As Darlington kicks off its Alumni Weekend celebration today, the Alumni Office is pleased to announce that Dr. J. Daniel Hanks Jr. (’61, LD ’12) and Villa (Sulzbacher) Hizer (’66T, LD ’12) are the recipients of the 2016 Distinguished Alumnus Awards.
"Today, we have much to celebrate," said Head of School Brent Bell. "On this day, we enjoy the beauty of our 500-acre campus. We enjoy the good fortune of spending our time with our students and the members of our amazing faculty and staff. And today, especially, we celebrate the amazing vision of our founders and the alumni of this school who have paved the way -- through their affection and generosity -- to help us lead lives committed to wisdom, service, and honor. Today, we must pause and give thanks to Darlington School and all that it means to us."
Dr. Dan Hanks is retired from Rome Radiology Group in 2010 after a long and distinguished career in medicine.
As a day student at Darlington, he played soccer and was a member of both the Darlingtonian and Jabberwokk staffs.
"In my days on this campus, the teachers wanted us to succeed but as we used to say, they did not 'cut the students any slack,'" said Hanks. "They taught us the lifetime value that success, or academics, or any other endeavor in life usually occurs after both hard work and preparation. They espoused the words 'tough love' long before they were popularized ... At least for me, the Darlington education was well worth the time, the effort and the money expended by both my parents and me for my years on the Darlington campus."
After receiving his B.S. from Davidson College, Hanks earned his M.D. from the Medical College of Georgia, where he was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He completed his residency at Medical College of Virginia at Richmond and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He then served as a major in the U.S. Army Medical Corps before returning to the Medical College of Georgia as a Fellow in Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology and, later, assistant professor. He spent one year as chief of radiology service at Veterans Administration Hospital in Augusta, Ga., before moving to Rome to join Rome Radiology Group.
Hanks has received numerous awards and honors, including several Georgia Senate and House Resolutions and, most recently, the 2014 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Medical College of Georgia Alumni Association and the 2016 Georgia Radiological Society Gold Medal. The Georgia Radiological Society, of which Hanks is a past president, also established the J. Daniel Hanks Jr. Fellowship in Governmental and Regulatory Affairs in his honor in 2013.
Locally, Hanks is a graduate of the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Rome program and past president of the Leadership Rome Alumni Association; past member of the Heart of the Community Board of Governors; past vice chairman of the Rome/Floyd Cancer Initiative Board of Directors; past Board member for the Northwest Georgia Cancer Initiative, Floyd College Foundation, Rome Area History Museum, and Citizens First Bank of Rome; past president of the Georgia Bulldog Club of Rome; and past chairman of the Floyd County Republican Party.
At Darlington, Hanks is a graduate of Leadership Darlington and a member of the J.J. Darlington Society and the J. Daniel Hanks (’27) Heritage Society. He is a past member of the Board of Visitors, the Planned Gifts Committee and the Centennial Celebration Committee. He and his wife, the former Adeline Wright (’62T, LD ’12), have a grown son, Daniel (’99).
"Darlington graduates have been successful in many different vocations and in many different geographic locations," said Hanks. "This institution has a history of giving students good foundations for future success in many areas of life if those students are conscientious about academic achievement ...
"The culture of the institution also emphasizes the importance of lifelong values that are stated in the school motto, 'Wisdom more than Knowledge, Service beyond Self, Honor above Everything,'" he continued. "For in the great scheme of things, what is the true value of academic achievement if it is not used appropriately for the greater good of those people in your community and your profession?"
Villa Hizer served as owner of North Georgia Distributing Co., along with her late husband, Courtney, for 28 years, and has continued her family’s long legacy of service to the Rome community.
As a student at Thornwood School, Hizer was active in sports, Chorus and Drama Club, in addition to serving as a photographer for the Little Women yearbook.
"One of the things I learned [at Thornwood] was to cherish the bonds I had with my friends and teachers,," she said. "These friendships are real ... Life's lessons shared with friends give you strength."
After high school, Hizer attended Converse College before graduating from the University of Georgia with a degree in mathematics.
She began her career working for a CPA firm and, later, engineering and computer companies in Atlanta. While there, she also completed graduate work at Georgia Tech. In 1976, she and Courtney moved to Rome to run North Georgia Distributing Co. They led the company through a period of rapid growth, winning the coveted Miller Masters Award for outstanding sales and service numerous times.
Active in industry and civic organizations, Hizer served on the Georgia Beer Wholesalers Board of Directors for many years and, along with a group of Romans, founded First Rome Bank, now Regions Bank. She has served on the Boys & Girls Club Board of Directors for 33 years, receiving many awards including the Distinguished Service Award, and has been involved with Chieftains Museum for 38 years, serving as treasurer and president.
She has also been involved in Junior Service League (receiving Sustainer of the Year in 1997), the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Rome, Women in Management, Regions Bank, American Cancer Society, Summit Quest, Heart of the Community, Rome Area Heritage Foundation, University of Georgia Libraries Board of Visitors, and the Berry College Senior Scholars Advisory Committee.
"Your knowledge, compassion and kindness are gifts you can always afford to give," she shared.
Hizer’s leisure activities include being a member of the Seven Hills Garden Club and Co-Vestors Investment Club. Recently, she has continued her late husband’s hobby of driving a race car on the Bonneville Salt Flats – which, she says, was quite a thrill.
An active member of the Darlington Community, Hizer is a graduate of Leadership Darlington and a member of the Alumni Council as well as the J.J. Darlington Society and the J. Daniel Hanks (’27) Heritage Society. She also served on the Second Century Campaign’s Thornwood Cabinet and has volunteered with the Annual Fund.
"Darlington gives you opportunities to make the most of your life," Hizer said. "Take it, embrace it, find your passion, believe in yourself, cherish your friends and you, too, will be forever grateful."
