He prepared at Deerfield, and at Princeton he majored in English under the American Civilization Program, writing his thesis on “Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Heart, Sin, Expiation,” presaging his career as scholar and teacher of religion. He joined Tiger Inn, continued his long enjoyment of basketball and golf, served on the Student Christian Association Committee, and was active in campus religious affairs.
Following a year of theological study in Edinburgh, Binks earned a bachelor of divinity degree at Princeton Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. at Harvard in social relations and the history and philosophy of religion.
After teaching for two years at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pa., he embarked on a distinguished career as teacher and pioneering administrator at Williams College, not only in the department of religion, of which he was chair for 20 years, but throughout and beyond the institution, serving as managing editor of the American Academy of Religion Dissertation Series.
Binks is survived by his wife of 60 years, Susan; his sons William and his wife, Susan, Thomas and his wife, Surya, and Michael and his wife, Keerthi; and his grandsons Case, Quinn, Nicholas, Jalen, Eno, and Kiran.
Binks and Susan spent summers in Wellfleet, Mass., on Cape Cod. Binks loved the outer Cape landscape. Please consider donating to friendsoftheherringriver.org in his name.