Chris Banner closed his eyes and placed his rough hand on his forehead while he thought about his past.
His past is full of struggles and misunderstanding.
"I am different from other people," Banner said.
The tall and stout Banner, 65, works in the Department of Music in McCain Auditorium. When music majors or K-State Marching Band members need their instruments fixed, they call Banner.
What makes him different than most people around McCain is he has a social disorder called Asperger's Syndrome.
People with Asperger's struggle to sense what people are thinking. They also have a hard time making friends and communicating. These symptoms are something Banner said he has
GETTING TO KANSAS
Banner grew up in Hawaii, where he earned his bachelor's degree and played in the Honolulu Symphony, but while he was there he said he struggled with his disorder. He said he did not know what made him different, and it took a toll on his emotional life.
"I hated myself at times," Banner said. "Way back in '66, I tried to kill myself because I didn't want to keep fighting."
But in 1967, an event changed Banner's life and started his path toward understanding. The Honolulu Symphony hired a new conductor, which left Banner and 39 other musicians with no jobs.
Banner decided to "get a new start in life," and he moved to Chicago in 1968. There he met his wife, Betty. While Banner said the two were complete opposites, they clicked as soon as they met.
Banner said Betty worked with the Red Cross as a nurse, and when she was transferred to Fort Riley, they moved to Manhattan.
FINDING OUT
Banner said he had seen doctors about his social disorder for years, but was never diagnosed or got better. In 1989 or 1990, he started to take Prozac and things began to clear up.
"I began to work better, and I was able to do things that I wasn't able to do before with my mind," Banner said. "But I was still different from other people, and I didn't know why or what to do about it."
About five years ago, a friend of Banner's - who was a special-education teacher in Kansas City - called him and started to ask him some questions.
"When I got through answering them, she said she thought I had Asperger's," he said. "I never heard of Asperger's before. So I got busy and researched it out and decided, yeah, that is what it was."
Viewing Comments 1 - 8 of 8
Ronnie Hernandez
posted 11/16/07 @ 9:11 AM CST
Hi,
I would like to say that I've had the good privilege to meet Banner in a different way also. Banner and I have been able to communicate quite well and there would be times where I would see him so he could fix, check out, or I could turn in my horn or, walking around campus, one time, heading to Hale Library, and we chatted for a few minutes telling each other what I was up to and he would always know what instrument I played. (Continued…)
ronnie10
Ronnie Hernandez
posted 11/16/07 @ 9:17 AM CST
Hi,
I just wanted to say that I had the great privilege to meet Banner. He is a great person and does well at what he does for McCain. I would meet him when I wanted to check out or check in a Baritone, or to get it fixed. (Continued…)
Thomas D. Taylor
posted 11/16/07 @ 12:21 PM CST
It is important that people be made to know through articles like this one that people with AS, when given the resources they need, can be just as productive as people who are NOT on the autistic spectrum. (Continued…)
Rod Anderson
posted 11/16/07 @ 1:43 PM CST
This article was very informative. In the semesters (long ago) when I was in McCain Auditorium for classes and to practice my instruments, Mr. Banner was always very helpful in making me feel welcome or in telling me which way I needed to go. (Continued…)
Hal Rager
posted 11/16/07 @ 8:54 PM CST
I met Banner in 1978 when I shared a room in Van Zile Hall with a music major. He took me to meet Banner because my room mate said, 'you two have a lot in common. (Continued…)
Gary Simpson
Gary Simpson
posted 11/17/07 @ 3:02 AM CST
Great story! This sounds alot like Temple Grandin who is a professor of animal science at Colorado State, and who has written a book about autism from the perspective of having autism herself. (Continued…)
Mike Henry
posted 11/17/07 @ 8:13 PM CST
Great story, my son is an Aspie and I suspect that I am. It is a feeling of being on the wrong planet. I am sort of glad that he is diagnosed but I wonder if he may stay away from trying certain things and stay with what he is comfortable with. (Continued…)
Alyson Bradley
posted 11/24/07 @ 5:06 PM CST
An inspiring story and its great to see people like Banner out in the community working with the younger generation as a great role model. As understanding really is key to a better society where we can help eliminate, as much as possible the prejudgment and stigma before it happens. (Continued…)
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