#tbt - We honor a man of “firsts” who was dedicated to public service, the late Ebie Banks.
It’s ThrowBack Thursday at MidPointe Library, where local history never gets old!
Today we honor a man of “firsts” whose dedication to public service will be included in a new, online interactive “story map” that examines many facets of Middletown history and highlights the individuals who shaped it. The “map” was created in collaboration with the Miami University College of Liberal Arts & Applied Science. The debut of the site will be announced.
That esteemed public servant we referred to is the late Ebie Banks, the first African- American member of the Middletown Board of Education who also carried the designation of Middletown’s first African-American mail carrier.
At MidPointe Library we proudly recall that Mr. Banks was also a dedicated member of what was previously known as the Middletown Public Library Board of Trustees.
It’s not surprising that a man who actually made history felt strongly about passing it along to future generations. According to his obituary (*), Mr. Banks was involved in a “movement to integrate black history into the history courses” within Middletown’s public school system of which he was a 1929 graduate. (Note his graduation portrait at left from the 1929 MHS “Optimist” yearbook).
It also reported that Mr. Banks “attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., where, as a volunteer, he taught tennis to indigent children. While in Washington, he worked in the city tax assessor’s office and later was associated with George Washington University.”
The obit continued that Mr. Banks “became Middletown’s first black mail carrier in 1947 and later was appointed night supervisor. He was also a maintenance supervisor for the First National Bank...”
It was no surprise to those who knew him that Mr. Banks also devoted many hours to writing about other African American locals who were pioneers in their professions and personal endeavors. This pursuit was highlighted on the front page of the March 6, 1983, Middletown Journal. (*)
Mr. Ebie Banks, who made his home on Middletown’s Woodside Drive, died March 5, 1990, at age 79.
His contributions to the Middletown community will not be forgotten.
(*) The obituary of Mr. Ebie Banks appears in the March 6, 1990, edition of the Middletown Journal. Decades of Middletown Journals (including the March 6, 1983, article mentioned above) are available for viewing on microfilm in the “Ohio Room” at MidPointe Library’s Middletown location, and via MidPointe’s website: www.midpointelibrary.org > eResources > Research Databases > Magazines and Newspapers
The graduation photo of Mr. Banks (above) is available for viewing in the 1929 Middletown High School “Optimist” yearbook. Access it and many other Optimists online at :
www.midpointelibrary.org > eResources > Digital Archives > The Optimist Middletown City School District High School Yearbooks