Ouachita County Louisiana Archives Obituaries.....HANKS, JAMES L.  October 26, 2015
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Gina Brown rootsgirl36@gmail.com October 31, 2015, 3:43 am

News Star World - October 28, 2015
JAMES L. HANKS

James L. Hanks, of West Lafayette, IN, was born July 1, 1923 in Crossville, 
Illinois, the eldest of three children of Roy and Gladys Hanks. He died 
October 26, 2015 at Westminster Village in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Jim married Bessie M. Townsend on January 22, 1947 in Charleston, Illinois. 
The marriage produced three children, all of whom survive: Marsha (T. B. 
Patterson, Jr.) of Lancaster, South Carolina; Marlene (Clark Carpenter) of 
Talladega, Alabama; Bruce (Carol) of Monroe, Louisiana. There are eight 
grandchildren: Lindsay (Chris McFadden) of Kirtland, Ohio; Carrie (Jon Besler) 
of Princeton, New Jersey; Kelli (Bains Fleming) of Birmingham, Alabama; T. B. 
Patterson III (Lindsey) of Stilwell, Kansas; Jamie Hanks of Baton Rouge, 
Louisiana; Adam Hanks (Kaki) of Monroe, Louisiana; Reid Carpenter, of 
Birmingham, Alabama; David Hanks, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Jim is also survived by ten great grandchildren: Cassie McFadden, Penny 
McFadden, Molly Besler, Shail Besler, Nathan Besler, Bo Patterson, Jacob 
Patterson, Faith Patterson, Ann Clark Fleming and Walton Fleming. A younger 
brother, Ron Hanks, of Indianapolis, survives. He is preceded in death by one 
great grandchild, William Fleming and a sister, Alice Hanks Stabler.

Jim Hanks was a Southern Illinois farm boy who went to a one-room rural 
school, rode a horse four miles to high school in Crossville, and was 
salutatorian of his 1940 senior class. His pre-degree schooling at Eastern 
Illinois University, which began in 1940, was interrupted by more than three 
years service in the U. S. Army during World War II. He served with the Third 
Army in Europe and then returned to Eastern to complete work on a bachelor's 
degree with a major in social science and minors in business and English. He 
edited the college newspaper, was senior class president, graduated cum laude, 
and was president of Phi Sigma Epsilon fraternity.

After obtaining a master's degree from the University of Illinois, he served 
in high school administration as assistant principal and principal at Illinois 
high schools before beginning a 35-year career in 1952 with State Farm 
Insurance in Mississippi. His career took him to Birmingham, Alabama and 
Monroe, Louisiana before he came to Indiana as the Regional Vice President and 
was a Hoosier ever since.

During almost four decades as a resident of West Lafayette, he was involved in 
numerous community organizations including First United Methodist Church, 
Rotary, Leadership Lafayette, Junior Achievement, United Way, and Civic 
Theatre. Leadership Lafayette and Civic Theatre presented him lifetime 
achievement awards. He has been a member of Rotary since 1976. He served his 
alma mater as president of the Eastern Illinois University Foundation and was 
signally honored in 1995 on the 100th anniversary of the school's founding by 
being cited one of the 100 alumni acclaimed "for most exemplary service" 
during the first century of the University's history. In 1994, the University 
named him a Distinguished Alumnus. He was also active many years in the Purdue 
President Council and Convocations advisory council.

Early in his insurance career, he became a Chartered Life Underwriter. Editor 
of his alma mater newspaper as a student, he continued to write rather 
extensively in retirement and authored histories of Civic Theatre, Leadership 
Lafayette and Westminster Village where the Hanks have lived for 16 years. As 
a resident of Westminster, he has headed the Resident Council and the 
Westminster Foundation and has received recognition on several occasions for 
his volunteer work.

The family would like to thank all of the wonderful people at Westminster for 
their kindness and care during the last few years of his life. In lieu of 
flowers, memorials can be given to the Westminster Foundation or First United 
Methodist Church of West Lafayette.

Visitation will be Friday from 1:00 PM until the time of the service at 3:00 
PM at First United Methodist Church in West Lafayette. Soller-Baker Funeral 
Home is in charge of arrangements. Sign the guest book and leave memories at 
www.soller-baker.com.

Soller-Baker Funeral Home

Lafayette, IN

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