John Jay Poland

John Jay Poland, known to his friends as Johnny, died the morning of Monday, February 3, 2014 at Autumn Care in Drexel, NC . He was 86 years old.John was born in Morganton, NC to Claudia Cameron Pearson of Morganton and Clarence Jay Poland of Canton, Ohio. He lived in Morganton as a young child playing with his neighbor and cousin, Judge Samual McDowel Tate. John returned to Morganton In 1991.John attended W & L High School in Arlington, VA. He was an Eagle Scout and helped his father run a gas station and cottage motel on Rt 1, just outside of Washington, DC during the Depression. He recalled meeting many well-known people including Mr. Marriott selling bag lunches door to door, and later discussing photographic chemistry with George Eastman of Eastman KodakAn interest in photography from age 12 landed him his first job working for the Department of Agriculture during WW II. John enlisted in the Army in 1947. Later he studied chemistry at George Washington University where he met his former wife Ann Owen Woodring of Pottsville, PA. They married in 1952 and divorced in 1970.During his career he photographed several presidents including, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Nixon as well as for the opening of Dulles International Airport. He worked for NBC in their animation department in the 1950s and made several commercials for Col. Sanders of KFC. In 1972. he photographed the Panda Bears at the Washington Zoo for a training film.He loved sail boating, Cairn Terriers and rose gardening. One of his photographs of his dog Alice was the December Dog on a Cairn Terrier calendar in the 1990s. His friends would all agree that his best asset was his sense of humor.He is survived by his children: Nancy Galt Poland Taylor and John Cameron Poland; by his grandchildren Rose Taylor Scharf, Michael Taylor, and Clifton Poland; by great granddaughter Zoe Taylor; by his sister Florence Walton Poland, by his long-time friend Betty Lacy and Kathy Robinson who lived with and took care of him for the past few years.A memorial service is scheduled for Thursday February 6 at 1:30 PM at Forest Hill Cemetery in Morganton, NC.Memorial contributions may be made to Grace Episcopal Church, 303 S. King St., Morganton, NC 28655.Sossoman Funeral Home and Crematory Center is assisting the family with the arrangements.