ROSS BANKSON

BANKSON Ross RODBY Bankson A former copyboy and later editor on The Washington Post and a longtime resident of Fairfax, VA, died of complications from cardiac arrest on January 18, 2019. He was 76. Born in Indianapolis, IN, to Virgil Bankson (1908-62) and Margaret Rodby (1905-91), Mr. Bankson, with his family, moved to Washington, DC, in the early 1940s. In 1948 his family relocated to Tokyo, Japan, where his father had joined Gen. MacArthur's staff as an economist working on stabilizing the yen. During the 1950s he also lived in Djakarta, Indonesia, and Taipei, Taiwan. During his junior and senior years at Taipei American School, Mr. Bankson worked as a reporter and copyeditor on the English-language China Post. Back in the States, he parlayed that experience into a job as a copyboy on The Washington Post, though a college degree was normally required. After graduating in three years from the University of Maryland in 1963, Mr. Bankson set off on a four-month overland journey throughout Mexico, Central America, and South America. An article he wrote, "The Easy Life Far Up the Amazon," was published in The New York Times. It recounted a brief stay in Iquitos, Peru, during a three-week trip on a Peruvian onion boat and then a Brazilian passenger boat down the Ucayali-Amazon River. Mr. Bankson attended Navy OCS in Newport, RI, in 1964 and was commissioned an ensign in April of that year. He served 18 months aboard the ammunition ship Mount Baker (AE4) in the South China Sea. He then was posted to Naval Support Activity, Saigon, as deputy administrative officer, an assignment that took him throughout South Viet Nam, from Phu Quoc Island in the south to Danang in the north. He left the Navy with the rank of lieutenant. Mr. Bankson next worked as a deputy manager with Chase Manhattan Military Banking Facilities in Saigon and Danang. In 1971, in Hong Kong, he married Au Ngoc-Van ("Yvonne," 1941-2003), who worked as a sales clerk at the Navy Exchange in Saigon. After returning to the States, Mr. Bankson rejoined The Washington Post, now as a copyeditor on the editorial and op-ed pages. He went on to the National Geographic Society, where he edited World magazine (now Kids) and several books. Beginning in 1991 he directed a contract editing team with the program evaluation center of the U.S. Agency for International Development. In this role he wrote a style guide for writers and editors emphasizing clarity, brevity, honesty, and adherence to accepted standards of American English. In 1999 his team edited USAID's Annual Evaluation Report. Citing its clarity and transparency, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University ranked it No. 1 among 23 other government annual reports. Mr. Bankson also produced the State Department's after-action report for the G8 summit held in Sea Island, Georgia, in 2004. He retired in 2005. A former sloop owner, Mr. Bankson enjoyed sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. He loved travel-especially by train-, adventure, conversing with interesting characters from around the world, and engaging in the political discourse. He was charming, witty, and loved to tell a good story. Mr. Bankson was eloquent and deliberate in his writing and stressed the importance of proper grammar to all those around him. He enjoyed cooking meals for his family and humoring his grandchildren. Mr. Bankson was a cultured and worldly man who valued tradition and integrity. He will be sorely missed by his family and friends. Mr. Bankson is survived by a son, Long Hoang Au, of Centreville, VA; a son, Erik Virgil Bankson, of New York, NY; a daughter, Michelle Kimberly Bankson, of Los Angeles, CA; a son, Christopher Au Bankson, of Washington, DC; a granddaughter, Amanda Ngoc-Anh Au; a granddaughter, Angela Mai-Anh Au; a grandson, Brandon Bao-Anh Au; a granddaughter, Nova Yvette McDonald; a grandson, Julian Leif McDonald; and a great-granddaughter, Midori Anh Au. Inurnment will take place at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. Please contact the family for details.Inurnment will take place at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. Please contact the family for details.