THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 6, 1997 TAG: 9702060328
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY IDA KAY JORDAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: 44 lines
Retired Naval Shipyard employee J. Hunter Brantley Jr. has been named First Citizen of Portsmouth for 1996.
Brantley, the 59th Portsmouth person to receive the award, will be honored at a dinner in April at the Holiday Inn-Portsmouth Waterfront. The date of the banquet will be announced later.
A second-generation shipyard worker, Brantley began work as a trainee at age 18. When he retired in 1986 after 46 years, he held one of the top civilian jobs in the Navy yard as administrative assistant to the production officer.
After retiring, he became a special assistant to the Portsmouth city manager, working as liaison to the shipyard.
Brantley was one of the first shipyard workers ever named to the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce board of directors in 1978. Over the years since then he has been active with the chamber's Military Affairs Committee and the Norfolk Naval Shipyard Association.
He recently was responsible for the funding, construction and placement of a Virginia Historical Marker in front of Quarters A near the original site of the Naval Shipyard.
A year ago he received the Distinguished Service Award given annually by the Portsmouth Division of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce to honor a volunteer.
In addition to his chamber work, Brantley has served as president of the Portsmouth General Hospital board. He also has been a member of the board of visitors of Eastern Virginia Medical School, chairman of the Eastern Virginia Area Health Education Center Program Advisory Committee, member of the board of Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine Foundation and of the Virginia Emergency Services Advisory Board.
He currently is involved in the advisory board for the Tidewater Community College Visual Arts Center fund-raising campaign.
He has been active in Portsmouth's United Way campaign and headed the local effort in 1986. He once was chairman of the city's Clean Community Commission. He is a Methodist, a Rotarian and a member of the Elizabeth Manor Golf and Country Club.
Brantley is married to the former Lois Landrum of Portsmouth, Ohio, and they have two daughters, Donna B. Saffold and Debra B. Bolding.