MAGNOLIA— Bob Burns will serve as guest speaker at the Southern Arkansas University spring commencement exercises that will take place at 7 p.m. on May 9 in the Mall Area in front of Magale Library on the University campus.

A man of outstanding service to the community and his country, Bob L. Burns has stepped up to leadership positions on more than one occasion. As chairman and CEO of Farmer’s Bank & Trust in Magnolia since 1983, Burns is involved with overseeing the bank’s 16 bank locations in four countries and its assets of more than $600 million.

He has previously served as on multiple committees and boards, including a stint as chairman of the SAU Board of Trustees. As a colonel in the United States Army, Burns served in Vietnam and earned a Bronze Star, Presidential Citation and a Distinguished Service Metal, among others.

His hobbies include duck and pheasant hunting and fly-fishing, and he also qualified as an aircraft pilot. Burns lives in Magnolia with his wife Molly. They have three children: Robert, Elizabeth and Rebecca, all of whom are involved in some aspect of banking.