Dates

• Existence: 1944-

Biographical History

Eugene Wilson Banks was born September 18, 1944, to Jean Banks and Ella Keanini in Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii. He is the youngest of their four children. Banks’ mother was a native Hawaiian and all four children took after her in looks. His father was serving as a Marine at the time of Banks birth and the family was stationed at Pearl Harbor during the attacks. Following the end of the war, the family moved bases five times before Banks’ father retired and the family settled on a farm in Olathe, Colorado. His family has always referred to him as Wilson.

On the farm, Banks began raising livestock and eventually became the president of his high school’s chapter of Future Farmers of America. After graduation, Banks left the farm and began his schooling Brigham Young University before being called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Honolulu, Hawaii mission. His livestock was sold to help fund his mission.

After his mission, Banks returned to Brigham Young University, where he met his wife, Evelyn Hubbard. They were married in 1968 and have eight children together – Tiffany, Trent, Nicole, Tyler, Troy, Rochelle, Trevor, and Tiare. Banks studied finance at BYU and had started graduate school at the University of Washington when he was drafted. He applied to the Delayed Enlistment Program to finish the quarter he had paid tuition for and went to boot camp in 1969. Banks served until 1971, finishing basic training and going to Post Exchange school, and returned to the University of Washington to complete his MBA.

Upon leaving the UW, Banks was hired at Merrill Lynch in 1972 and stayed until his retirement in 2002. At Merrill Lynch, he worked in Phoenix, Sun City, Honolulu, and Salt Lake City. Most of his career was spent in management.

While living in Arizona, Banks and his wife joined the Rotary Club. Years later, Banks was the chair of Host Organizational Committee and planning the International Convention that was to be hosted in Salt Lake City in 2011. However, following the tragedy and devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, New Orleans was no longer able to host the 2007 International Convention and Banks was asked if Salt Lake Could step in. Banks accepted and planned an International Convention in eighteen months, a feat that typically takes seven years.

Since retiring, Banks and his wife have spent much of their time traveling, often with charity groups. Together, they have served as missionaries in several missions – including the University of Utah Church Educational System, the Salt Lake Inner City Mission, and the Salt Lake City East Mission twice (once as a second counselor to the mission president and once as a first counselor) – and are ordinance workers at the Salt Lake City temple as of 2019.

Citation:

UPB files, March 22, 2019 (b. September 18, 1944 in Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii; parents’ history; nickname of Wilson; farm life and livestock; FFA chapter President; mission in Honolulu, Hawaii; wife Evelyn Hubbard; eight children (Tiffany, Trent, Nicole, Tyler, Troy, Rochelle, Trevor, and Tiare); finance degree from BYU; draft; delayed enlistment program; military service; MBA from UW; career at Merrill Lynch; Rotarian history; Host Organization Committee; 2007 International Convention; travel with charity groups; mission service with wife; ordinance worker in Salt Lake City).

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