10/16/2026
Alta Banks was born on August 17, 1912, in Upper Carr, Knott County, Kentucky, to John and Betty Banks. Alta attended Hindman Settlement School on a scholarship provided by the Colonial Dames of Wisconsin. A gifted student, she was later admitted to Science Hill, a preparatory school for girls in Shelbyville, Kentucky. After graduating in 1931, she attended Centre College, graduating in 1935.
Rather than taking her education elsewhere, Alta returned to the mountains that had raised her. She taught English and Bible at Carr Creek School before joining the National Youth Administration, a New Deal program, where she taught home economics. In 1943, Alta answered another call to service. She enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served as a WAVE during World War II. Following her discharge in 1946, she returned home to Knott County and became a health educator, serving communities throughout Southeastern Kentucky.
Alta never married or had children of her own, but the reach of her life extended far beyond a single family. Through education, military service, and public health, she devoted her life to others. She died on August 5, 1993, at age 80 and is buried in her family cemetery in Spider, Knott County.
One thing is certain about Alta Banks: she was called to serve.
Her life embodies an enduring part of Hindman Settlement School’s mission, the belief that education creates opportunities not only for individual advancement, but for strengthening entire communities. The opportunities Alta received carried her far beyond Knott County, yet again and again, she came home and gave back.
Alta Banks was one of the many lives shaped by this place, and she spent hers in service to the place that shaped her.
