Year opened: 1961

J.F. Bane came to Fairbanks in 1913 and in 1924 "traded" the community's outgrown one-room school on its narrow strip of land bordering the railroad tracks for the present location of Bane Elementary. As a trustee, Mr. Bane worked to hire capable teachers and arrange for adequate classrooms. He often lobbied Austin legislators and sometimes donned coveralls to paint classrooms, but he was always ready to help children. "It would have taken something to stop him if he believed he was in the right, and the children needed help," said his wife. Mr. Bane served on the board for 25 years and played a lead role in the consolidation of the Cypress and Fairbanks school systems.