Happy Birthday, Helena Devereux! Today would be Miss Devereux’s 124th birthday.
In prior Founder’s Day messages, I have focused on the extraordinary early career of Miss Devereux. However, Miss Devereux’s father, Arthur Devereux, was also a fascinating character. He was born in England, went to work in India, and came to the United States specifically to fight against slavery in the Civil War. According to Miss Devereux’s biographer, after the war Arthur became a senior executive with the new Wells Fargo Pony Express and oversaw much of its early growth.
One hundred and forty years later, in the midst of a terrible financial crisis, Wells Fargo Bank – which grew out of the Pony Express venture – became Devereux’s bank when they acquired Wachovia Bank. Devereux has been with the same bank for more than sixty years, but, through acquisitions the bank has had five different names (Philadelphia National, Corestate, First Union, Wachovia, and now Wells Fargo).
It is important to me to remember Devereux’s rich history and deep roots in our communities. We are living through very unsettling times, but we are doing extraordinarily important work, and we have the support of the incredible organization which Miss Devereux built with her genius for helping children with special challenges, her business acumen, and her passion for our work.
Thank you for everything you do each day to further Miss Devereux’s work. Happy Founder’s Day.
