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Virginia Jardine Banks ’63

November 27, 2019, in Williamsburg, Virginia, from cardiac arrest.

Born and raised in Portland, Virginia was a history major at Reed, where she met her husband, David Banks ’63. She wrote her thesis, “George E. Chamberlain, Governor of Oregon, 1903–1909,” with Prof. Dorothy O. Johansen ’33 [history 1934–84] advising and went on to earn a master’s degree in library science from UCLA. Virginia worked as a cataloger at the Library of Congress before opting for full-time motherhood. The family lived in Vienna, Virginia; Frankfurt, Germany; Rome, Italy; and The Hague, Netherlands, before retiring to Williamsburg in 2003. Virginia was a Cub Scout leader in Rome and an embassy community liaison officer in The Hague.

A Master Gardener, Virginia was especially interested in rhododendrons and azaleas, and was a long-time member of both the Azalea Society of America and the American Rhododendron Society. She was active in the Unitarian Church, and was an accomplished quilter and weaver, creating a large number of beautiful objects during her time in Williamsburg. She is survived by her husband of 50 years, her son, Larry Banks ’94, and her sister, Doris Snyder.

Appeared in Reed magazine: March 2020