Oral history with Mr. Earl W. Banks

              Oral history with Mr. Earl W. Banks
This oral history is provided through a cooperative project of University of Southern Mississippi Libraries and USM's Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage.
Funding provided by a National Leadership Grant for Libraries from the Institute for Museum and Library Services
The transcript is presented here for reference purposes only. Interviews in this collection are protected by copyright. PERMISSION TO PUBLISH MUST BE REQUESTED from the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. Please call ( 601) 266- 4574 for more information.
Biography
Earl W. Banks was born on August 19, 1905, near Canton, Mississippi, in Madison County, to Miller and Jane Banks. One of six children, he worked on his parents' farm and attended local schools through the seventh grade, which was the highest grade offered. He enrolled at Alcorn College ( now Alcorn University) at Lorman, Mississippi, for one year, then transferred to Jackson College ( now Jackson State University) where he completed high school in 1920. He continued in the college program at Jackson College for two years, then transferred to Morehouse College at Atlanta, Georgia, where he finished his undergraduate degree in 1926.
Following graduation, Mr. Banks returned to Jackson and became a partner in Peoples Funeral Home. During a half- century of service to the people of Jackson, Mr. Banks was well- known for his active support of civic improvement projects. He spearheaded fund- raising efforts in the black community for St. Dominic's Hospital of Jackson and the Jackson YWCA. He was a member of the Board of Directors of State Mutual Federal Savings and Loan Association, and worked with the United Givers Fund, a predecessor of United Way. Mr. Banks was inducted into Jackson State's Sports Hall of Fame in 1973. He was a faithful member of Mount Helm Baptist Church in Jackson.
Mr. Banks married Jimmie Neal Stewart of Jackson in 1925 and they had one child, Earl W. Banks, Jr. Mr. Banks died in 1986.
Table of Contents
I. Family Background and Childhood Reminiscences
II. Educational Experiences
A. Alcorn College, Lorman, Mississippi
B. Jackson College, Jackson, Mississippi
C. Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia
III. Establishing a Business in Jackson, 1925
IV. Participating in the Mississippi Republican Party
A. Black Republican Leaders in Mississippi
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