Inductees

He worked his way up from the bottom, in a Lebanon bank run by his granddad since 1917 and then his dad in the early 1950s.

Think Craig Curry kicked back? Hardly. In the 1970s, you could find him sweeping the bank’s floors, bagging coins or hauling transfers up to Jefferson City when he wasn’t playing baseball or basketball at the local high school.

He also did one other important thing. He paid attention, especially whenever his elders financially supported local causes that helped non-profits.

Years later as Chairman and CEO of Central Bank – and then as owner of Landau Pontoons – Curry stepped forward time after time for many others. That’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly honored Curry with the President’s Award during the 2022 Enshrinement presented by Killian Construction.

The President’s Award is bestowed on individuals who champion the Hall of Fame as well as sports in general in the state.

“Craig has been a great friend of the Hall of Fame for years, and his financial impact has been incredible,” said Jerald Andrews, the Hall of Fame’s CEO & Executive Director. “We cannot thank him enough.”

The Hall of Fame is a 501(c)-3 not-for-profit that opened in 1994 and relies on private donations.

Curry’s involvement with the Hall of Fame dates to 1997 when Lebanon-based Central Bank supported that year’s Enshrinement. He has been involved ever since and saw to it that the bank, and later Landau, became corporate sponsors.

He has served on the Board of Trustees numerous years and is currently Treasurer. Curry has sponsored teams in Celebrity Golf Classics and the Sporting Clays Classics, as well as tables at Enshrinements, luncheons and auctions.

In 2015, Landau Pontoons became the presenting sponsor of the Stan Musial Hall of Fame Championship, an elite two-day event.

In turn, Curry became a go-to voice over the past 20 years whenever Andrews considered launching a new event.

“His advice and counsel have helped guide us in the right direction,” Andrews said.

To Curry, folks attending induction ceremonies or playing golf with celebrities are hopefully inspired by the honorees’ stories and take that inspiration into their work and family life.

“The team concept that you learned as a kid transfers into your adult life,” Curry said. “You are only as good as the people around you.”

Additionally, Curry has thrown his support behind the PGA Korn Ferry Tour’s Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper, an event managed by the Hall of Fame.

That means he has been a key part of the coalition – of businesses and individuals – that has helped generate more than $18.3 million for Ozarks children’s charities since the tournament’s inception in 1990.

“The millions of dollars that have helped the charities and the kids who benefit … when you say, ‘What drives you?’ It’s that,” Curry said. “That’s what made it special when I grew up in Lebanon, Missouri. Giving makes the community very successful. That means a lot to me.”

Curry graduated from Lebanon High School in 1979 and from Drury University in 1983, with a degree in business administration.

A sports fan, Curry was intrigued when John Q. Hammons opened the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1994. He cannot remember what led him to meet Andrews a few years later, but certainly the two forged a wonderful friendship.

“After being a part of a few events, I said, ‘I want to be a part of this,’” Curry said.

Over the years, the Hall of Fame’s Celebrity Golf Classics paired him with former big-leaguers Ozzie Smith, Lou Brock, Tom Henke, Brian Jordan, the Kansas City Chiefs’ Dante Hall and Missouri Tigers football coach Gary Pinkel, to name a few. All are inductees of the Hall of Fame.

And for Curry, who always has a great time on the course, listening to their stories and creating friendships meant far more than receiving an autograph.

It’s also why he stepped forward to sponsor the Musial event, knowing that other golfers might have similar experiences.

This from a sports fan still young at heart and who attributes his success to wife, Tracy, as well as son Austin and his wife, Savannah, and son Wes and his wife, Lindsey, and grandson Silas. He also counts Charles Clinard, longtime President of Landau Pontoons, as a key mentor.

“I’m truly lucky to have had successful businesses that allowed me to invest in people and organizations that have a true meaning to philanthropy,” Curry said. “It’s been rewarding.”