In Memory of Bob Hankla

October, 1995

On October 6, Rod got the shocking news that long-time colleague Bob Hankla had died of a heart attack while teaching a section of introductory physics in 519 Kell Hall, just two doors down from Rod's office in 514B Kell. It was our large classroom, and both Bob and Rod had taught in that classroom for many years. The family picture of the Hanklas was on the occasion of the Society of Physics Students picnic at GSU's Indian Creek Lodge on May 1, 1977. Bob was advisor for the SPS for many years.

Robert Hope HANKLA was born 7 Dec 1937, in Boyle Co., Kentucky; died 6 Oct 1995, Atlanta, Fulton Co., Georgia; was buried , Perryville (Hillcrest) Cemetery, Perryville, Boyle Co., Kentucky.

Robert H. Hankla, 57, physics professor at GSU for 30 years

Robert H. Hankla would always remember his fourth birthday. It came on Dec. 7, 1941.

"There was a family gathering at his grandmother's. The announcement came on the radio about Pearl Harbor. He stayed glued to the radio the rest of the day," said his wife, Alison Clair Kimbler "Kim" Hankla.

Mr. Hankla, 57, of Atlanta died Oct. 6 of a heart attack while teaching a physics class at Georgia State University. A student in the class attempted CPR, but efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.

A memorial service was today at Rehoboth Presbyterian Church, with burial Thursday in Perryville, Ky.

A native of Boyle County, Ky., Mr. Hankla received his bachelor' s degree from Centre College and his master's and doctorate from Vanderbilt University.

He was an associate professor of physics and astronomy for 30 years at Georgia State, serving for 10 years as assistant dean and director of graduate studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.

"He cared very deeply about his students," said Clyde Faulkner, retired dean of Arts and Sciences at GSU, who first met Mr. Hankla while the two were co-workers in the school's annual United Way campaign. "I came to know about him then and that he was reliable, thoughtful, considerate. You could depend on him."

Mr. Hankla became known for his ability to deal with the nitty- gritty of committee work, sometimes involving long drawn-out procedures fraught with delay and anxiety.

"One of the reasons was that he was so very careful and meticulous, " Mr. Faulkner said. "You could always be satisfied that it would proceed to a conclusion." Mr. Hankla was equally meticulous in the classroom, seeking to provide practical demonstrations for his students to make sure they fully understood the principles of physics being discussed.

Surviving in addition to his wife are two sons, Allen Kimbler Hankla of Livermore, Calif., and Charles Robert Hankla of Atlanta; his mother, Elizabeth Crawford Hankla of Danville, Ky.; two brothers, Willis G. Hankla Jr. of Owensboro, Ky., and Charles L. Hankla of Nashville; and a granddaughter.

Bob is shown fourth from right in this faculty picture of the Physics and Astronomy Department taken in the Spring of 1979.

	The latest picture I had of Bob was at a social for the Physics and Astronomy Department at the home of the Nelsons in October of 1992.

Bob and I had been friends and colleagues since I joined the faculty in January of 1968, so 28 years as colleagues. Bob had joined the faculty two years earlier in 1966. We had worked together on a number of projects and I worked with the Society of Physics Students when his time was divided by becoming an Assistant Dean and Director of Graduate Studies for the School of Arts and Sciences.

At the time of Bob's untimely death, Joe Hadley, the Chair of the Department, approached me with the request that I take over Bob's introductory physics course for the remainder of the term. That time has to stand as one of the eeriest experiences of my life, to walk in and stand before a class of probably forty students when their previous professor had dropped dead in front of the class the last time they had met! I certainly had to be sympathetic with their feelings of uncertainty - it had to be an eerie experience in their lives as well. I did my best to comfort and assure them that I would carry on according to my best judgment of the way Bob would have conducted the class. Within a week both they and I had calmed down and the rest of the semester proceeded calmly.

When Joe approached me to take the class, he said to me something like "I hate to add this extra load on you, Rod, but you're the only one I know that I think could handle it." It was not something I wanted to take on, but I appreciated his confidence in me and it was something that I knew had to be done.

Since my office was just a couple of doors down the hall from where Bob was teaching the class, I had talked with him several times during that term as he was going to or from the class. We had discussed the fact that he was having heart difficulties and that his doctor had prescribed medication to calm his heart. He bemoaned the fact that the medication damped him down too much so that he felt tired.