Feb. 24, 2026 — When Garry Banks, M.D. ’90, first got to college, he thought he was headed for a career in finance. But volunteering in a North Carolina hospital changed his mind.

“I remember helping out in any way possible,” he said. “It really seemed to be a good fit for me.”

Forty years later, he’s reflecting on more than three decades of caring for his community as an internal medicine physician with HCA Florida Twin Cities Hospital in Niceville, Florida.

Finding that perfect niche was an important life lesson imparted to Banks and his siblings from their parents, the late LaKay and Cullen W. Banks, M.D. An esteemed family medicine physician and former University of Florida College of Medicine Admissions Committee member, Cullen Banks paved the way for generations of doctors as the first African-American to have full practicing privileges in Alachua County.

“My father was very humble. He wanted to make sure we chose what careers we wanted individually — something that matched our personalities and our interests,” Banks said. “Life is too short to be miserable. You’ve got to enjoy what you do.”

He found that joy returning home to Gainesville and the Gator Nation for medical school in 1986, escaping the North Carolina snowstorms in the process. Between long hours of studying with classmates, Banks was an avid Florida Gators sports fan. He oversaw the football block for the medical school, dutifully getting student tickets from The Swamp and even negotiating exam times with his professors to ensure that stadium seats were filled come Saturday.

“One year, we had an exam on a Saturday morning the weekend of the Florida-Georgia game,” he said. “I raised a royal fuss about it, and the professors were kind enough to give the exam at 7 a.m. We had to sit in there waiting for the last person to finish, and once that was done, the class got released to go to the game in Jacksonville.”

Sports and travel have remained two of Banks’ most cherished passions as a College of Medicine alumnus, along with continuing his dedicated volunteer work in the Florida Panhandle. Niceville is just minutes away from Eglin Air Force Base, and each winter, Banks and his friends organize thousands of holiday meals for military members and first responders. It evolved from a small tradition of hosting a few active-duty service members who could not travel home to their families for Thanksgiving or Christmas. The gathering grew, supporting mental health and bringing small moments of comfort to dozens, then hundreds, and most recently, over 1,500 troops and first responders in 2024 and 2025.

Banks and his friend Warren Long, an active-duty bomb technician, deliver the meals to Eglin Air Force Base and local police and EMS offices, fundraising through a nonprofit aptly named “Operation Holiday Cheer.” The effort is largely supported by the community, touching the hearts of many veterans, locals and even patients from Banks’ practice who have experienced the pain of a lonely holiday.

One U.S. Marine Corps veteran was brought to tears by Operation Holiday Cheer, confiding in Banks that he had passed two Christmases alone on a boat, stuck miles away from all his loved ones. Another commander shared that the meals bring happiness to troops who are away from their families and may be feeling isolated during the holiday season.

“That was when I knew we were doing something good,” Banks said. “Hopefully, we’ve been able to bring some joy.”