Norwood W. "Red" Pope Sr.

Norwood Wesley "Red" Pope, Sr.
October 10, 1931 - March 8, 2011
Scottsdale, AZ
Norwood Wesley "Red" Pope, Sr., died at Sherman Hospice Home at Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, AZ, March 8, 2011, from multiple complications of lung disease. Born October 10, 1931 in Raleigh, NC, "Red" was a devoted, loving son, husband, father and grandfather. His career spanned more than 50 years in business and senior management in bank marketing. He was the son of now-deceased Mr. and Mrs. E.N. "Red" Pope (Elma Parker).
"Red" grew up in Raleigh, was a 1949 graduate of Broughton High School, and a 1953 graduate of Wake Forest College. During his college years, he was a drummer with the highly popular dance band, The Southerners, and authored the book, The Dance Band from Deacontown, highlighting the band's many popular performances and escapades up and down the East Coast.
During his life in Raleigh, he was a fun and funny, red-headed popular "fixture" in the Five Points area. He thrived on making and protecting life-long friendships wherever his life's journey took him. He was active with the Jaycees in Raleigh and Winston-Salem; traveled to 100 North Carolina counties to stage and promote the winning campaign of 1964 gubernatorial candidate, Dan Moore; and was the driving force behind the establishment of the first state zoo in the United States. Today, North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro is one of the largest natural habitat zoos in the country.
Red was famous for his immense creativity, great joke telling, playing practical jokes on his many friends, inspirational public speaking, and always had a yearning to "run away with the circus." His life's motto "Often Wrong, but Never in Doubt!" was well known among family and friends.
"Red" began his career in New York City with the national advertising and public relations agency, Bozell & Jacobs, Inc. He later served in advertising administration for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company prior to entering the bank marketing field in 1959. During his career, he held senior level marketing positions with First Citizens Bank, Sun Banks of Florida, Valley National Bank of Arizona, and First Hawaiian Bank.
He served as national president of the Bank Marketing Association, 1979-80, and was selected one of six original members of the Bank Marketing Hall of Fame in 1995.
In addition to creating and directing marketing campaigns for retail-driven banks, "Red" wrote a marketing column for The American Banker daily newspaper for 13 years. He taught marketing in five banking schools, addressed executive banking audiences in England, Columbia and Brazil, and for more than 18 years was a speaker at the Assembly for Bank Directors.
He contributed over 100 articles to bank trade publications and marketing books, and was featured in Tom Peters' In Search of Excellence. His columns on customer service at Disney theme parks have been used in case studies at Harvard Business School and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.
Following retirement in 1997 from First Hawaiian Bank, he and his wife, Linda, returned to live in Scottsdale, AZ. He continued to consult with several banks throughout the country.
Throughout their 25-year marriage, he and his wife traveled to most countries in the world and developed strong ties with many families during the course of their travels. "Red" is survived by his wife, Linda; his son Norwood Wesley "Wes" Pope, Jr. (Brigid) and their three children, Kelsey, Erin and Joe of Charlotte, NC; his daughter, Susan P. Pope of Niceville, FL; and step-daughter, Candace B. Farina (Shane) and their two children, "Lexie" and "Kate" Farina of Scottsdale, AZ.
A memorial service, with reception to follow, will be held on March 29, at 11 a.m, at Hayes Barton Baptist Church, 1800 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, North Carolina 27608. His cremains will be scattered in sentimental places of his hometown Raleigh. A celebration of life will be held in Scottsdale in the near future.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that contributions be made in the name of Norwood Wesley Pope, Sr. to any one of the following organizations: The Wake Forest College Birthplace Society, P.O. Box 494, Wake Forest, NC 27588; The North Carolina Zoological Society, 4403 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro, NC 27205; Hospice of the Valley, 1510 East Flower Street, Phoenix, AZ 85014, or to your favorite charity.
Local arrangements are under the direction of Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 St. Mary's Street, Raleigh, NC.