Parker, Dr. Richard 1915-1969

PARKER

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, volunteer (email)
Date: 1/4/2009 at 20:02:59

DR. RICHARD PARKER

Dr. Richard (Dick) Parker, 53, former band director at Westmar College and band, orchestra and chorus director in LeMars public schools, died Tuesday at Flagstaff, Ariz., following a heart attack.

Dr. Parker was director of music education at Northern Arizona University where head taught since 1961.

Dr. Parker was band director at Westmar from 1955 through 1959. The family had lived here previous to that when he taught music in the LeMars public schools from 1940 through 1943.

He received his B.A. and B.M. degrees at Coe college, Cedar Rapids, where he had played French horn for the Cedar Rapids symphony since the age of 13. He received his master of arts degree at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, and his doctor of education degree from Columbia University, New York.

For 15 years he had taught music and directed bands in Iowa and in the Midwest before going to Arizona. This included Iowa Wesleyan at Mount Pleasant and LeMars.

While in LeMars and with the college music department, he also directed the Wasmer Post drum and bugle corps during the years when the group won state championships.

Funeral services are pending.

He is survived by his wife, Margaret, and five children.

~Source: LeMars Sentinel, February 1969
~Date of death penned on the scrapbook page is February 25, 1969.
~Date of birth per the online SSDI was 16 Mar 1915.