William Hanlon is minor character in the IT novel.
Biography[]
Personality[]
Will was described to be a very loving and caring father, often giving advice to his son on a daily basis.
IT (novel)[]
Background[]
Will Hanlon was born and raised in Burgaw, North Carolina. He had six siblings: five older (two married, two dead, one in jail) and one younger. He joined the army (the Derry National Army and stationed at the Derry Army Air Corps Base in 1929) when he was sixteen. It was his mother's idea for him to join the army after his "dad died in an accident with some farm machinery" so he could take care of her and his younger brother Phil "Philly Loubird". Because he was too young to join the army his mother "fixed the year" on his birth certificate to make him eighteen. Will experiences severe and intense cases of racial division.
During his time in the army, he became a member of the Black Spot, an army bar made by racially-discriminated African American Soldiers. One day in late fall of 1930, due to the bar's growing popularity, the Supreme Legion of Decency purposely destroyed the Black Spot by burning it down (to which Will believed that the fire was intentional). Will Hanlon was one of the survivors. After the stampede of people trying to get out jammed the front door a young PFC. named Dick Hallorann grabbed Will by the arm and told him the only way to get out was through the window behind the bandstand. Dick saves them both. After escaping the inferno, William and Dick witnesses the men in sheets running away. When a member of the Legion of Decency falls, Pennywise in the form a giant bird with balloons across on its wings hovers over the crowd and grabs the dude, flying away.
After the event, he was stationed at Fort Hood where he met his wife. They were married in Galveston. He left the army in 1937 with a disability pension after a defective grenade "only half-exploded" and took part of his foot.
He returned to Derry and became a farmer. He had an ongoing fued with Butch Bowers. He was also an amateur historian and collected old pictures and newspaper clippings about Derry.
Main Events[]
He died of cancer in 1962.
IT Chapter 2[]
Appearances[]
- IT (novel)
- IT Chapter 2 - flashback