Binns, Karl Von
BINNS, Sr., Dr. Karl Von
Dr. Karl Von Binns, Sr., 69, of Salisbury, MD, departed this life Friday, April 2, 2021, at TidalHealth Peninsula Regional Hospital. Born August 31, 1951, in Tuskegee, AL, to Catherine Waymer Binns and the late Leroy Binns, Sr., Karl was the younger of two boys and was preceded in death by his older brother, Leroy Binns, Jr. Early in life, Dr. Binns developed a passion for basketball and later attended Truett McConnell Junior College on a basketball scholarship. Upon graduation, he was recruited on a basketball scholarship to be a yellow jacket under the tutelage of the renowned coach John T. "Whack" Hyder at Georgia Institute of Technology, where he is distinguished as the first black varsity basketball player. Karl later earned a Bachelor's Degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management in 1974 from Morris Brown College, where he was inducted into the Morris Brown College Athletic Hall of Fame. In addition, he played for one season in 1975 with the European Professional Basketball League in Düsseldorf, Germany. After returning to the United States, Dr. Binns earned a Master of Business Administration degree in Marketing Management from Morgan State University. He began his career working as a marketing representative for General Foods at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. Later, he began a lifetime career in higher education as a Lecturer at his alma mater, Morris Brown College, and continued on as Assistant Program Director in the Hospitality Management Department at Bethune Cookman College. Concluding his career in the Hospitality Tourism Department at UMES, where he earned his Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership, Dr. Binns served as Director, Hospitality Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute; Lecturer, Faculty Advisor to the NSMH Student Chapter and Eta Rho Mu, Career Coach, Program Director of the Hotel and Restaurant Management Department in Downtown Baltimore, and Assistant Professor. Dr. Binns was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and he was recognized as Omega Citizen of the Year in 1994. He was also a recipient of The Links, Inc. Community Service Award and the Pan Hellenic Council Business Achievers Award. Dr. Binns loved animals, fishing, and the outdoors. He was an excellent swimmer who enjoyed taking laps in his pool every summer and photographing nature and family. In addition to his mother, Karl will be lovingly remembered by: his wife, Geraldine Binns; two sons, Karl Binns, Jr. and Keenan Binns; two daughters, Shayla Binns and Kara Binns; two grandchildren, Kalia Binns and Kaylin Binns; several nieces, cousins, other relatives, in-laws, friends, and colleagues.
