Tom Frost, chairman emeritus of Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc. and a legendary Texas businessman, has died at the age of 90. Frost had been in the hospital since July 13, 2018, after suffering a stroke.

One of the most influential men in San Antonio and South Texas, Frost was a direct descendant of Cullen/Frost Bankers’ founder, Col. Thomas Clairborne “T.C.” Frost. Frost began his banking career as a bank runner, while he was a teenager.

Frost graduated from the Texas Military Institute, and attended the University of Texas at Austin before serving in the U.S. Army. Following his military service, he enrolled at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA, majoring in commerce.

After completing his college education, he went to work at Frost Bank as a teller. He became president of Frost Bank in 1962, at age 34, and retired in 1997.

“Tom Frost’s impact on our company, and in San Antonio in general, can’t be overstated,” Cullen/Frost Chairman and CEO Phil Green said in a statement. “His leadership guided Frost Bank through times of rapid growth, expansion into other markets and its transition to a publicly-traded company. He had the vision and courage to oversee a leadership transition, and became chairman emeritus when the first CEO from outside the Frost family took over.”

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