Marquivious Bankhead may be young, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t focused.
The 20-year-old Greenwood firefighter and funeral director ranks community service above all else.
“I just like helping the community,” Bankhead said. “Whatever I can do to help somebody, that’s what I try to do.”
Bankhead said it’s in his nature to serve. He has many family members who are police officers or firemen, including his father, Capt. Lavar Bolden, a 12-year veteran of the Greenwood Fire Department.
“I just come from a family of helpful, friendly people,” he said.
Bankhead is the oldest son of Bolden and Comelia Bankhead.
A native of Itta Bena, Marquivious Bankhead moved with his family to Greenwood about a year and a half ago and has been working with the Fire Department for about six months.
Bankhead said he has seen a lot of improvement in himself since joining the firefighting team.
One big adjustment was getting used to the physical fitness that the job requires, he said.
Bankhead didn’t play sports during his time at Leflore County High, so spending hours training was new to him.
Another thing not many people realize, Bankhead said, is how much studying firefighters have to do. The firefighters train mentally and physically every day, he said.
“There’s a lot you’ve got to know,” he said.
Bankhead plans to begin taking classes in October so that he can become certified as a 1st class firefighter. He hopes to climb ranks within the Fire Department and turn the job into a career.
It wouldn’t be the first time Bankhead has set his eyes on a skill and worked toward it.
At 16, he began working closely with his uncle at Byas Mortuary. Bankhead said he would go to the mortuary and help out however he could. He also worked for the Greenwood Parks Department during part of this time.
After graduating from high school in 2013, Bankhead took a year off to keep working and figure out his life goals. He realized that he enjoyed working with his uncle and decided that he’d like to be in the business.
In 2014, Bankhead headed to Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he took courses in the mortuary field. He completed all requirements within one summer to receive a funeral director’s permit.
He has held the funeral director’s position at Byas for almost two years.
Bankhead said he knows that working in a mortuary might spook some people, but it doesn’t bother him.
“It’s a mind thing,” he said. “There’s really nothing to be scared of.”
Lately, Bankhead has been thinking about going back to school to further his education. He’s interested in learning more business skills.
He said he firmly believes that “you can do anything if you put your mind to it.”
•Contact Chloe Ricks at 581-7124 or cricks@gwcommonwealth.com.
