Leon and Lassie Page
Leon Page was born July 4, 1922 in Glasgow, Kentucky to Leo Page and Ora McFarland Page. Leon graduated from Glasgow High School in 1940. He attended and graduated from WKU, then Bowling Green Business University, in 1943, with degrees in accounting and business administration. Leon served in the United States Navy from September 1943 through March 1946. He was an officer on LST 517, a ship that was engaged in the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944 (D-Day).
Upon his return to the US, he worked as an accountant for a store fixture manufacturing company until 1947. Leon then moved to Franklin, KY and opened the Sweet Shoppe, which he owned and operated from 1947-52. He then worked with the Kentucky Department of Revenue in Frankfort from 1952-58. He returned to Franklin in 1958 to help organize and open Franklin Bank and Trust. An original founder of Franklin Bank and Trust Company, Leon served as president and CEO for over 20 years and was Chairman of the Board for over 40 years.
Leon remained involved in his community by supporting numerous youth, educational, and service programs. He served in leadership roles for the Franklin-Simpson Chamber of Commerce, Franklin-Simpson Industrial Board, Franklin-Simpson Memorial Hospital, Goodnight Memorial Library, and Kentucky Bankers Association. He received the Franklin Rotary Club’s Paul Harris Fellow Award, the Chamber of Commerce Civic Pride Award, the Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Simpson County Council Community Service Award. He was also inducted into the Junior Achievement of South Central Kentucky’s Business Hall of Fame in 2007.
Leon’s service to WKU was equally prolific. He served on the WKU Board of Advisors, the Executive Committee of the Campaign Cabinet, and the Finance Advisory Council. He was a member of the WKU Foundation Board, Hilltopper Athletic Foundation (HAF) Board, College of Business Advisory Council, and Libraries Advisory Council. In 2003, Leon was named WKU Foundation’s Volunteer of the Year and in 2004, he was named WKU’s Philanthropist of the Year. In 2011, Mr. Page received WKU’s highest honor and was inducted into the WKU Hall of Distinguished Alumni. As a Navy veteran of World War II, Page is among those honored at WKU’s Guthrie Tower.
Leon was married to the former Lassie Gregory until his passing in December of 2012. Lassie was also one of the five original employees of Franklin Bank and Trust. Like Leon, Lassie has also been a steadfast supporter of WKU. Lassie’s son, Brad Gregory, works for Franklin Bank & Trust. Brad and his wife, Nancy, have two sons, Brad and John. John is a 2005 WKU graduate with a BS in Management. Lassie Gregory Page passed away on January 16, 2022.
To further their positive impact on the Hill, Leon and Lassie established two scholarship funds: the Leon and Lassie Page Scholarship Fund and the Leon and Lassie Page Women’s Basketball Scholarship Fund. The Leon and Lassie Page Scholarship Fund serves to assist deserving graduates of Franklin-Simpson High School enrolled at WKU in the Gordon Ford College of Business, while the Leon and Lassie Page Women’s Basketball Scholarship Fund serves to assist deserving members of the WKU Lady Hilltoppers as they pursue their academic and athletic goals. Through these funds, Leon and Lassie’s legacy at WKU continues in perpetuity.