H. E. "Gene" Rainbolt and his son, David, created the BancFirst Corporation during the energy bust of the 1980s, when bank failures set the tone for a decade that Oklahoma bankers would just as soon forget. Where others saw only problems, the Rainbolts perceived opportunities. Combining their disparate, yet complementary skills, father and son committed themselves to building Oklahoma, one community at a time.To capture the BancFirst story in all its richness and complexity, author Michael J. Hightower interviewed the company's primary stakeholders and conducted research in corporate, library, and personal collections. Highlights in BancFirst's colorful history include Gene Rainbolt's unique strategy of assembling banking interests and managing them through Thunderbird Financial Corporation; the energy bust of the 1980s, heralded by the catastrophic failure of Penn Square Bank in July 1982; and David Rainbolt's success in developing policies and strategic plans to complement his father's entrepreneurial energy.

While most bankers were running for cover in the 1980s, the Rainbolts lobbied successfully for the repeal of unit banking so that strong banks could assume the assets of weaker ones. After the state legislature fell in step with the national trend to permit branch banking and multibank holding companies, the Rainbolts folded their disparate interests into United Community Corporation in 1985 and, four years later, the BancFirst Corporation.At the heart of BancFirst's business model is decentralization of authority that emphasizes the autonomy of member banks. Branch presidents have the authority to manage their banks as they see fit, even as they can offer customers the products and services of a large institution. By 2015, what David Rainbolt characterizes as "a super community bank" reported $6.5 billion in total resources and included dozens of banks throughout the state. Above all, BancFirst has remained loyal to Oklahoma.