The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-05-08

of light on the lobby and through the galleries on the second floor. This splendid piece of structural work was done by Day & Sachs Con- struction company and the architects are Miller & Martin. Practically all home material was used. the marble 1 from Sylacauga coming from furthest afield.
 Extra Conveniences Customers will find perpetual calendar on the tables where one makes out checks and deposit slips of great convenience. They will be 1 immediately in front of the eye. Needless to comment on the many questions and loss of time that this little convenience will save. Another facility which the bank | has provided for are conference rooms, where a party of business | men may come for discussion of a financial transaction, or members of a bereayed family may assemble in privacy for hearing will read or the l like.
 If one went through the building looking for fault to find his labor would be in vain. It Is like tho founders of the bank and those who ! have operated it sinee-dignified. | capable, there to serve and win and hold confidence.
 Such is the Birmingham Trusts remodeled home. When it moved
 there in 1902 Birmingham thought the limit in bank structure had been reached. It was beautiful. It had a marble front and it suggested dig
 nity and massiveness, but Birming-
 ham grew and the bank grew and
 the bank had to move out for a year
 while it was being made larger and more massive in keeping with its
 growth and that of the city.
 Early Officials First president of the bank was
 Dr. H. NJ. Caldwell. president of the
 Elyton Land company, which laid out i and founded Birmingham. Next was l Paul H. Earle and he was succeeded
 on his death in 1901 by Arthur w.
 Smith, who has been president since. | The officer most closely identified l with the active management of the bank is Col Tom O. Smith, vice ! president for 20 years A man of en- gazing personality, his additional | qualifications as a banker make him an ideal man for the personal re- 1 ilationship between banker and cus- toner and manager and employe. 1 William H. Manly, longest of all in active service. came to the bank in 1895, a boy. He was made cashier i in 1903, when little more than a youth. and has held that position
 since. The three assistant cashiers,
 Benson Cain, C. D. Gotten and E. w.
 Finch, have been with the bank since
 1902.
 Some Have Passed Away l Of the men who stood at the cradle of the bank, James T. Woodward, Judge T. B. Lyons, Capt. W. G. ward, Joseph McLester, William Halls alone survive. Of the directors who were with the bank when it moved
 to it's Twentieth street home, James T. Woodward. W. T. Northington and
 James Spence are dead With 20 years of service as their record. J. N. Caldwell, Sam L. Earle, R. A. Terrell.
 R. S Munger. Thomas H. Benners and Lee c. Bradley are still on the board. The other directors are Dan
 B, Dimick. Judge W. I. Grubb. Walter i E. Henley. Fred M. Jackson. Frank H. Lathrop and Merrill P. Eorthing- ton. Messrs. Earle and Caldwell are sons of the banks two first pres- idents.
 How It Has Grown ! Twenty years ago the entire work
 ing force of the bank consisted of 35 men and two stenographers. Now l there are 65 men and 40 women. I Twenty years ago the safety de-
 posit vault required less than one | tenth of the time of a man busy al other work. Now all the time of a i skillful attendant is required. , Twenty years ago the savings book 1 was an incident in the closing days work of one bookkeeper. Today three persons are busy in that de- partment.
 ] Twenty years ago the trust de- partment required about one-tenth c1 l the time of one man. Now all the time of three men and stenogra- pher are required.
 Trust Department {, The Birmingham Trust was the first institution in the state to add : trust feature to commercial bank
 ing. Now 1t is a very large and i'm
 portent department ghs hank aetl