Cover Story

The Legacy of Dr. Anthony O. Parker

All of us would like to look back on our life, happy with what we have accomplished. "A Life Well Lived" represents a life filled with achievements and happiness that developed over time, with accomplishments for all the goals set through the years. It's a lifetime that others can look back on and realize, in retrospect, that a person had a good life.

Dr. Anthony O. Parker lived a life full of richness with accomplishments, and he created an impact on the people and places he touched. Ultimately, his story reflects the individual legacy he left all of us that he knew and cared about. He loved this community and southwest Georgia and dedicated his life to education.

Anthony O. Parker, President of Albany Technical College in Georgia, transitioned on June 6. He was 69 years old. Dr. Parker had been President of the college since 1995, the longestserving leader in the college's history.

Dr. Parker was born, the only child of Mr. Lee and Mrs. Henretta Parker, on January 12, 1953, in Orangeburg, SC. Reared in St. Matthews, SC, he spent his formative years at his beloved John Ford High School before graduating from St. Matthews High in 1971. He attended South Carolina State University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, and a master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. He earned a specialist in

education degree in Educational Administration from Augusta State University and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina. In addition, Dr. Parker is a graduate of the Institute of Educational Management at the Harvard University Graduate School.

He was married to his high school sweetheart, the former Sandra Pinkney, for 49 years. They were the proud parents of three children, Dr. Kimberly A. Parker, Commander Andrea Parker Smith (Robert), and Richard Anthony Parker (Shakirah), and the doting grandparents to Miss Parker Elizabeth Smith.

He began his career in technical education as a marketing instructor at Augusta Technical College before becoming the Vice President of Student Services at both Southeastern Technical College and Aiken Technical College. He joined the Albany Technical College team in 1995 as its 5th President. His 27-year tenure makes him the longest serving President at ATC and within the Technical College System of Georgia.

Comments in Media and the Community

"Without a doubt, his legacy lives on in each colleague he worked with will live on in each leader he helped to develop, each student he championed, and each friend he befriended. His sense of family extended far beyond his immediate family to his alma mater to Albany Tech to the surrounding community — and to the golf course if you were lucky enough to meet him there." - Dr. Alvetta Thomas

″He knew what it took to serve to be great. It took humility and willingness to be last in order to be first. And if you look at his life in broad scope, the most humble person you ever want to interact with." - Dr. Roscoe Williams

"Anthony believed every life had value. In terms of education, he believed we could not afford to leave anyone behind. Anthony Parker dreamed big, asked big, and believed big." - Werhner Washington.

"Listening to everybody talk about Dr. Parker, you think he was an angel. He was really close with anybody he came in contact with left better than they were when they got there." - Glenn Singfield

"To those of you who spoke about my father, the best way I know how to describe him. He gave you what you needed to be great so that you could do greatness." - Dr. Kimberly Parker "I miss him. I miss his laughter. His wit. I miss hearing the same story over again, adding drama for effect. I miss, mostly, his wisdom. I think that's to be expected. You know how people say, 'I don't know what I'm going to do without him?' I know exactly what I'm going to do. I'm going to thrive," said Andrea Parker Smith. She went on to say that because her dad laid the foundation for success, the community, the family, and friends will thrive and continue his legacy.

"He was a giver, and I think what I remember the most is he loved his community," Phoebe Putney Memorial Health System President and CEO Scott Steiner said. "In talking with Dr. Parker, you never felt things were hopeless. He always felt there was hope for whatever it was, whether for young people or people who needed a GED. He knew the value of education for all of us and

that it wasn't one size fits all. He loved his family, and he loved golf. He sure did love to play the game of golf."

Dr. Parker's nearly 30 years at the helm were the longest of any president in the college's 61-year history. "Dr. Parker was an influential figure in the community," Albany Mayor Bo Dorough said. "His contributions can't be measured because you have to talk about the thousands of people Dr. Parker and his staff helped place in the workforce, in skilled, good-paying jobs." The mayor went on to say, "Every time they had a graduation, people went to work at good-paying jobs. They had skills."

"Dr. Parker was a loyal son of South Carolina State University who used his gifts to improve the lives of thousands of students throughout his lengthy tenure as a teacher and leader in education," S.C. State President Alexander Conyers said. "He was a well-versed scholar whose strong voice was essential in the quest for excellence in education. "We certainly will miss his dedication to S.C. State and his splendid presence during his frequent visits to his alma mater."

The college issued a statement that read in part: "The passing of Dr. Anthony Parker is not only a tremendous loss for Albany Technical College but also a loss for the entire Albany community and the Technical College System of Georgia. From day one, Dr. Parker led the college with a servant's heart whose top priority was the interest of his students. During his remarkable career at Albany Technical College, Dr. Parker was committed to helping each and every student achieve greatness and realize their dreams through the power of education."

In 2011, the college named the new library at its Logistics Education Center in his honor. Parker was noted then the rebuilding campaign after a 1994 flood and creating a smooth transition from Albany Technical Institute to Albany Technical College, as well as the transition from quarters to semesters.

Parker also was one of the first TCSG presidents to raise $1 million in private funding to support capital improvements at the colleges, noted TCGS Commissioner Gregory Dozier. "He leaves behind a lasting legacy that will be felt for generations," he said.

Glenn Singfield said his good friend, the Albany Tech President, had not lost the passion for education that marked his tenure with the technical college. "I hope nothing slows up the program Dr. Parker and Scott Steiner at Phoebe (Putney Health System) had been working on and were ready to put into practice," Singfield said. "That program will go a long way in transforming our community and our region. I pray that it doesn't lose momentum with Dr. Parker's death," Singfield said Parker was an unusually powerful advocate for education in the region. "A lot of people, when they get to the position he was in, they start coasting, getting ready to retire," the ATC Foundation chairman said. "Not Dr. Parker."

Sources: Alan Mauldin, The Albany Herald; The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education; Carlton Fletcher, The Albany Herald; Arrman Kyaw, Diverse Issues in Higher Education; Molly Godley, WALB-TV 10; Matthew Dembicki, American Association of Community Colleges.

Extending the Legacy – Looking Forward

TRANSPORTATION

Under Dr. Parker's leadership, Albany Technical College has proposed expansion of the Albany Transportation Academy with recommended capital projects to the State. The entire investment in The Albany Transportation Academy is projected to be approximately $7,700,000 with construction and equipment installation.

This has been a long-standing project Dr. Parker has worked on for the past four years. A proposal to name the new building the "Dr. Anthony O. Parker Transportation Academy" has also been submitted and approved by the Albany Technical College board. Adding Dr. Parker's name to the Academy seems appropriate given his hard work and vision for Transportation programs here at the College. A proposal was presented to the TCSG state board in mid-August 2022 for approval.

Funding for the Albany Transportation Academy will allow the college to acquire ASE certification for Diesel and Automotive Technology. In addition, CDL and Auto Collision Technology would also receive additional and updated space for instruction. If funded, each Transportation program could increase enrollment and graduation.

The Auto Collision Repair Program would have day and evening course offerings with the capacity to serve 80 - 100 Students per academic year. This is projected to produce 50 - 60 graduates per academic year.

The Diesel Equipment Technology expansion would have day and evening course offerings with the capacity to serve 80 - 100 students per academic year and graduate 60 - 70 students per academic year.

HEALTHCARE

Dr. Parker served on the Phoebe Putney Memorial Health System board since 2009. He understood the needs of the local healthcare

community. This helped create a vision of the future employment needs in nursing and so many other specialties in healthcare. The pandemic only highlighted those dire requests for qualified graduates even stronger.

When Phoebe Putney Memorial Health System President and CEO, Scott Steiner, called Parker in January to discuss expanding the existing nursing education partnership between the two institutions,

was never afraid to go big. It was that fearlessness that drew you to him." Parker had served on the health system's board since 2009 and, before that, had served on the Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital Board from 2004 to 2008.

Plans are now in place through a special partnership Dr. Parker helped forge. Phoebe and Albany Technical College (ATC) announced a transformative project, a new Living And Learning Community, that will breathe new life into the former Albany High School building on North Jefferson Street and dramatically expand the pipeline of new nurse graduates in the region.

The $40 million project will include new construction in the same footprint as the old school, directly across the street from Phoebe's main hospital. The 47,000 square foot first floor will be home to ATC's nursing program and include:

• Telehealth-enhanced classrooms • A health career education center • Meeting rooms • A library/resource center • Other amenities

In addition to students seeking an associate of nursing degree, students in ATC's accelerated nurse aide, phlebotomy, and practical nursing programs will also take classes there. The second and third floors of the building will include 80 apartments to provide affordable housing for nursing students.

"Before his recent passing, our President, Dr. Anthony Parker, spent the better part of a year planning for and spearheading this project. He believed it would revolutionize Albany Tech's ability to train nurses and other health professionals and have an enormous positive impact on our community and our region's economy," said Emmett Griswold, Ed.D., Albany Technical College Interim President. "This project will be one of Dr. Parker's enduring legacies, and we hope the community will support our effort to move forward with it in his honor," Dr. Griswold added. Phoebe and ATC leaders presented the living and learning community plan to the city of Albany in August 2022. Leaders say the project on the busy Jefferson Street corridor will tie in nicely with downtown redevelopment efforts and encourage other business development in the area.

"We look forward to working with city leaders to move this project forward quickly. In order to move our nursing program into this stateof-the-art new facility by the fall of 2024, the project's first floor must be complete for accreditors to survey and approve by January 2024. We're on a tight timeline, but we can get it done," Dr. Griswold said. "This truly is an amazing and unique project that will have so many benefits for our community, and we're ready to get started."