Dr. Arturo "Art" Domingo Imperial
June 6, 1938 - January 25, 2021
by Ray Houston

Arturo "Art" Domingo Imperial was born in Iligan, Philippines, June 6, 1938, the son of Juanito and Felisa (Domingo) Imperial.

In 1962, Art received his medical degree from the University of Santo Tomas, Manila. He came to the United States in 1964 for his surgical residency at Harper Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, followed by his hand surgery fellowship at Grace Hospital.

Art and Nina married in Detroit in 1966. In 1974, he moved his family to Lake Jackson, Texas, to join Dr. Anselmo Unite in opening the Brazosport Surgical Clinic, a hand and general surgery practice, where he worked for 26 years.

In 1991 and 1994, I became personally acquainted with Dr. Imperial's medical expertise. I had a series of cysts in each of my breasts and he performed surgery for their removal. In 1995, because of continuing recurrence of cysts, he performed a simple mastectomy on my right breast, and in 1997, on the left breast. Each time I had an appointment with Dr. Imperial, he would perform his examination of me, and then Art and I would spend 15-20 minutes talking about daylilies. Every few minutes one of his nurses would open the door to remind Dr. Imperial that he had a waiting room full of other people who needed attention!  Art loved to talk about daylilies!!

Art retired from his practice in 2000 and devoted himself to his hobby of gardening. With lots of loving care and expertise, he turned his 3 acre home on the lake into a showcase garden with the help of his garden assistant, Alfredo, who became a devoted and close friend. Art even learned how to speak Spanish fluently so they could communicate. Art had a beautiful garden in Lake Jackson which he called the Imperial Garden in the City of Enchantment! The waters of Lake Jackson bordered the back of his property where he and Nina moved around 1978. The property had very few shrubs and flowering plants when they moved there. What originally was an equestrian land was converted into a gardener's paradise. They planted trees and performed extensive landscaping. With five school aged children and two busy medical practices, low maintenance plants were a priority. In 1988, they acquired their first daylilies from Brazos Mall sales conducted by the Brazosport Daylily Society. They became well acquainted with Inez Tarrant and her beautiful daylily collection. They also started receiving and ordering daylilies from catalogs. Before long, they were growing over a thousand daylily cultivars. They had the most beautiful daylily garden in Lake Jackson!!

Art and Nina were dedicated supporters of Region 6, and they were active, long time members of the Brazosport Daylily Society.

In the Fall of 1997, Art put together a very successful Mail-In Daylily Auction to help offset the Region 6 annual pledge of $1000 toward the AHS W. E. Monroe Endowment Trust Fund.

The Imperial's garden was on tour for the 2000 Region 6 Meeting which was hosted by the Brazosport Daylily Society. Well known hybridizer, David Kirchhoff, registered Hemerocallis 'Art Imperial' in honor of Art that year. In 2001, the Imperial garden was named as an official AHS Display Garden.

Art hybridized daylilies, and between 2000 and 2017, he registered 9 new daylily cultivars. Art entered daylilies from his garden in the daylily flower shows in Lake Jackson and surrounding cities, winning numerous awards for his exhibitions, including several Best-in-Show awards. Art generously shared his daylilies and expertise.

In 2002-05, Art served as the Region 6 Awards & Honors Chair. In 2012, Art and Nina were recipients of the AHS Regional Service Award for their continued service to Region 6.

Many of us visited and enjoyed the Imperial's superb garden when it was on tour for the 2008 AHS National Convention.

Unfortunately, due to declining health conditions, in 2017 Art and Nina left their beautiful home and garden and moved to Houston to be near their children. Art passed away in Houston on January 25, 2021, at the age of 82, after his battle with Parkinson's disease, with his devoted and loving wife of 54 years by his side.

Art will be greatly missed by all of his friends, family, and members of Region 6.

Webmaster: Ray Houston
Revised: 01/21/2024
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