I had the great pleasure of meeting Paul Hanna in 2004 at the celebration of the 65th Anniversary of Operation Market Garden in Holland. Paul was part of the 101st Airborne Division Association Remember September tour, as was I. He was being escorted on the tour by his Daughter-in-Law, Mindy Hanna. I was very fortunate to be able to hear a few of Mr. Hanna's stories and to have the opportunity to be with him at some of the places he had served at during the war, both in Holland and in Belgium. He seemed to be a very gentle man with a good sense of humor, and I enjoyed his company.
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| Paul Hanna |
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After our trip in 2004, I was able to continue my contact with Paul for a few years through the mail. I wish he lived closer so I could have visited him in person, but unfortunately he was on the opposite side of the country from me. Then, on the day of my birthday in May of this year (2009), one of the cards I received in the mail was not a birthday wish, but instead a card which carried some sad news. It was a notice from Paul's Daughter-in-Law Mindy letting me know that Paul had passed away. I could tell from the words she wrote that Mindy and her husband Lee were very sad about Paul's passing, but that they were also very proud of his lifes accomplishments.
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I too will miss Paul, but I hope to be able to carry on his memory a bit by telling some of his story here. I am currently researching his experiences with the assistance of his family and will post more about him as soon as I can. In the meantime, I have posted most of his obituary below, as it was printed in the New Jersey Independent Press. I will also post a few pictures of Paul from our trip to Holland in 2004.
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Paul J. Hanna was born in Canonsburg, Pa., and resided in Summit, for many years prior to moving to the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Fla., and Hound Ears Club in Blowing Rock, N.C. He died peacefully on Feb. 26, 2009. A private service was held on March 4, and interment followed in Brigadier General William Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Wrightstown. A memorial service to celebrate Mr. Hanna's life will be held on April 4 at 11:30 a.m. at the Ocean Reef Chapel in Key Largo, Fla.
As a young farm boy growing up in Western Pennsylvania during the Great Depression, Mr. Hanna mowed the lawn at the church cemetery for 25 cents an hour, and worked to put himself through night school. He graduated with honors from the University of Pittsburgh, where he was a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society, and later graduated from the Credit and Financial Management School at Dartmouth College.
He grew up to fight for the country he loved, to experience a highly successful business career and to help others and his community. He was a loyal and loving husband, father and grandfather.
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In 1941 Mr. Hanna enlisted in the Army as a private and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the 101st Airborne Division. In addition to the Bronze Star, the Belgian Croix de Guirre and the Dutch Order of William, he was awarded the Presidential Citation with Cluster and the World War II Victory Medal.
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| Ready for the show to begin, March 23, 1944, England. (Click on photo for more details) |
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When a demonstration jump was scheduled by the division for General Dwight D. Eisenhower and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Paul was given the assignment of being the escort for the two dignitaries during their visit.
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| Paul had a great view of the demonstration jump from his vantage point on the grandstand. The 2nd and 3rd battalions of the 506th PIR made the jump from the planes while the remainder of the division watched from ground level. Photo is from LTC Trevor J. Bredenkamp courtesy of Hoyt Bruce Moore, III and the 506th AIRA. |
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| Photo is from the Life at Camp Breckinridge, KY. magazine, Winter 1953 Edition courtesy of Hoyt Bruce Moore, III, 506th AIRA |
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Following the war, Mr. Hanna spent 32 years at Manufacturers Hanover Corporation in New York and was in charge of its banking in the eastern half of the United States. Later in his career at the Holding Company, Mr. Hanna developed the company's financial-related businesses in consumer finance, leasing and mortgage banking as well as its footprint in upstate New York. He was a member of the Association of Reserve City Bankers and also served as a director of United Jersey Banks and several of its subsidiaries.
Always seeking new challenges, Mr. Hanna retired early as executive vice president of Manufacturers Hanover to become vice chairman of GEICO Corporation in Washington, D.C., and chairman of its financial services company in Denver. While at GEICO, Mr. Hanna negotiated the purchase of 25 percent interest in AVEMCO, a general aviation insurance company, and served on its board for 15 years.
Later, Mr. Hanna negotiated the purchase of Manufacturers Hanover Mortgage Company for Fireman's Fund Insurance Company and served on its board (Source One Mortgage Services Company in Southfield, Mich.) for several years. Over the years, he also served on the boards of 45 companies in banking, insurance and financial-related businesses.
Mr. Hanna cared deeply for others and the communities in which he lived. He served on the board of Rider University for many years and as chairman for three years. He also received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Rider University in 1989. As the basis for this award, the university noted that Mr. Hanna was "a man who has devoted his entire life to the common good -- in service to his country, to business and to education." He founded and served as president of the Hanna Foundation, which has provided philanthropic support for many deserving causes during Mr. Hanna's lifetime and going forward. He also served as president of the board of the Ocean Reef Medical Center and helped to build its foundation, for which he served as president. Mr. Hanna was governor of the Ocean Reef Yacht Club and a member of the Angler's Club in Key Largo, Fla. In addition, he served on the boards of the Greater Miami YMCA and Lees McRae College.
His hobby and passion was golf. He enjoyed taking his sons on golfing ventures around the nation and world including numerous outings in Scotland, England, Ireland and Australia. Mr. Hanna always remembered walking off the 18th green with his sons at St. Andrew's Old Course late in his life. A member and former president of Baltusrol Golf Club, Mr. Hanna also belonged to Burning Tree Golf Club, Columbia Country Club, Card Sound Golf Club and Hound Ears Club.
Mr. Hanna loved and was devoted to his family. His first wife, Grace Hanna, died in 1989 after 43 years of marriage. His second wife, Joan Chapin Hanna, died in 1999.
He is survived by his two sons and their wives: Paul II (Sandra) and Lee (Mindy); and five grandchildren. He is also survived by a step-son and step-daughter, Steve Chapin and Lori Simm, their spouses (Nancy and Daryl); and four step-grandchildren.
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| Paul J. Hanna |
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