Brookes Barton
Worthington
Cool Banking Center
Vice President and Manager
Q: What do you do?
A: I’ve been 38 years in the financial
industry, primarily banking and a
mortgage company. Had a Lone
Star loan review company, reviewed
loans for bank by an independent
loan review company. Have been a
bank examiner for the State of Texas.
In the midst of a five-year period I
also had a homebuilding company
and built spec houses at the Cliffs
at Possum Kingdom. Right now I’m
with the Comanche National Banking
Group and serve as their Vice
President at the Cool Banking Center.
Q: What is your favorite movie?
A: The Lonesome Dove series. I could
watch it every weekend. You always
pick something up every time you see
it again. I’ll always love Lonesome
Dove.
Q: What kind of music are you into?
A: 70s rock and roll all the way. Best
music era of all time.
Q: If you were to write a book, what
would you call it and what would it
be about?
A: How To Live Life Loving Every
Second. It would be about fully
enjoying the gift of life showing
appreciation to God every day of your
life.
Q: What’s the most daring thing
you’ve ever done?
A: Jumped in the bear pit at Baylor
University and went in the bear cave
and woke up the bear at midnight one
night while in college at Baylor.
Q: What accomplishment are you
most proud of?
A: Besides being the father of my
children, it would be playing for
Grant Teaff on the SWC Champion
Baylor Football Team in 1972-1975.
Q: How did you get into your field?
A: My family has been in the banking
business in Weatherford since 1886.
Q: What do you do to relax?
A: I love to read USA history,
autobiographies, motivational books
and sports books to relax. I also love
to watch football on TV and to grill
food.
Q: If you could visit any place in the
world, where would you go?
A: I want to take an Alaskan cruise
and fish for salmon.
Q: Who would you most like to have
lunch with, past or present?
A: John Wayne. He was not only a
fantastic actor but also a fantastic
person.
Q: If someone asked you to give them
your best piece of advice, what would
you say?
A: Never waste a second of life,
getting everything you can get from it,
having as much fun as you can with
as many friends as you can, doing
everything you’ve dreamed of doing
[and] having no regrets when the day
is over.
Q: What’s your favorite hobby?
A: I dream of returning to cutting
horse competition when I have
money to burn.
Q: What is the one thing that makes
you happy?
A: Playing with my granddaughter
Lyla Pearl, trying my best to fulfill
every request she asks of me.
Q: What makes you really sad?
A: Parents treating young children
with anything less than unconditional
love.
Q: What scares you?
A: Terrorists infiltrating America,
wreaking havoc on our normal
lifestyle and causing my children
and grandchildren to live in constant
danger and fear.
Q: Do you like to plan things out in
detail or be spontaneous?
A: Well that depends. I like to plan
a trip to Vegas in order to catch my
plane and have a motel room; but I
like to be totally spontaneous once I
get there.
Q: If you could go back in history,
who is the one person you would like
to meet?
A: I’d like to hang out with Charles
Goodnight.
Q: Who in your life has influenced
you the most? How?
A: My uncle was paralyzed from
his neck down when he was 18
and before I was born. I spent over
40 years of my life watching him
overcome total paralysis to become
an honored outstanding citizen, a
community leader and contributor to
society and an advisor to many other
young quadriplegics and paraplegics.
He was a positive influence on other
physically handicapped people while
never having married or had children
of his own or walked or ran or lived a
physically active life for 48 years after
age 18. I learned from him to never
complain because life for me, could
at any time, be a lot worse.
Q: What would you most like to be
remembered for?
A: I want to be remembered for
loving my family, friends and fellow
mankind unconditiona lly and living
every second of life and not being
afraid to live outside the politically
correct lines set by society. I want
to be able, at journey’s end, to say
I have no regrets, and when people
reminisce about me for them to say,
“one thing’s for sure, ol’ Brookes
sure loved life.” I also want them
to know that I only believed in one
kind of love — unconditional love —
because anything else is not love, it’s
just fulfilling conditions.
PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
Q: When you were a child, what did
you want to be when you grew up?
A: A professional football player.
Q: Would you recommend your
career for other people? Why?
A: I would recommend banking
to other people. Banking is very
rewarding from a compassion
perspective and is also a good,
honorable career. It just takes a long
time to get to the executive level
unless you own the bank or know
magic.
JANUARY 2016
Q: Are you married? How did you
meet your spouse?
A: I’m married to a girl from west of
Weatherford and we met on a blind
date on April 2, 2002. A mutual
friend set up the date. She’s definitely
a keeper.
I just fell into banking I guess.
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