Pattison F. McClure was the first President of the Pierre National Bank (now BankWest) established in 1889. He was also Master of the Pierre Masonic Lodge in 1886 and 1887.

    Mr. McClure was noted for walking down main street and handing out nickels to the children he met. On Christmas Eve he purchased apples and oranges and distributed them to the residents of Pierre.

    In his will Mr. McClure left his estate in a trust to be administered by the Grand Masonic Lodge of South Dakota. He included a provision which provided the Pierre Eastern Star $500 annually to conduct “AN ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TREE CELEBRATION IN PIERRE FOR THE AMUSEMENT AND ENTERTAINMENT OF THE CHILDREN OF THE CITY OF PIERRE, IN WHICH I HAVE SPENT NEARLY HALF A CENTURY.”

    Mr. McClure died May 24, 1928 at the age of 74. It is the hope of the Eastern Star that Mr. McClure’s kindness and generosity, which has continued long after his death, continues to be cherished as much now as it was then.

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