WILMINGTON John Barnes “J.B.” Hinnant Jr., 86, passed away Thursday, March 4, 2021.
J.B. was born in Wilmington April 19, 1934, to John Barnes Hinnant Sr. and Viola McMillan Hinnant. In his early years, he was known as Johnny, and later in life, as J.B.
J.B. grew up in the Sea Gate community and graduated from New Hanover High School in 1954. He was a proud veteran of the U.S. Army and served during the Korean War.
After the war, he owned and operated Hinnant Construction Company, sometimes known as RDJ Construction (named after his children Renae, Denise & John). He built many commercial properties in and around the Wilmington area and was part of the revitalization of downtown Wilmington. He worked on several buildings during the early days of downtown’s renaissance, and his influence on historic preservation standards for commercial construction are still in use today. He was a member of Winter Park Baptist Church, and a former member of the Masons and Shriners.
With the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday, Jan. 20, there has been lots of talk, in the media and elsewhere, of what healing should look like for our country once President Donald Trump is out of office.
It s been a tumultuous four years politically, with emotions running super-high on both sides of the aisle, the partisan divide as wide as ever. What would it take for the country to come together again? Not another 9/11-type event, we can only pray.
Predictably, a Facebook thread on this topic I started on my page largely devolved into the same heated arguments, attacks and counter-attacks that have soured so many of us on social media.