The Bank of Tampa announced the passing of its founder Gerald “Jerry” Divers, late Friday afternoon.
Corey Neil, current president and chief executive officer of The Bank of Tampa issued this statement, “All of us here at The Bank of Tampa are tremendously saddened by the passing of Jerry Divers. Jerry founded our Bank 40 years ago, serving as president and CEO until 2008. Because of Jerry’s patient, kind, modest and effective leadership, The Bank of Tampa became a steady and well-respected institution. We are all better for having known him. Jerry’s legacy goes well beyond The Bank of Tampa. He was passionately active in the Tampa Bay community through service to his church and was generously philanthropic with his time and talents to a number of organizations including the Tampa Museum of Art, The University of Tampa and Berkeley Preparatory School. Our Bank, and our entire community will miss Jerry. We are praying for his family as they go through this time of grief.”
Divers grew up in Clearwater and attended St. Petersburg Junior College and, later, graduated from the University of Florida with a major in banking and finance. He attended Navy OCS, serving four years on active duty, aboard a ship in the Western Pacific and, later, at NAS Cecil Field, near Jacksonville. After serving in the reserve for 15 years, he took early retirement with the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
For more than 20 years, Divers served as president of the Southwest Florida Blood Bank. He served on the board, and was an officer, of the Florida Association of Blood Banks. Additionally, he served on the board of the American Blood Commission, in Washington, D.C. For 17 years, he served on the board of Berkeley Preparatory School, serving as its chairman. He was chairman of the board of the Tampa Museum of Art, chairman of the board of The Spring of Tampa Bay and president of West Coast Florida Public Broadcasting (WEDU). In addition, he served on the boards for Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of Greater Tampa, Tampa General Hospital Foundation, the Children’s Home, the Lifelink Legacy Fund, the board of advisors of The Home Association and the Hillsborough County Bar Association Foundation.