Dr. Harry Lancaster Jenkins, D.D.S., passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 11, 2019, following a brief stay in Sentara Hospice House. Born in Mascogee County, GA on April 22, 1931, to Harry Lee Jenkins and Wyolene Marshall, Dr. Jenkins was raised by his guardian and aunt, Ms. Ossie Marshall, in the city of Columbus, GA.
The first in his family to pursue a college education, Dr. Jenkins attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, earning a Bachelor degree in Science. Thereafter, he enlisted in the U. S. Army, later transferring to the U.S. Army Reserves. Dr. Jenkins took advantage of the G.I. Bill to enroll in Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry in Nashville, where he earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1962. He completed his military service with the rank of Corporal, and concluded his Dental Residency with the Veterans Administration Hospital in Tuskegee, AL the following year. Upon his honorable discharge from the U.S. Army Reserves, Dr. Jenkins moved to Portsmouth, VA, where he established his dental practice, and would to continue to offer dental services to the community for the next 55 years.
In dedicated service to his community and profession, Dr. Jenkins served as member of the Old Dominion Dental Society, the John L. McGriff Dental Society, the Portsmouth-Suffolk Study Dental Club and the Olympia Sports Club. He was a proud member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and a committed, steadfast member of Zion Baptist Church (Portsmouth, VA), where he served faithfully as Chairman on the Board of Trustees and Finance Committee for several terms.