Mr. William A. "Bill" Banks, 82, embarked upon his greatest final adventure Wednesday, March 14, 2007, at Mission Hospital following a courageous battle with cancer.
A native of Yancey County, he was the son of William Kerl and Julia Allen Banks, an was preceded in death by his brother Ben Lee Banks.
He graduated from Burnsville High School in 1941, and attended Mars Hill College prior to joining the U.S. Air Force (Army Air Corps) in World War II. He served as a lieutenant trained to fly B-25 bombers until his discharge in 1945.
Mr. Banks was a lifelong prominent Yancey County businessman, instrumental in the development of numerous businesses key to the employment of many Yancey County families. As a lumberman, Mr. Banks was the founder of BanCo Lumber Company. Following the chestnut tree blight (the American Chestnut was a prized wood accounting for one of every four hardwood trees in western North Carolina), his lumber business became one of the top three producers of reclaimed wormy chestnut in the world.
Throughout his life, Mr. Banks maintained a passion for the preservation of the American Chestnut tree, and to assure that future generations would have an understanding of Yancey County's rich timber heritage, he donated a 101 acre tract of land adjacent to Mountain Air Country Club to serve as an Old Growth Forest Preserve. His involvement with The American Chestnut Foundation will see Mr. Banks featured in displays at the I-26 Visitors Center in Polk County and at the Biltmore Forest Cradle of Forestry School, major focal points in western North Carolina where visitors can learn the chestnut tree story.
At age 33, Mr. Banks became the youngest railroad president in the United States. His role was vital to Yancey County maintaining a Clinchfield Railroad line, the Black Mountain Railroad, a key to keeping mills, mica and feldspar mines operating. The June 1958 National Geographic magazine featured an article which addressed the significant role Mr. Banks played with this Yancey County railroad.
A major Yancey County developer, Mr. Banks was a co-founder and owner of Mountain Air Country Club and Banks Family Square Shopping Center. He served on numerous business and bank boards, among them Holston Builders Supply, Country Cablevision and Mountain Bank.
He was a co-founder of First Western Bank, Blue Ridge Savings & Loan, Burnsville Insurance Agency, and Yancey Nursing Care.
His civic involvement was felt in numerous local and regional organizations. Serving on the Yancey County School Board,he was an instrumental board member responsible for the formation of Mountain Heritage High School.
Mr. Banks was a lifelong member of Burnsville's First Baptist Church where he was a Deacon, Sunday school teacher, and a member of numerous church committees.
In 2000, Mars Hill College honored his contributions to their institution by naming him a Life Trustee.
A lifelong member of the Yancey County Republican Party, Mr. Banks remained a driving force with the 11th Congressional District's Republican Party.
Burial: McCracken Cemetery.
A native of Yancey County, he was the son of William Kerl and Julia Allen Banks, an was preceded in death by his brother Ben Lee Banks.
He graduated from Burnsville High School in 1941, and attended Mars Hill College prior to joining the U.S. Air Force (Army Air Corps) in World War II. He served as a lieutenant trained to fly B-25 bombers until his discharge in 1945.
Mr. Banks was a lifelong prominent Yancey County businessman, instrumental in the development of numerous businesses key to the employment of many Yancey County families. As a lumberman, Mr. Banks was the founder of BanCo Lumber Company. Following the chestnut tree blight (the American Chestnut was a prized wood accounting for one of every four hardwood trees in western North Carolina), his lumber business became one of the top three producers of reclaimed wormy chestnut in the world.
Throughout his life, Mr. Banks maintained a passion for the preservation of the American Chestnut tree, and to assure that future generations would have an understanding of Yancey County's rich timber heritage, he donated a 101 acre tract of land adjacent to Mountain Air Country Club to serve as an Old Growth Forest Preserve. His involvement with The American Chestnut Foundation will see Mr. Banks featured in displays at the I-26 Visitors Center in Polk County and at the Biltmore Forest Cradle of Forestry School, major focal points in western North Carolina where visitors can learn the chestnut tree story.
At age 33, Mr. Banks became the youngest railroad president in the United States. His role was vital to Yancey County maintaining a Clinchfield Railroad line, the Black Mountain Railroad, a key to keeping mills, mica and feldspar mines operating. The June 1958 National Geographic magazine featured an article which addressed the significant role Mr. Banks played with this Yancey County railroad.
A major Yancey County developer, Mr. Banks was a co-founder and owner of Mountain Air Country Club and Banks Family Square Shopping Center. He served on numerous business and bank boards, among them Holston Builders Supply, Country Cablevision and Mountain Bank.
He was a co-founder of First Western Bank, Blue Ridge Savings & Loan, Burnsville Insurance Agency, and Yancey Nursing Care.
His civic involvement was felt in numerous local and regional organizations. Serving on the Yancey County School Board,he was an instrumental board member responsible for the formation of Mountain Heritage High School.
Mr. Banks was a lifelong member of Burnsville's First Baptist Church where he was a Deacon, Sunday school teacher, and a member of numerous church committees.
In 2000, Mars Hill College honored his contributions to their institution by naming him a Life Trustee.
A lifelong member of the Yancey County Republican Party, Mr. Banks remained a driving force with the 11th Congressional District's Republican Party.
Burial: McCracken Cemetery.
Mr. William A. "Bill" Banks, 82, embarked upon his greatest final adventure Wednesday, March 14, 2007, at Mission Hospital following a courageous battle with cancer.
A native of Yancey County, he was the son of William Kerl and Julia Allen Banks, an was preceded in death by his brother Ben Lee Banks.
He graduated from Burnsville High School in 1941, and attended Mars Hill College prior to joining the U.S. Air Force (Army Air Corps) in World War II. He served as a lieutenant trained to fly B-25 bombers until his discharge in 1945.
Mr. Banks was a lifelong prominent Yancey County businessman, instrumental in the development of numerous businesses key to the employment of many Yancey County families. As a lumberman, Mr. Banks was the founder of BanCo Lumber Company. Following the chestnut tree blight (the American Chestnut was a prized wood accounting for one of every four hardwood trees in western North Carolina), his lumber business became one of the top three producers of reclaimed wormy chestnut in the world.
Throughout his life, Mr. Banks maintained a passion for the preservation of the American Chestnut tree, and to assure that future generations would have an understanding of Yancey County's rich timber heritage, he donated a 101 acre tract of land adjacent to Mountain Air Country Club to serve as an Old Growth Forest Preserve. His involvement with The American Chestnut Foundation will see Mr. Banks featured in displays at the I-26 Visitors Center in Polk County and at the Biltmore Forest Cradle of Forestry School, major focal points in western North Carolina where visitors can learn the chestnut tree story.
At age 33, Mr. Banks became the youngest railroad president in the United States. His role was vital to Yancey County maintaining a Clinchfield Railroad line, the Black Mountain Railroad, a key to keeping mills, mica and feldspar mines operating. The June 1958 National Geographic magazine featured an article which addressed the significant role Mr. Banks played with this Yancey County railroad.
A major Yancey County developer, Mr. Banks was a co-founder and owner of Mountain Air Country Club and Banks Family Square Shopping Center. He served on numerous business and bank boards, among them Holston Builders Supply, Country Cablevision and Mountain Bank.
He was a co-founder of First Western Bank, Blue Ridge Savings & Loan, Burnsville Insurance Agency, and Yancey Nursing Care.
His civic involvement was felt in numerous local and regional organizations. Serving on the Yancey County School Board,he was an instrumental board member responsible for the formation of Mountain Heritage High School.
Mr. Banks was a lifelong member of Burnsville's First Baptist Church where he was a Deacon, Sunday school teacher, and a member of numerous church committees.
In 2000, Mars Hill College honored his contributions to their institution by naming him a Life Trustee.
A lifelong member of the Yancey County Republican Party, Mr. Banks remained a driving force with the 11th Congressional District's Republican Party.
Burial: McCracken Cemetery.
A native of Yancey County, he was the son of William Kerl and Julia Allen Banks, an was preceded in death by his brother Ben Lee Banks.
He graduated from Burnsville High School in 1941, and attended Mars Hill College prior to joining the U.S. Air Force (Army Air Corps) in World War II. He served as a lieutenant trained to fly B-25 bombers until his discharge in 1945.
Mr. Banks was a lifelong prominent Yancey County businessman, instrumental in the development of numerous businesses key to the employment of many Yancey County families. As a lumberman, Mr. Banks was the founder of BanCo Lumber Company. Following the chestnut tree blight (the American Chestnut was a prized wood accounting for one of every four hardwood trees in western North Carolina), his lumber business became one of the top three producers of reclaimed wormy chestnut in the world.
Throughout his life, Mr. Banks maintained a passion for the preservation of the American Chestnut tree, and to assure that future generations would have an understanding of Yancey County's rich timber heritage, he donated a 101 acre tract of land adjacent to Mountain Air Country Club to serve as an Old Growth Forest Preserve. His involvement with The American Chestnut Foundation will see Mr. Banks featured in displays at the I-26 Visitors Center in Polk County and at the Biltmore Forest Cradle of Forestry School, major focal points in western North Carolina where visitors can learn the chestnut tree story.
At age 33, Mr. Banks became the youngest railroad president in the United States. His role was vital to Yancey County maintaining a Clinchfield Railroad line, the Black Mountain Railroad, a key to keeping mills, mica and feldspar mines operating. The June 1958 National Geographic magazine featured an article which addressed the significant role Mr. Banks played with this Yancey County railroad.
A major Yancey County developer, Mr. Banks was a co-founder and owner of Mountain Air Country Club and Banks Family Square Shopping Center. He served on numerous business and bank boards, among them Holston Builders Supply, Country Cablevision and Mountain Bank.
He was a co-founder of First Western Bank, Blue Ridge Savings & Loan, Burnsville Insurance Agency, and Yancey Nursing Care.
His civic involvement was felt in numerous local and regional organizations. Serving on the Yancey County School Board,he was an instrumental board member responsible for the formation of Mountain Heritage High School.
Mr. Banks was a lifelong member of Burnsville's First Baptist Church where he was a Deacon, Sunday school teacher, and a member of numerous church committees.
In 2000, Mars Hill College honored his contributions to their institution by naming him a Life Trustee.
A lifelong member of the Yancey County Republican Party, Mr. Banks remained a driving force with the 11th Congressional District's Republican Party.
Burial: McCracken Cemetery.
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