Obituaries

Samuel Lide "Sam" Banks

Photo of Samuel Lide "Sam" Banks
Samuel Lide Banks passed away at the age of 70 on Monday, the 21st of December, 2020, in Houston. His beloved daughter, Adriana Banks Monroe, was at his side. Sam was born on the 15th of March, 1950, to Marceline Lide "Cita" and Samuel Alexander "Buddy" Banks in the small Mississippi Delta community of Dumas, Ark., a great patchwork quilt of fields and farms, where the Banks family grew cotton, soybeans, and rice. Sam developed his remarkable work ethic early in life, often rising before dawn with his brothers Bill and Dwight to work long 12-hour days, chopping cotton and hauling 120-pound bags of soybeans. When not at school or working on the farm, Sam enjoyed riding his horse, Buck, fishing in the farm's reservoir, and frequenting the Delta Dip, the local burger joint. Sam excelled in football for the Dumas teams, playing the "monster man" linebacker, a position that allowed him to launch his little brother into opposing blockers before making the tackle himself, much to Dwight's chagrin. Sam attended Darlington in Rome, Ga., a challenging prep school that introduced him to the expansive world beyond southeast Arkansas. Among numerous athletic achievements at Darlington, Sam also earned the Senior Scroll, the top honor awarded by the school's faculty, and was elected President of the Honor Council, the top honor awarded by his fellow students. A born competitor, Darlington instilled in Sam a lifelong love of exploring new frontiers and discovering new opportunities. Sam went on to Tulane University, where he majored in history and pledged Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Sam boxed in the New Orleans Golden Gloves tournaments and waited tables and tended bar at the legendary Brennan's, an experience which left him with an admiration for New Orleans culture for the rest of his life. Working in local real estate immediately after graduating, Sam began thinking about challenges and opportunities beyond the Big Easy. His father had told him, "if you want to get the money, you go to Dallas, but if you want to make the money, you go to Houston." So Houston is where Sam went. After coming to Houston, Sam continued to work in real estate development and high-end restaurant management, but soon gravitated toward the high risk, high reward field of oil and gas, securing a position with Tomlinson Interests. Sam applied a methodology for long-short trading based around Tomlinson's assets and the existing system of price controls for fossil fuels. The success of this project allowed Sam to become independent, founding the Yuma Companies in 1983. Over the course of the next four decades, Sam established himself as one of the city's preeminent independent oil and gas explorers and traders. Sam survived the 1980s oil glut via trading profits and focusing on "bright spot" hydrocarbon indicators, drilling shallow wells where risk factors were significantly reduced. As an entrepreneur, Sam always surrounded himself with the best executive support and the best geologists and geophysicists—though he was notorious for ultimately following his own instincts. Sam loved his employees like family and gave Christmas bonuses at his personal expense when Yuma was struggling. Yuma dabbled in pipeline and gathering projects, and Sam was among the first American pioneers into Mexico's newly-opened energy sector. But the real sweet spot for Yuma was exploring the Austin Chalk—a geological formation his team grew to know intimately. Yuma found success in the Austin Chalk repeatedly and eventually discovered the La Posada field, Yuma's largest asset. As a small fish in a very big pond, Sam knew that you had to work around the majors, not against them, and provide value in order to survive. Sam not only survived; he flourished. Sam married Adriana Longoria in 1980, and their daughter, Adriana Banks Monroe, was born in 1985, on Sam's mother's birthday. Sam first put baby Adriana on a horse at the age of three, and loved riding with her at the Houston Polo Club and later at his ranch near Bellville. Sam also enjoyed taking his daughter to oil rigs, the Yuma offices, and trade shows, where he taught her how to work a room with grace and tact. He instilled in Adriana the value of honest work early, teaching her to balance a checkbook at the age of 10 and having her work summers at Yuma. Sam was always disciplined and hardworking, but never too busy to have fun. He never lost his interest in restaurants and nightclubs and was involved in many over the years, including After Dark, Trump's (named for Tramp in Paris), and Boccaccio. Sam joined the Houston Polo Club in the 1980s and played into the 2010s. He was known as a fearless player and a strong, sometimes reckless rider. He enjoyed spending time with his friends Mickey Altman, Mohammad Ladjevardian, Marty Weiner, Javier Moreno Valle, Gilberto Galvez, Charles Maynard and many others, with whom he would visit Houston's newest and best restaurants and travel to Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Paris, London, and Russia, to play polo, or just to have fun. A lover of Latin music, Sam held numerous parties over the years at his home on Bolton Place, often with a live musical ensemble. Sam enjoyed antiquing, collecting furniture and art, and visiting auction houses. His collectibles adorned his ranch house and his homes on Bolton Place and East Friar Tuck, the interiors of which Sam tastefully remodeled. Sam was proud of his many accomplishments, especially taking an independent energy company public and running it successfully in a tough, competitive world, but he was most proud of "Adrianita," his only daughter, Adriana Banks Monroe. As a fellow Tulane graduate, Sam took great satisfaction in his daughter's intelligence and professionalism, and enjoyed having early dinners with her several times a week at El Tiempo, Brasserie 19, Houston's, Carrabba's, Tony's, and Cuchara (whose names he would pronounce in a fun accent), where they would discuss their current business goings-on and the latest news. Taking on three types of cancer, Sam never indulged in self-pity. Always well-dressed, he remained a fitness enthusiast, even while enduring therapeutic treatment. A humble and private person, Sam was reticent to tell his own story, however interesting it may have been to others. A good listener and always concerned about the well-being of his friends, family, and colleagues, Sam frequently served as confidant and mentor. He loved to laugh with his friends and hear their stories. A wonderful son, Sam frequently checked in to catch up with his mother, Cita. Sam rediscovered his faith in recent years and was an active congregant at Second Baptist Church. Sam lived the life of 10 men and was a legendary gentleman who will be missed by all who knew him. Sam was predeceased by his father, Samuel Alexander Banks, and is beloved by his daughter and son-in-law, Adriana Banks Monroe and Mark Monroe of Houston, Texas; his mother, Marceline Lide Banks, of Little Rock, Ark.; his brothers, Bill and his wife, Annette, of Rome, Ga., and Dwight and his wife, Cheryl, of Oceanside, Calif., and Nayeli Galicia of Monterrey, Nueva Leon, Mexico. He will be missed by his nieces, Lide Goodwin and Sibley Schlaudecker; and his nephews, William Banks Jr., Sean Banks, and Chad Banks. The family gathered on this past Friday morning, the 8th of January, for a private interment at Glenwood Cemetery in Houston, which was followed by a public memorial service and celebration of life in the Sanctuary of Second Baptist Church in Houston. In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests with gratitude that memorial contributions in Sam's name be directed to Feed the Children at feedthechildren.org, or you may call 1-800-627-4556; and/or to Texas Children's Hospital at https://waystogive.texaschildrens.org/ways-to-give/make-a-gift/donate-items.html. Please visit Mr. Banks' online memorial tribute at GeoHLewis.com, where memories and words of comfort and condolence may be shared electronically with his family.

Published January 10, 2021

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