Dr. Lawrence (Larry) Edison Banks Jr., 71, of Springfield passed away on January 06, 2010 after a brief struggle with cancer. Larry was born January 20, 1938 in Lawton, Oklahoma. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BS in Physics, 1959, and PhD in Physics, 1969. His entire academic career had been at Missouri State University (MSU), starting in 1961. During this time, Larry served as a faculty member, the Department Head of a Physical Sciences Department for four years, the Department Head of Physics and Astronomy for 21 years, and Dean of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences for 12 years. Larry was the primary originator of the Missouri Virtual School effort at MSU that now serves rural schools all across Missouri. When Larry retired from MSU in 2006 after 45 years, he continued to work with the Missouri Virtual School until his death. As lasers and then holography began to come of age, Larry spent many years with students in the holography lab he established. He obtained several grants during the time he was involved in this work, primarily from MSU, from the National Science Foundation, and from the Department of Energy. This activity was always centered on the education of undergraduate students at MSU. During this time, Larry had continuing contacts with area K-12 schools through numerous presentations and science fairs, and hosting K-12 science teachers at the university. Larry had been a computer advocate since the days of punch cards and became a staunch supporter of computer technology over the years. In cooperation with the Department of Mathematics, he helped originate a new Department of Computer Science on the MSU campus in 1984, and continuously promoted the use of computers in education. Through the years Larry had been dedicated to education in Missouri by serving on many panels and committees. From 1987-1993, Larry served as Executive Director of the Missouri Alliance for Science, Mathematics and Technology education. The purpose of that organization was to encourage innovative educational projects occur across the state. One of the most treasured awards that Larry received in the area of science education was the Science Teachers' of Missouri Distinguished Service Award for 2000. At his retirement in 2006, Larry stated that even though he had a small role in the administration of MSU, "I came because I loved the discipline of physics and I stayed because I found that I loved helping students learn about physics." He appreciated the importance for each and every student to find the disciplinary niche of our complex world and society that captivated their imagination. Ever the supporter of continuing education and research, Larry donated his body to the Medical Education & Research Institute (MERI), a nonprofit medical teaching and training facility in Memphis, Tennessee. A visitation will be held at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home in Springfield MO from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Saturday January 16, 2010. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Banks Family Scholarship in care of the MSU Foundation (http://www.missouristatefoundation.org), the American Cancer Society, or any charity of choice.