OBITUARY
Remembering John G. Stallings Jr.: 1967-2020
Former Union, SunTrust exec leaves legacy of giving by Rich Griset
T
he word “can’t” just didn’t seem to be a part of John G. Stallings Jr.’s vocabulary.
From helping reshape what is now
Atlantic Union Bank from a small commu- nity bank into a regional player to starting a youth financial literacy program to serving on the boards of multiple organizations, Stallings’ friends and colleagues describe him as a compassionate, charismatic and selfless leader who devoted much of his time to helping others. He died at home on Nov. 2 following a three-year fight with bile duct cancer. He was 53. After serving as president and CEO
for SunTrust Banks’ Virginia operations, Stallings became president of Union Bank & Trust — now Atlantic Union — in September 2017. In that role, John Asbury, CEO of Atlantic Union Bank and of Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp., says
The Mailroom A time for unity
Thanks for inviting me to participate in the 2020 Virginia Business Political Roundtable. It was a very stimulating and thought-provoking discussion.
One loud message came through following the Nov. 3 election — America is a nation divided. The results showed that the path forward must address that divide, or we will never achieve the unity required to become the world’s greatest democracy once again. Virginia must establish bipartisan cooperation at the state and local level if the commonwealth is to remain the top state for business and education. There are not Democratic or Republican approaches to achieving our goals of a well-prepared workforce, solutions to climate change, reimagining our child care system, growing our economy, expanding broadband to every corner of Virginia, ending segregated housing and other critical issues. There are only Virginia answers. We need political and governmental leaders who are willing to work
across the aisle to solve our problems, not ones who hunker down in their partisan foxholes and launch rhetorical rockets.
The people best equipped to demand this bipartisan cooperation are the members of the business community who have a vested interest in reducing the divisiveness and seeking common ground for solutions. Leaders in the business community must demand that those seeking statewide and legislative positions in 2021 articulate how they will rise above partisan differences and work to achieve bipartisan solutions. The business community must only support candidates who make clear their commitment to bipartisan cooperation. I and others stand ready to help make bipartisan cooperation Virginia’s top priority and its new, 21st century founding principle.
James W. Dyke Jr. Former Virginia Secretary of Education Tysons
To submit a letter to the editor, please send your email of no more than 250 words to Richard Foster at
rfoster@virginiabusiness.com. Letters chosen for publication may be edited for clarity, word count and grammar.
Stallings had an “extraordinary impact on the company” during his short tenure, which ended after about a year and a half due to his cancer diagnosis. “I used to refer to him as Mary Poppins:
practically perfect in every way,” says Asbury. “John was a catalyst in [just] about anything that he did.” That impact was felt by multiple
community and philanthropic organiza- tions, including the Virginia Bankers Association, for which Stallings served as board chairman from 2016 to 2017. “He was just the epitome of a com-
munity leader, a community servant, and he was a really great person,” says Bruce Whitehurst, president and CEO of the Virginia Bankers Association. “He was such an inspiration to everyone who knew him.” He was also annual fund chairman
for the YMCA of Greater Richmond, an
executive committee board member of Venture Richmond, and a member of the boards of the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, Collegiate School, Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the Science Museum of Virginia Foundation. In 2018, the Virginia Center for
Inclusive Communities presented him with its Humanitarian Award. Stallings was also featured as a Living Legend in the first edition of Virginia Business magazine’s Virginia 500 issue. Tim Joyce, president and CEO of
the YMCA of Greater Richmond, says Stallings was “genuine and compassionate and loving of people.” “He loved this community, he loved his family, he loved the YMCA, he loved the Lord, and he was this amazing leader,” Joyce says. “He walked what he talked.”
Richard Foster
rfoster@va-business.com
www.VirginiaBusiness.com
VIRGINIA BUSINESS
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