Hankins was in the habit of waking up before dawn to exercise before beginning his workday.

“[Hankins] woke up around 4 o’clock every morning...worked out for 90 minutes, showered, changed, grabbed the paper, some potato chips and an orange soda, and still arrived at his desk before anyone else,” Rosenberg said.

Despite his busy schedule, Hankins was never too busy to have a good time, and many friends and colleagues recalled his infectious laugh.

“He had a very distinctive laugh, and he was always the life of the party,” Taylor said. “The community will be a lot less fun now that he’s not a part of it.”

Before coming to Harvard in 1989, Hankins, a native of Detroit, attended Grosse Point Academy and the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy, where he was co-valedictorian.

A resident of Leverett House, Hankins graduated cum laude from Harvard and went on to graduate from Yale Law School in 1996.

In addition to his father, Hankins is survived by his wife, Melissa DeBose-Hankins ’93; a sister, Andrea M. Hankins; a brother, Corbin K. Hankins; and his maternal grandfather, Howard Roberts. His mother is the late Margaret A. Hankins.

Hankins’ funeral was held last month in Detroit and a memorial service is planned for Friday, Jan. 31, at 2:30 p.m. in Memorial Church.

—Staff writer Jaquelyn M. Scharnick can be reached at scharnic@fas.harvard.edu.