Phil Symcox was born in Altus, Oklahoma, on April 30, 1932. He was the younger of the two sons of Raymond and Vera Symcox. His childhood was spent in Cordell, Oklahoma, where he graduated from Cordell High. The family moved to Norman, in 1950, when Phil matriculated at the University of Oklahoma and Raymond purchased City National (now First Fidelity) Bank. He majored in accounting and graduated in 1954. Phil then spent several years as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force working as the budget officer for the Ardmore Airforce Base in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Upon mustering out of the Air Force, he started working at the family bank as a bookkeeper, rising eventually to executive vice president and chairman of the board of directors. He met and married Betty Dolman in 1958, and they made their home in Norman for the next 37 years, raising two children, Keith and David Symcox. After their divorce in 1985, Phil left Norman and worked as a real estate appraiser in Palm Desert, Seattle, and San Diego. Upon retirement, he moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and lived there until his death on October 26, 2015, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Phil was active in civic affairs during his time in Norman. He was president of the Norman Rotary Club, president of the Library Board and a Chairman of the trustees of the First Presbyterian Church. He and Betty were hosts to the welcome gala for the Neustadt prize for several years, including the year that Gabriel Garcia Marquez was awarded the prize. He was always active in the arts scene, a huge supporter of the Cimmaron Opera, and later the Santa Fe Opera, as well as a frequent patron of the visual arts. Phil is survived by his brother, Don Symcox, of Norman; his two sons, Keith of Bristow, Oklahoma, and David of Whitefish, Montana; and three grandchildren, Kevin, Carl and Miranda Symcox. An informal memorial service is planned for 4:30 p.m. on Friday, November 20, at Havenbrook Funeral Home after a private burial next to his parents at the IOOF Cemetery.