Personalities: Jan. 3, 1964

Chicago’s Continental Illinois National Bank, the Midwest’s biggest bank (assets: $4 billion) was onceknown as “The Sleeping Giant of LaSalle Street” because itconservatively plowed its rich deposits into low yield securities.Today, advertising itself as “The Big Bank with the Little Bank Inside,”Continental is wide awake to the potential of retailbanking, allots 60% of its funds for loans, and stresses “familybanking.” Continental’s Benzedrine was administered by ChairmanDavid M. Kennedy, 58, who came to the bank as a bond officer in 1946,after 16 years as debt manager and economist with the Federal Reserve,and became Continental’s chief executive in 1959. Utah-born Kennedy hasstrongly pushed Continental into family banking for greater profits butalso because as a Mormon he believes that “the strength of our countryis in the family and the home, and that’s where the emphasis shouldbe.” He has equally strong convictions about Chicago’s future as aninternational trade center; Continental has opened a London office, isexpanding into Argentina, Colombia and Japan.

CHILDREN were the inspiration for the largest U.S. motel chain, HolidayInns of America (442 inns), which last week announced that it will add17 new motels in Canada to the 202 others it already has in the works.Driving twelve years ago with his wife and four of his five children,Memphis Realtor Kemmons Wilson was shocked to discover that motelscharged $2 a night for each child. He decided to open a motel in whichparents could enjoy some luxury at moderate prices and have theirchildren put up free. The idea caught on—not only with families butwith traveling businessmen and eager franchisers; today Wilson, 50,flies 150,000 miles annually to open new inns or pick additionallocations. Although innkeeping has made him a millionaire, he stilllives in a modest Memphis ranch house, still entertains with outdoorbarbecues. He greets favored visitors with special business cardsbearing their names, and below: “World traveler, international loverand last of the big spenders.”