Community and coworkers remember beloved late First Federal president, CEO
Charles W. Trump Jr.’s ascent to the top of a distinguished bank had a humble beginning. Fresh out of Waynesburg University with a master’s in business administration, this former Yellow Jackets wrestler was grappling with his future.
“I thought a career in business banking or something similar would be worth considering,” he said, reflecting back to 1999. That’s when an acquaintance intervened.
Scott S. O’Neil, then president and CEO of First Federal Savings and Loan Assoc. of Greene County, was a wrestling aficionado with whom Trump had remained in contact. “Scott said, ‘We have a position open in our loan signature office,'” referring to First Greene Mortgage in Morgantown, W.Va. “He approached me and asked if I was interested in interviewing for it.”
The young MBA recipient was more than interested. He aced the interview, was hired, and 21 years later, Charles W. Trump was promoted to company president and CEO. These were positions previously entrusted to Scott O’Neil, a man for whom he has considerable gratitude for his demeanor and due diligence.
“My career has been here, and I have to give Scott credit for that,” Trump said of O’Neil, who died in Waynesburg on July 6 at age 78.
For 48 years – nearly two-thirds of his life and half of the bank’s 98-year existence – this Point Marion native served First Federal as an employee, officer and director. He was president and CEO from 1991 to 2008, and was instrumental in the association’s growth.
O’Neil joined the bank in 1969, following a one-year tour of duty in Vietnam. At that time, according to Trump, “we had two offices and $61 million in assets. More than 50 years later, our (chief financial officer) shared with the board that at the end of the second quarter (of 2022). We had over $1 billion in assets,” along with nine offices – eight spread among Greene, Washington and Fayette counties, and one in Morgantown.
“We are grateful for the growth, and Scott helped to etch that growth, but he would tell you it takes a team to do that.”
O’Neil, according to Trump, was the consummate team leader. “People revered Scott. He was a confident leader who maintained the same philosophies that his predecessor (as president/CEO), James Brewer, had. He’d hear people’s views and opinions and move confidently forward with their input. He was balanced in his decision-making.”
Trump, of course, was introduced early on to one of O’Neil’s trademark leadership traits. “Scott maintained a high level of confidence in the people he hired. He was very much NOT the micromanager. He put people in a place and let them do their jobs.”
Scott O’Neil and First Federal was a strong marriage, but not comparable to the 55-year union he shared with Peggy Williams O’Neil. They met at what was then Waynesburg College, a young woman from the borough and a member of the first graduating class – 1961 – at Albert Gallatin High School.
“Scott played football and basketball in high school,” Peggy said. Waynesburg recruited him for football, but a knee injury ended that endeavor.
Their lives were enhanced by the two sons they raised: Michael of Peters Township and Patrick, who resides in Texas. “Those boys were the light of his life,” Peggy said over the telephone, relating that he passed onto the sons his passion for trout fishing and bird hunting.
O’Neil also was into wrestling, coaching his sons at the local level. He was active in the Waynesburg Wrestling Association and various other community pursuits: Waynesburg Elks; Waynesburg Moose; Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful; the Fairchance Exchange Club; and youth baseball leagues.
As for the association, Peggy said her husband “met a lot of wonderful people at First Federal. He got a lot of satisfaction out of working there.”
Lanfer Simpson has a keen appreciation for Scott O’Neil, and not just because of his athletic ties – even though Simpson was a multi-sport standout at Waynesburg Central High School who played football at West Virginia University. Simpson, pastor of Mapletown United Methodist Church, handled O’Neil’s eulogy.
“Scott was pretty influential in my life,” said Simpson, who as a freshman wrestled for one year at Waynesburg Central with Michael O’Neil. “Scott was heavily in wrestling. He was president of the wrestling association and my mom raved about him. He set clear objectives and you could tell he was passionate about everything he pursued.
“He was the epitome of what you want your business leaders to do in a community. He gave back so much of his time.”
John E. Mariner and Judi Goodwin Tanner, the two president/CEOs between O’Neil and Trump, likewise praised their recently deceased colleague.
In an article the bank submitted for publication in the Observer-Reporter, Mariner said of his decades-long co-worker: “The motto we have, ‘The People You Know, The People You Can Trust’ – that was Scott. You may not have agreed with (a decision he made), but you could trust that he made that decision for the benefit of First Federal.”
Tanner, president/CEO from 2012 to 2020, said: “First Federal was lucky that Mr. O’Neil shared his life with us. Scott was not only a mentor, but a great friend. He was very community-oriented and loyal to his family and friends.”
O’Neil joined the bank in 1969, following a one-year tour in Vietnam. He started as a mortgage loan officer in Uniontown, a location he would later manage, and eventually worked up to vice president and executive VP with First Federal. O’Neil was appointed to the bank’s board of directors in December 1990, and a month later was named president/CEO.
He became board chairman in February 2006 when his immediate predecessor, the late James L. Brewer, retired, and maintained the position for 11 years. O’Neil retired as an employee in July 2008. He was director emeritus on the board when he died.
“The world seems smaller that he is no longer among us,” Tanner lamented, “but he will live on in our memories and our hearts.”