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HUNTINGDON -- Greg Banks is being remembered as a very caring man.
Banks, 63, Huntingdon, died Thursday at his home after a bout with cancer.
Banks was well known in the local broadcast industry, spending more than 50 years in the field. He worked as a radio announcer -- he used the air name Steve Austin -- at several stations in the Altoona and Johnstown markets.
He was also the first African American to work on the air of WTAJ-TV as a sports reporter.
Close friend Jeff Speck called Banks an inspiration.
"To turn on the radio, it was neat to say 'That is a guy I know from Huntingdon.' He gave me hope. If Greg can do that, there is hope someone else can do it," said Speck, a former broadcaster who served as vice chairman of the Huntingdon County Drop In Center where Banks was chairman. "His dream was to own a radio station, but instead he started his own online radio station."
Banks was owner/operator of Banks Media Group, which ran AirNetwork .com, church programs and local sporting events.
Speck said Banks was more than a broadcaster.
"For Huntingdon, he was a promoter; he was instrumental with the Juneteenth and Mayfest celebrations. He was an idea guy. He always had ambitions. He always asked what he could do for the community. He was always looking to help. The Drop In center was very important to him," Speck said.
Drop In Center Director Darrell Hooper also knew Banks well.
"He was so well-respected in Huntingdon, Johnstown and Altoona where he worked at different radio stations. He was there to help. He was a Christian person and always there to help people in need. If a guy needed a dollar, he would pull out his wallet and give it to you without question. He was one of a kind. He did so much for the community," Hooper said.
Huntingdon County Emergency Management Agency Director Joe Thompson had known Banks for many years and worked with him for a short time at WQRO-AM.
"He just had an unshakable determination to try and help make things better. Not only did he have a lot of talent, he provided us with a lot of knowledge on how we could better ourselves," Thompson said. "He was a go-getter. He always tried to better himself and the community and the people around him."
Banks and his cousin Anthony Bullett were co-chairmen of the Juneteenth celebration.
"He was someone who was very caring and full of life. He was always very jovial, someone who always had a smile on his face. He would help you if you needed it. He was someone who had an impact," Bullett said.
A celebration of life will be held during the Juneteenth celebration June 16 at Portstown Park in Huntingdon.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Robert E. Peters Funeral Home, Huntingdon.
Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 946-7467.