G. Phillips "Phil" Hanna

G. Phillips Hanna, the second son of Mildred and John Hanna, was born in Concord, New Hampshire in 1927. The “G” stood for Glen, not that anyone ever called him that. His parents and two brothers called him Phil, the name by which he was known throughout his life. 

Phil graduated from Concord High School in 1945 and joined the United States Navy. He received his honorable discharge in 1946 and attended the University of New Hampshire before transferring to Cornell University, graduating in 1950. He attended graduate school at Princeton University, earning his masters in 1952. Phil moved to Washington, DC, in 1954 to take a job as a budget examiner with the US Bureau of the Budget (BoB). He met Helen Peddle, his wife of 66 years, after joining the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church choir. They married in 1958 and had two children, Margaret (Meg) Hanna House and Stephen Phillips Hanna.

From 1954 to 1969, Phil worked as a budget examiner, legislative analyst, and branch chief for BoB’s Atomic Energy Commission and Housing branches. His work included setting goals for President Lyndon Johnson’s Model Cities program and developing the financial structure of federally subsidized housing programs for the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Phil left BoB in 1970 to become the vice president for plans, coordination, and analysis at Chase Manhattan Bank in New York, but decided he preferred public service and returned to the renamed US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 1971. He spent the remainder of his career in OMB’s Labor branch, once again rising to the level of branch chief. He retired in 1987.

Phil was an exemplary civil servant earning an exceptional service award in 1969, winning the Roger W. Jones Award for Executive Leadership in 1982, and advancing to the rank of Distinguished Executive in 1984. The nomination letters for these awards praise his early adoption of computer systems for budget analysis and reporting and detail his comprehensive knowledge of OMB’s legislative and review processes. His most significant contribution to public service, however, was his training of other executives. In fact, Phil refused promotion to the rank of division chief on three separate occasions, preferring to stay where he could teach new staff. His tough but supportive approach to mentorship ensured that his detailed knowledge, ethical values, and disciplined work ethic was passed on to staff who became leaders throughout OMB. In the words of Phil’s successor as chief of the labor branch, Larry Matlack, “[Phil] set standards for ethical behavior, teamwork, and analysis that were models for all who worked for him. Phil put us on the road to success. You could see his influence in how those who went to work elsewhere in OMB conducted themselves and set goals and standards for their staff.”

Phil applied his systematic and disciplined mind outside of work as well. He prepared to race Flying Scots by reading books on sailing tactics and worked his way through a pad of graph paper to solve the Rubik’s cube. Phil also  worked on the finances of every organization he joined, including the Deep Creek Yacht Club in western Maryland and during his long membership at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church.

At church, he served as an elder, deacon and trustee, finding his best fit as a trustee. He also volunteered in the church office, at one point stepping in to fill a vacancy as the church’s financial manager. He’s remembered especially for his commitment to excellent finance processes and to building a strong endowment and planned giving program for the church. But his work for the church was also spiritual. In addition to singing in the choir with Helen, he taught Sunday School to adults and teens, including his own children and grandchildren, and enjoyed wrestling with challenging scriptures, including the letters of Paul, the “minor prophets,” or his favorite book of the Bible, Job. Phil also enjoyed sharing his often wry sense of humor, playing roles in church productions such as The Music Man (barbershop quartet), Annie Get Your Gun (Buffalo Bill), and the Mikado (Pooh-ba), and singing silly songs in talent shows with Helen.

He was a strong, steady, and loving presence for his family, and valued family gatherings, along with the occasional silly game. He and Helen sang together, joined book groups together, sailed in Flying Scot races together on Deep Creek Lake, and after his retirement, traveled together enjoying educational cruises and taking several bike trips in Europe. In his last years, he showed his commitment and love by visiting Helen daily, for most of the day, during her nearly seven years in nursing care. Caregivers where he and Helen lived frequently commented on these visits, noting that he often stayed until she fell asleep each night.

Phil did not have to tell people that faith and love guided his actions. If you spent time with him, you simply knew that he would do what was right, and you wanted to follow his example. We give thanks for this example and his quiet witness.

Phil is predeceased by his wife, Helen, in 2024. He is survived by his daughter, Meg Hanna House (Doug) of Arlington, and son, Stephen Hanna (Sarah Dewees) of Fredericksburg, and three grandchildren, Virginia (Genna) House of Falls Church, Paige House of Buffalo, New York, and Simon Dewees-Hanna, currently attending Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. 

We will remember him at a memorial service on April 6 at 1 pm at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Phil’s memory may be given to: 

New York Avenue Presbyterian Church - Endowment 

1313 New York Avenue, NW

Washington DC 20005 

https://nyapc.org/give/

(select “Phil Hanna memorial fund”)

Or to:

Doctors without Borders