SAN ANTONIO – Tom Frost’s list of accomplishments include bringing HemisFair to the city of San Antonio, helping to make the Medical Center a reality, attracting the Spurs and, all the while, building a banking empire. And Frost’s reputation as a philanthropist and a businessman isn’t lost on two people who simply called him “Dad.”
Don Frost hasn’t been in his father’s office at Frost Bank’s headquarters since Tom Frost died on Aug. 10.
Don Frost remembered “all the conversations that we had.”
With their father's longtime assistant, Brenda Butler, by their side, Don Frost and his brother, Pat, shared fond memories of the 12th floor of the Frost Bank building.
“Every time you came in here, you got guidance. You got counsel. You got direction. You received advice in a clear way,” Don Frost said.
“He treated everyone the same. It didn't matter who you were. It didn't matter how large of a depositor you were. He treated everyone with dignity and respect,” Pat Frost said.
Frost died at the age of 90. He hadn't been in his office since he had a stroke a few months ago.
"I'm happy he's in heaven. I miss him greatly, but he was not happy after the stroke, and it's really good to know he's up and in heaven,” Pat Frost said.
The desk in Tom Frost’s office is just as he left it, and just out the window is one of his tallest San Antonio legacies, the new Frost Bank Tower.
“He loved watching it rise up. His line was he was in charge till it got to his window. Then he was going to hand it over to somebody else,” Pat Frost said.
Don and Pat Frost said the tributes and the accolades for their father are appreciated.
“It's overwhelming and it's wonderful, and it helps us carry on. It really does,” Don Frost said.
For the brothers, their father cast a large shadow, and their community involvement isn't by accident. It's one of the many lessons they learned from their father at home and in his office.
“He loved San Antonio and loved Frost Bank,” Pat Frost said.
“He was respected and loved by so many, but I think that's because he respected and loved so many. His legacy is that his gift is living in the gifts of so many others now,” Don Frost said.
The memorial service for Tom Frost will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Christ Episcopal Church.