THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 16, 1996 TAG: 9602160486
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JANIE BRYANT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
Arthur J. ``Junie'' Lancaster Jr., 77, a millionaire nurseryman and philanthropist whose efforts brought joy to countless children, died Thursday of Parkinson's Disease.
It was Lancaster who brought the animated magic of Coleman Nursery's Winter Wonderland to Churchland. The attraction, with its dancing elves and moving toys, is a holiday tradition in Hampton Roads. When a fire destroyed the nursery on New Year's Eve of 1982, Lancaster was at the front of a community effort that made sure it and the wonderland were rebuilt, even though he no longer operated the nursery.
Recently, Lancaster and his wife, Millie, donated their million-dollar train and toy collection to be shared with kids of all ages at the Children's Museum of Virginia in downtown Portsmouth.
When businessman Ernest F. Hardee nominated Lancaster for Portsmouth's First Citizen award in 1990, he likened him to the main character in the Frank Capra film classic, ``It's a Wonderful Life'' - a man who left a legacy of lives changed for the better.
Lancaster never had children but was a father figure to many of his employees.
``He about adopted me about 35 years ago,'' said Charles H. Parkerson, who named his only son Arthur Lancaster Parkerson.
Parkerson had worked for Lancaster and learned the business while going to college. When Parkerson graduated, Lancaster sold him and another employee a section of the nursery, which became Lancaster Farms.
Lancaster, a Portsmouth native, had gone to work for Coleman Nursery in 1951 and was owner from 1965 to 1980, when he sold it to two employees.
In the mid-1960s, Lancaster moved to the Bennetts Creek area of Suffolk, where he later founded Bennetts Creek Wholesale Nursery.
But he continued to contribute to both cities.
He served on the board of the Maryview Medical Center and also the boards of Citizens Trust Bank and Commerce Bank, and he was a longtime member of the Merrimac Kiwanis Club of Portsmouth.
Lancaster was the driving force behind the Bennetts Creek Ruritan Club's establishment of the Bennetts Creek Rescue Squad in Suffolk.
``I'll never forget it,'' said Parkerson of the day that sparked Lancaster's efforts.
``I was working for him then, and he came in more upset than I'd ever seen him before.''
Lancaster had just seen an automobile accident involving a little girl and a mother, who was killed.
``He felt so helpless,'' Parkerson remembered. ``He just said, `We've got to have a rescue squad on this side of town.' ''
``That's the type of person he was.''
Lancaster was equally touched the day he visited a rehabilitation center for children who were mentally retarded and severely handicapped. ``Junie went out there as a middle-aged person and it broke his heart,'' said Parkerson.
After that, Lancaster became an avid supporter of the Holiday House, a residence for mentally retarded and handicapped children in Portsmouth. ``In this day and time, when we look at what comes across your newspaper, there's not many heroes,'' Parkerson said. ``Mr. Lancaster was a hero.''
A funeral will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday at Monumental United Methodist Church in Portsmouth. MEMO: Memorial donations may be sent to the Bennett's Creek Rescue Squad in
Suffolk; Monumental United Methodist Church; or the Mildred L. and
Arthur J. Lancaster Spirtual and Education Center at the Maryview
Nursing Care Center in Suffolk.
LANCASTER LEGACY
Arthur J. ``Junie'' Lancaster Jr. was the driving force behind the
founding of the Bennetts Creek Rescue Squad. ILLUSTRATION: File color photo by MARK MITCHELL, The Virginian-Pilot
Lancaster created Coleman Nursery's Winter Wonderland and donated
his train collection to a Portsmouth museum.
by CNB