Location: 110 South Commerce Street, Culpeper, VA
Mr. Jennings was the proprietor of Jennings Lunch and Pool Room which also operated as a successful lunchroom, pool hall, and dance hall until his death in 1979. Jennings moved the business to a two-story building at 110 South Commerce Street from the North Commerce Street location.
Gerard Alexander Jennings, Proprietor (1912-1979)
1912
- Mr. Jennings was born on March 24, 1912, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Gerard and Mary Ellen Johnson Jennings.
- He was raised in Culpeper by his adoptive parents Stewart and Susie Beckwith Allen.
1930
- Gerard served in the U.S. Army during World War II where he rose to the rank of Corporal.
- Civic minded, he served as President and leader of the Culpeper County-Wide Civil Council, and he was a prominent and respected African American businessman, advocate for both civil rights and equal education within the Culpeper County school system, and Antioch Baptist Church leader.
1979
- Gerard died on June 24, 1979 and is buried in his family’s plot in the Antioch section of Fairview Cemetery in Culpeper.
- His wife, Gillie Margaret Jennings, died on September 11, 2004, and is buried in the Culpeper National Cemetery (New Section). The couple had one adopted daughter, Gloria.
