James Dean Lancaster

Sep 1, 1918 - May 21, 2006

GADSDEN, Ala. - James Dean Lancaster, 87, passed away May 21, 2006, after a long illness. Lancaster purchased the Stone County Enterprise in 1981. He was a primary stockholder in Stone County enterprise, Inc. until 2003 and remained a major investor until his death. Services were held May 23 at MeadowBrook Baptist church in Gadsden, with burial in Forrest Cemetery. 

He was born Sept. 1, 1918, in South Bend, Ind., and was a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where he completed law studies and was awarded a Doctorate of Jurisprudence. Lancaster served as an officer in the Army Air Corps during World War II and was honorably discharged as a captain. While stationed at Warner Robins Air Force base near Macon, Ga., he met and married Marian Waldron. They were married for 60 years.

After World War II, Lancaster answered a classified ad and went to work at General Newspapers Inc. in Macon as an accounting and legal advisor. During his career, Lancaster owned, managed or invested in newspapers throughout the United States. He served as the closing attorney for more than 300 newspaper purchases by other individuals, and was known throughout the industry for his talent in this area.

In 1987. Lancaster started his own newspaper management company, which continues today. As chairman of Lancaster Management Inc., Lancaster believed in local newspaper control, allowing publishers to make management decisions impacting the news product. In addition to overseeing the newspaper company, he remained active as a corporate and tax attorney until his illness. Lancaster was a charter member of MeadowBrook Baptist Church in Gadsden, serving as church treasurer and active deacon for more than 42 years. 

Sources: Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com and FindAGrave.com

07/22/2025 EJS

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/64631384/james-dean-lancaster