Tankard: Nurseryman of the Year 2002

John Tankard was born in Nassawadox, Virginia during 1933. He graduated from Randolph Macon Military Academy in 1951 and then studied at Virginia Tech. He transferred to Long Island A&T to study horticulture. He graduated in 1955.

John Tankard spent two years in Germany with the Army’s armored cavalry division. He began working for Tankard Nurseries in 1957. He is a lifetime member of Franktown United Methodist Church. A member of the Jaycee’s until he joined the Rotary Club and is a past president of the Rotary Club. He was also president of the Virginia Nurseryman’s Association in 1977. He is an ardent supporter of the Nature Conservancy from its beginning on Shore in the late 1970s.

He has bought his own business twice, once in the late 1970s and again in the early 1990s. He is a member of the VNLA Research Committee and the Virginia Historical Society. He restored a historically significant colonial plantation home in the 1990s. He enjoys collecting guns and land. He also enjoys dove and duck hunting in his spare time.

According to local business professionals John Tankard “has a great nose for sniffing out value.”
He is a strong supporter of his two sons’ professional and community endeavors. He is the grandfather of three girls.
His lifetime sick days can be counted on one hand.

Long time friend and colleague, Charlie Parkerson who related some stories of how John Tankard helped him get started in the business, presented the award.