MORE ON VIRGIL MCKNIGHT HANKS, JR.

David Lange writes:

V.M. Hanks, Jr., a well-known press and commercial photographer for nearly 40 years, died Tuesday of pancreatic cancer at his home in San Francisco. He was 76.

A descendant of Abraham Lincoln, Mr. Hanks was born in Decatur, Ill., in 1921. He attended Eureka College in Eureka, Ill., before joining the U.S. Marine Corps as a combat photographer in 1943.

Mr. Hanks saw action at Guadalcanal and, while recovering from malaria at a military hospital in Klamath Falls, Ore., he met and married Nadine Palmerton, who was a reporter for a newspaper in Klamath Falls.

In 1947 the couple moved to San Francisco.

During the next four decades, Mr. Hanks served as a visual diarist for the city, photographing heads of state, visiting dignitaries and numerous other celebrities.

In the '50s and '60s, he was photographer of record for many of San Francisco's major hotels and his work appeared frequently in local magazines and newspapers.

A talented designer with a passion for numismatics, he was involved in the design of commemorative medallions celebrating various anniversaries of the Golden Gate Bridge, the cable car and the San Francisco Mint.

He was a member of the Saints and Sinners fraternal charitable organization, the Disabled American Veterans, the American Numismatic Association and the San Francisco Coin Club. He was also a past member of the Bohemian Club.

In the late 1970s, he and his wife travelled extensively, photographing national mints and coins of numismatic interest throughout Europe, Asia and Latin America. Nadine Hanks died in 1984.

To read the complete obituary, see: OBITUARY -- V.M. Hanks, Jr. (www.sfgate.com/news/article/OBITUARY-V-M-Hanks-Jr-2833284.php)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: VIRGIL MCKNIGHT HANKS, JR. (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v16n26a15.html)

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