For Jack Banham, art was more than a creative outlet. It was a way to express himself, connect with others and remain engaged with the world around him until the final months of his life.
Banham, a Rockville Centre resident and World War II veteran, died on Sept. 22 at 100, leaving behind a lifetime that included military service, music, family and an evolving body of artwork. His pieces have been displayed at libraries and donated to community organizations, including SIBSPlace, where he gave two pieces in September 2024 and continued donating artwork for its annual gala.
One of his pieces was sold at the organization’s Sept. 19 gala, three days before his death.
Before Banham became known for his intricate paper artwork, he served his country in two wars. He enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II and saw combat in Europe with the 71st Infantry Division. As a cameraman with his unit, he documented the liberation of Gunskirchen, a Nazi concentration camp in Austria. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his service and later answered the call again, serving during the Korean War.
His experiences in the military were only one part of a life that also included a love of music and a career at Pfizer, a large global biopharmaceutical company that manufactures medicines and vaccines. But in his later years, art increasingly became a way for him to create and communicate.
For his daughter, Eva Banham, her father’s determination remained evident even as his health and eyesight declined.
“He wanted to live so badly,” Eva said.
Following a hospitalization in May, Banham lost peripheral and depth vision, making it increasingly difficult for him to work independently. Eva began helping him with his artwork, putting glue on canvases and positioning materials where he could see them. The assistance allowed him to continue working on pieces even when the physical process had become challenging.
“He was so happy just to be able to do that much,” she said.
Banham worked in many mediums over the years, including wood, sand, oils, acrylics and stained glass. He also created a chess set and table before eventually turning increasingly to paper art, creating detailed pieces from cut and layered paper.
His work began receiving more public attention late in his life. A collection was displayed at the Uniondale Public Library during July and August, where visitors left so many comments in an exhibition notebook that it had to be replaced several times.
Ilgar Guo, the library’s head of adult programming and a programming specialist, met Banham when he visited the exhibition on July 25. Guo said people participating in a cooking class came out to meet him and take photographs after learning that the 100-year-old artist was visiting.
“He was such an inspirational person,” Guo said.
The attention was something Banham had not expected. Much of his artwork had been created privately and for his family rather than displayed publicly.
“He said, ‘I never knew I was an artist,’” Eva recalled.
That modesty was consistent with how Eva described her father. She said he was knowledgeable, humble, creative, talented, loving and caring, but he did not seek attention for himself. His focus remained on his family, which included helping his children with homework, encouraging them to take music lessons and stressing education, hard work and kindness.
“He wanted us all to be educated and to work hard and be loving,” Eva said.
That commitment to family was a defining part of Banham’s life. Eva recalled childhood trips with him to the Botanical Garden and Kissena Park in Queens, where he would pack lunches and spend time with his children. She also remembered the family watching for his feet beneath a bus at the corner because they knew he was coming home from work, followed by dinner together.
His artwork later provided another way to connect with the community. Joanna Formont, executive director of SIBSPlace, said Banham was drawn to the organization’s use of art therapy to help children express themselves.
“I think he connected to our art therapy piece, and how we use art therapy to help the kids express themselves,” Formont said.
One of Banham’s pieces hangs in Formont’s library at SIBSPlace, where she said families have used the outdoor scene as a calming presence during difficult periods.
For Eva, however, the most important part of her father’s legacy is the person behind the artwork. She said Banham was not especially social and preferred spending time with his family. His art offered another means of expressing thoughts and feelings that he did not always put into words.
Now, Eva is adjusting to life without the father who had been a constant presence for nearly seven decades.
“I’m going to be 70 years old,” she said. “So 70 years of my life, my father has been there for me.”
Jack was preceded in death by his wife, Terry. He is survived by his children, Russ, Susan, Eva and John; nine grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
A Committal Service was held at Mount St. Mary Cemetery in Fresh Meadows on Sept. 26.
