It is with a heavy heart that we share the peaceful passing of Mr. John T. Hanna on Tuesday, December 11, 2018 at the age of 95. John was a wonderful person and a true leader in the transportation industry. VASITE was blessed by his many years of continued leadership and active involvement in our organization.
John was one of the early participants of ITE, and one of the original four ITE members to establish the Southern Section of ITE (what is today the Southern District of ITE). He was also a founding member of VASITE.
From the summer 2009 VASITE newsletter:
The idea of a Southern Section was formulated at the 1952 Annual ITE Meeting in Chicago. Paul Ristroph (New Orleans) and Earl Reeder (Miami) invited Karl Bevins (Atlanta) and John Hanna (Richmond) to meet in Earl’s hotel room to formulate a course of action for establishing a regional society.
Mr. Hanna also served as the President of the Southern Section ITE 1965-66. Virginia was an active participant in the founding of the Southern Section ITE. On June 25, 1958, a group of Virginia SSITE members headed by John T. Hanna, Fenton G. Jordan, and Kenneth M. Wilkinson met in Richmond to organize what would become the first State Division of the Southern Section. The new Virginia organization was recognized by SSITE in 1959 and became known as the Virginia Division of the Southern Section of ITE (VDSSITE), a precursor to our current VASITE organization.
The VASITE John T. Hanna Distinguished Service Award is named in honor of Mr. Hanna. He is a lifetime honorary VASITE member and the inaugural 1985 recipient of the Outstanding Individual Activity Award.
John’s obituary can be found in the Richmond Times Dispatch. A memorial service is planned for early 2019.
The SDITE community sends their sincere condolences to John’s family and friends.
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