Profiles of Prominent Citizens

WHIT EPHRAM BANKS
Practicing Pharmacist for 35 Years

Written March 10, 1950

An active, practicing pharmacist for about 35 years, eighteen years of which was at Stapleton’s Pharmacy in Folkston, Dr. Banks was born at Lumpkin, Ga. in Stewart County on May 4, 1881. Early in childhood his father moved with his family to Randolph County near Cuthbert. Dr. Banks was reared on a farm there and received his public school education in Randolph County.

Early in the 1900s he entered the Mack Morris School of Pharmacy at Macon and received his diploma in 1906.
Dr. Banks started work at his chosen vocation, soon after graduation, in Americus and continued there for a number of years. From Americus he located in Whigham where he worked until 1917. He then went to Savannah but was located there for less than a year when he decided to locate at Folkston with Stapleton’s Pharmacy. He was the registered pharmacist at this establishment for about eighteen years, retiring in 1936.

In speaking of his long service Dr. Banks states that among memories he cherishes most was the fact that he had been able to help a number of men pass the State Board of Pharmacy examinations, enabling them to be of service to humanity as well as themselves.

He will be 69 years old next May and although he has been in declining health for a number of years he still finds time to render public service to his community when called upon. He has served consecutively as Justice of the Peace for the Folkston district for the past eighteen years. His present term, to which he was last elected, expires in 1952. To this public trust he has the reputation of rendering unbiased decisions in all matters coming before him. Before his health failed him some years ago he bore the reputation of being one of the community’s best anglers. With perhaps the exception of Uncle Bill Smith he usually brought back home the most fish of anyone in the community.

On October 3, 1909 he was married to Miss Willie Mae Stegall. They have two living sons, Crawford Banks of Bartow, Fla. and Raymond Banks of Key West, Fla. He also has a daughter by a former marriage, Mrs. Mary Banks Vickery, who has lived with them since the death of her husband.

Both Dr. and Mrs. Banks are devout members of Folkston Baptist Church.

March 10, 1950

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