James "Jim" Trice

JAMES "JIM" TRICE, 68, a senior executive at Prudential-Bache Securities for 27 years, died on April 1, 2005 in San Diego. Mr. Trice had been suffering from Alzheimer's Dementia for the last 5 years and most recently developed complications related to pneumonia. Born November 10, 1936 in Victoria, TX, Mr. Trice attended the University of Houston on a tennis scholarship where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration and met his future wife, Joanne Bell. Had he not pursued a career in business, he would have become a tennis pro. Mr. Trice also attended the Thunderbird American Graduate School for International Management where he earned his Bachelor of Foreign Trade. Mr. Trice entered the securities business in 1962 when he joined Schweickart & Co. as the Supervisor of the Operations and Credit Department. In 1963 Mr. Trice joined Bache, Halsey, Stewart & Shields as a Management Trainee and Account Executive in Houston, TX. He served as the branch Manager for the firm's Corpus Christi office in TX for two years before moving on to manage the San Antonio office for thirteen years. Highly regarded as a no-nonsense leader, Mr. Trice managed one of the firm's top branches in which not a single employee quit during his tenure. In 1981 Mr. Trice was promoted to Regional Director of the West Coast where he oversaw the rapid expansion of what had been one of the smallest and lowest producing divisions into the biggest region of Prudential-Bache Securities' retail business. In three years, Mr. Trice added 17 offices to a small collection of 16 offices that produced only $35 million in gross revenues when he arrived. In 1983 Mr. Trice split the region in two to accommodate accelerated growth. The two regions increased the region's sales to $136 million annually. Despite his executive status, Mr. Trice shunned the accouterments of many of his peers. He was known for his devotion to his wife who had been confined to a wheelchair since age 8 due to polio. As a show of frugality, he was known to test prospective employees by asking them to dine with him at his office and then serving them a microwaved TV dinner and then offering to drive them to the airport in his beat up '68 Ford Galaxy. From 1986 to 1989 Mr. Trice served as the Southeast Regional Director until he was terminated amid what was then regarded as the largest financial scandal in history on Wall Street in which thousands of Prudential's clients lost millions of dollars. Mr. Trice served as a key witness in the SEC's investigation of Prudential and eventually won a wrongful termination lawsuit against the firm. Mr. Trice went on to work at Merrill Lynch for a year before starting his own business as a securities head hunter and expert witness in securities litigation cases. Mr. Trice is survived by his daughter Rebecca Vargas and husband John Vargas of Santa Ysabel, son Elliott Trice and domestic partner Shaun Fletcher of Astoria, New York as well as three grandchildren Tyler Vargas, Britney Vargas and Brenna Fletcher. Graveside services were held at Haven of Rest Cemetery, Julian, Thursday, April 7, 2005. Family would request that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association (800) 272-3900. Bonham Bros & Stewart Mortuary, Ramona, assisted the family.