of Georgia's Top 25 Performing CEOs ranked for a five-year shareholder return.
He was honored for his 50-year career in banking in 2012 by the Georgia Bankers Association and Community Bankers Association. Blanchard was recognized in the book, “Local Legends of Augusta,” by author, Don Rhodes in 2014.
Blanchard was preceded in death by two brothers, Perry C. Blanchard and Preston K. Blanchard; and leaves behind his wife of 57 years, Gwen Banks Blanchard, who is from Statesboro; their two children, Mary Brannen Blanchard and Patrick G. Blanchard Jr. (Gretchen); as well as four grandsons, William Blanchard "Will" Rayburn, John Banks Rayburn, Patrick G. Blanchard III and Charles Jordan "Charlie" Blanchard. He also leaves two brothers, J. Pierce Blanchard Jr. (Deborah) and Philip B. "Phil" Blanchard (Kay); and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
A memorial service is planned for Friday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m. in the chapel of First Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia.
The family will receive guests starting at 1 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the following organizations: the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society, the National Stroke Association or a charity of one’s choice.
Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors of Augusta in charge of arrangements.
Statesboro Herald, November 13, 2024
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