BANNER, Larry S.

Inducted: 1993
Born: Los Angeles, California-USA

Larry Banner was a polio survivor at age seven and was assigned to “special” gym classes through grade 10. Mostly, his physical education class met in the gym where he became interested in apparatus work. When he became able, he was a sandbox gymnast with his friends at a local park, and by grade nine, he worked out with Olympians helping him in the evenings. By the 11th grade, he was given clearance to participate in school sports, so he began participating in gymnastics and three other sports until the end of high school. UCLA provided a “Grant-in-Aide” gymnastics scholarship after his successes at Valley JC, and he spent his junior and senior years as a Bruin. All in all, Banner began serious gymnastic training at a late age and was tall for a gymnast. He describes his six optional routines as “ordinary”, but according to “Gym Champs” published in The Modern Gymnast in January 1961 he was “ . . . known for his spectacular form and preciseness in his exercises.” Another article reporting on the results of the final ’64 Olympic trials stated, “For Larry Banner it was the same ‘ole’ [sic] story-when the going got the toughest-so did Banner.” Larry is proud to be a U.S. Gymnastics Hall of Fame Inductee, but after completing this project, he feels humbled by the lifetime of contributions made by so many others who love our sport.

Olympic Games: Best American AA score, PH-8th [T] & R-11th, Rome, Italy, (1960); Team Captain, Tokyo, Japan, (1964). World Championships: Banner’s first international competition was as a member of the American team in the WC where he probably was one of the first if not the first to execute PH circles and the “Moore” on the FX floor, Moscow, USSR, (1958); Team member, Prague, Czechoslovakia, (1962). National AAU Championships: Roy E. Moore U.S.A. Gymnastic Championships: Gold-Team, Los Angeles Turners Gym Club, Amherst, MA, (1959); Gold-Team, Los Angeles Turners, 1958, ’59, ’62, ’63 & ’64; Gold-V, (1960); Bronze-AA, (1959, ’62); Silver-PH, (1962); Bronze-PH, (1963); Bronze-R, (1959). High School Sports Honors: Banner attended Van Nuys HS in the San Fernando Valley area of the Los Angeles City High School system. At the time, there were 52 schools with teams in almost all the sports fields. Banner medaled in four sports: Swimming, Gold-Team, 100 Backstroke, & 3 X 100m. Medley Relay, Waymon Shofstall, Coach, (1954); Track & Field, Gold-10# Shot putt, Ted Starr, Coach, (1954); Football-2nd team All-City Defensive Back, Winston Tucker & Bob Ford, Coaches, (1954); Gymnastics-Gold-LH & PB, Barney Quinn, Coach; (1954). California Association of Junior College Championships: Gold-AA & numerous other events competing for L.A. Valley JC, Al Arps, Coach, (1955-’56). Pacific Coast Conference Championships: Gold-Team, AA & at least 3 to 5 wins on the six AA events at every dual meet while competing for UCLA. During Banner’s years at UCLA, the team was not eligible for NCAA competition due to a football violation and subsequent sanctions. (See HALLreMARKS link: “What About Us”) Ralph Borelli, Coach, (1957-58). Southern Pacific Association AAU: Gold-AA, (1961-62); Banner placed in the top three consistently in the six men’s events in the numerous competitions sponsored by the SPAAAU. Education: B.S. @ UCLA, (1958); M.A. @ Cal. St. U., Long Beach (CSULB-1965); Ed.D. @ Arizona State University, (ASU-1973) where he competed for and was awarded a Teaching Assistant position. Coaching: Banner assumed the part-time Head Gymnastic position at U.C., Irvine from his friend, the late Richard Beckner, 1992 USHOF Honoree. He coached intermediate level gymnasts at UCI for several years. UCI’s team consisted of about six strong academicians. Several agreed and were successful in learning from one to three new events in a very short time. It’s difficult to put into words how proud Banner was of their work ethic and personal successes. All went on to productive careers. Randy Strickley became a high level financier, Ron Craig was Chief of Emergency Services at a large metropolitan hospital for 15 years and is now an anesthesiologist, John Potter taught biology, and Paul Boulian graduated with an engineering degree and later graduated Harvard Law School and formed an international consulting firm. At a team reunion, the men said their 2 1/2 to 3 hours of strenuous work each day was considered by them to be a break considering the intensity of their academic studies. Banner remembers them all with tremendous pride and admiration. Honors: Van Nuys HS Sr. Athlete Award, (1954); edging out football teammate, the late Don Drysdale who later earned induction into America’s Baseball Hall of Fame, Daily News HS “Athlete of the Year”, (1954); Helms Gymnastic Athlete of the Year Award, (1956); All American Gymnastics Team, (1960); Awarded FIG Insignia of Merit as a World Class Gymnast, (1960); Inducted into the Kiwanis Hall Of Fame, Van Nuys Chapter, (1970).

My Hobbies
Golf	Fast Water Fishing

Special: Appeared with Debbie Reynolds in a weekly Saturday evening special Hollywood Palace (1964) and with Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett on The Lucy Show, (1964); Chief researcher, consultant, & on-screen principal in the video film series The Art of Reading. The introductory historical documentary film in this series was awarded the New York Critics Award, Golden Globe Award, & received an Oscar Nomination for Best Educational Documentary, (1981). Professional: As an undergraduate, Banner spent more time in the gym than at the study desk receiving average grades; nevertheless, he turned his attention to his academic potential when he began his post-graduate education. His career encompassed a variety of intellectual pursuits, but he states that he never had a job he didn’t like from his first job at 14 until his retirement at 66 years of age. He began his career at North American Rocketdyne as a planner/scheduler for rocket engine repair and hot firing (test firing) engines. He became expert in the dehydration of gases as he worked through the Redstone, Mercury, and Gemini programs and was in attendance when the first F-1 engine was tested. The engine was so powerful that two were placed face-to-face to hold the engines down. Exciting stuff! During his time at Rocketdyne, Banner attended evening graduate classes and received a General Secondary teaching credential. At the same time, he was employed at Cal. St. U. Northridge (CSUN) to work part time with the late Dr. Helen Kennedy in CSUN’s reading lab. She changed the direction of his life toward working with students with depressed reading and writing skills. After he completed his student teaching, he taught reading improvement, American history, English, general math, social studies, or advanced psychology survey classes at the secondary schools where he spent 32 years in the classroom. While completing an M.A. at Cal. St. U., Long Beach (CSULB), once again fate intervened in the form of an encouraging professor. Students in an education history class chose names from a list provided by the professor and were required to give an oral and written report to the class. Banner chose a name he had never encountered, did copious research, and at report time, he took the podium and asked the class if anyone had ever heard of the person he chose. No one raised a hand, so Banner responded, “Well, I guess I can just say just about anything I damn well please!” Banner had chosen a person from the list who was a classroom teacher who had persevered and initiated the actions that led to the development of kindergarten, and the theme of interest was to remember how teacher’s good ideas for students must be pursued with vigor to spread and make a difference. After class, Dr. Jackman, the Professor, asked Banner to stay for a minute wherein he “strongly” suggested that Banner pursue a doctorate. No one had ever said that to Banner, “the jock”, before that moment. After seven years at Corona del Mar HS, he was granted a sabbatical leave and completed a combination special “clinic” program at Arizona St. University’s (ASU) prestigious Reading Education Department choosing the “clinic strand”. His Doctorate combined education, reading education, and psychology with a specialty to practice psychometrics, the measurement of mental traits, abilities, and processes, and writing formal reports of his findings. His program included an internship at Maricopa County Hospital. Banner also privately measured intelligence, and used projection tests such as the Rorschach test, the children and adult versions of the Themematic Apperception Test, et al. At the graduation ceremonies, Banner wore the gown given him by Dr. Helen Kennedy, his first mentor. Banner graduated first in his doctoral class @ ASU, (1972). Banner subsequently taught evening and summer classes at UCLA, UCI, ASU, & Western Washington U. as a lecturer in classes that focused on research study design and statistical analysis, psychology survey classes, and some psychometric training for hospital interns in psychiatry. He also did testing and reporting for a number of psychiatrists, defense attorneys, and prosecuting offices. Two years after receiving his Doctorate, he began consulting in public schools and Directed the Dolch Public Reading Community Clinic at Whitter College, (1973-’77). In addition, his Graduate Assistantship guided him into studies that focused on the elements of high-level study performance. As a side interest, Banner has led advanced study performance seminars at universities, high schools, medical schools, and the School of Optometry in Orange County, CA. Banner formed National Learning Systems and received contracts to provide research & training for county, district, and individual middle and high schools, the Dep’t. Of Defense, & the Army’s Forces-Command, the Dept. of Agriculture, and the FBI often outbidding companies such as General Electric and Boeing Industries.

In his consulting capacity, Banner traveled to all 17 Forces Command Posts from Panama City to Delta Junction, AK, close to the Artic Circle, (See Photo Inserts).Banner finished his teaching career at Turlock High School in Central California after consulting with school personnel to develop a middle and high school reading improvement program titled “Restructured Reading.” Administrative efforts in implementing the special reading program accomplished the amazing feat of helping an average of 422 students per school year average 3.2 grade levels of reading and writing skill gain. The program survived for 17 years. The highest gain was 4.4 years circa 1992. An implementation manual was used, but it was never published, so as new administrative personnel unfamiliar with the modern nature of Restructured Reading took charge, they unfortunately dropped Banner’s innovative program in favor of an easier to administer workbook program. The new program used an approach popular in the ‘50’s & ‘60’s and was based on outdated theories of secondary reading instruction. Banner also served the Turlock High School teachers as their elected President of the American Federation of Teachers Local. He will always remember his personal mentor and good friend, Evert Jones, and his primary support team of Jo Ann Davison, Dave Miller, and Steve Aristotelous with pride. Banner retired in 2002 and is the volunteer owner, manager, and a researcher of this independent Gymnastics Hall of Fame web site along with the help of those named on the Home Page. Family: Olympian Banner is especially proud of his birth father’s heroism in WWII and wishes to add a photo and some information about his dad’s military service. Sgt. E. O. Banner (d) flew 37 missions after joining the U.S. Army Air Corp. on December 8th, 1941. Many of the missions were “flying the “Hump” (Himalayan Mountains) through what was called “Tin Pan Alley” due to the amount of metal from shot down planes on the valley floors through which the planes flew. Later, flying from Tinian Island, he logged numerous missions over Tokyo and was decorated many times. Today, his uniforms and air medal with four clusters are on display at the “Gunner’s” exhibit at the Castle Air Museum in Atwater, California. He was nicknamed “The Shooter” by virtue of being first in his gunnery class operating the B-29 console that controlled the firing direction of the two unmanned turret guns on the B-29. He didn’t talk about his war experiences much, but when Banner returned from the Tokyo Olympics, he matched a few air photos of Mt. Fugiyama with those his father took during a mission. The B-29 and the tourist aircraft were in about the same air space, and it was amazing to see the sky filled with B-29 aircraft circling the old volcano determining the weather over their primary, secondary, and tertiary targets in his father’s photo. His father said quietly, “I would have never guessed that my son or any American would be flying as a tourist in that air space. It’s truly amazing while, at the same time, it is truly wonderful.” Family: Mother: Jill Dilly (d). Stepfather: Harold “Dick” Snell (d). Brother: Lt. Commander-CHP T. O. Banner (d), a “Cop’s Cop” - Nephews: Terry, Casey, Curtis, and Brandon. Nieces: Lori & Tina. Sister: Sharalee Daniels: (m) Rod Daniels (d) - Nephews: Ray, Rod & Niece: Shevie.

Rest of the Family
Begin with marriage to Marti Paulsen, a wonderful wife of 41 years (2007)  & counting.		Eric: Son #1 – USAF “Lifer” in the Middle    East Serving America		Bret: Son #2 - The world’s best fast-water fisherman who also enjoys scary movies with his kids.
Then it’s a family with daughter-in-law, Michelle, and grandchildren, Emalee Fern and Ryan Christian.			Emalee & Ryan

Sources: Banner’s private archives, HS Yearbooks, and Résumé, with information about his early years courtesy of A. Bruce Frederick, plus AAU & NCAA archived records. Recent information provided courtesy of the Modesto Bee and the Castle Air Museum. Introduction, commentary, and formatting by Dr. Larry Banner, Web Owner/Manager.