A 1958 industrial management graduate, Parker has quite a bit of history himself — Georgia Tech history. A first-term trustee of the Georgia Tech Foundation, Parker spent many years in an unofficial capacity raising funds to develop Tech's infrastructure, primarily for the Athletic Department.

Parker also played an important if unheralded role in helping Tech build the campus Olympic venues and facilities for the 1996 Summer Games.

"I was interested in seeing how the Foundation carries out its fiduciary responsibilities and if, in my judgment, it was playing the role it is supposed to play," Parker said. "I have been very proud of the Foundation's leadership. It has some of the finest Tech graduates working for it, and I am highly impressed with the role the Foundation plays at Georgia Tech. It has been an honor for me to serve."

Parker's association with Tech reaches back to childhood. His father, William A. Parker, was a 1919 Tech graduate, so when the time came for young Parker to continue his education, Tech was a natural choice.

After graduation and his two-year Navy ROTC obligation, Parker helped run the family hardware business until the company was sold to Genuine Parts Co. in the early ‘70s.

With the proceeds from the sale, Parker started a second career as a private investor.

Then in 2000 he tackled an opportunity to document some nearly forgotten history — and keep a promise.

During World War II, Parker's father-in-law, Bob Rae, had served with the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, a unit of the 82nd Airborne. Although the unit had performed heroically during and after D-Day, when Rae visited the French coast decades later he was distressed to discover that none of the markers and memorials dotting the battlefield mentioned the 507th.

"Before he died, my father-in-law asked me if I would help get a memorial built in Normandy," Parker recalled.

Parker spearheaded an effort to create and install a stone memorial a few miles inland, near the area where the 507th landed. At the dedication ceremony in 2001, Parker brought with him a videographer from Tech, David Druckenmiller, to produce a documentary about the combat history of the 507th.

The story that captivated Druckenmiller began with the 507th's D-Day mission to parachute several miles inland ahead of the Allied invasion, a move intended to bottle up German troops and seal them off from the invasion beaches and preserve the bridge for an Allied advance. Success came only after 33 hours of continuous combat that inflicted heavy casualties on the 507th.

After the raw footage was organized and edited, a DVD was produced and distributed to 507th veterans, families and just about anyone else Parker thought might be interested — even his fellow Foundation board members.

Parker also sent a copy to the Public Broadcasting System. Much to his surprise — and delight — the neophyte producer's D-Day tribute became one of the 30 or so unsolicited submissions PBS selects for broadcast each year out of about 5,000 entrants.

"D-Day: Down to Earth — Return of the 507th" aired four times last year on U.S. public television stations and once on Israeli TV to commemorate the 60th anniversary of D-Day.

The video also attracted the attention of the U.S. Army. This past July, Parker received the Commander's Award for Public Service from Lt. Col. Aidia Zunde, commander of the 507th, in ceremonies held at Fort Benning, Ga.

©2005 Georgia Tech Alumni Association