[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 100 (Monday, June 13, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E609]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IN MEMORY OF DR. ANTHONY OWENS PARKER

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                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 13, 2022

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
an awesome visionary, college administrator, educational expert, 
consensus building community leader and friend of long standing--Dr. 
Anthony Owens Parker. Sadly, Dr. Parker transitioned on June 6, 2022. 
His homegoing service was held at the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist 
Church in Albany, Georgia on June 10, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. The amazing 
story of Dr. Anthony Parker began with his birth on January 12, 1953, 
in Orangeburg, S.C. to the union of the late Mr. Lee and Mrs. Henretta 
Parker. He was reared in St. Matthews, South Carolina where he spent 
his formative years. He attended John Ford High School, but ultimately 
graduated from St. Matthews High School in 1971.
  His higher education journey took him to his beloved South Carolina 
State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in 
Accounting and Master's Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. Always 
seeking to improve himself through education, he went on to earn a 
Specialist in Education Degree from Augusta State University and his 
PH.D from the University of South Carolina. In addition, he is also a 
graduate of the Institute of Educational Management at the Harvard 
University Graduate School. His professional journey of excellence 
began 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. These positions were the 
foundation for his next post which would change the course of technical 
education in Southwest Georgia when he was named as the fifth president 
of Albany Technical College in 1995.
  At the time of his passing, he was the longest serving President in 
the Technical College System of Georgia with 27 years. During his 
presidency, he raised the bar of excellence for himself, Albany 
Technical College, and Southwest Georgia. Dr. Parker's vision was 
keenly focused on establishing the college as a workforce development 
institution that placed graduates in sustainable employment 
opportunities that would improve the quality of their lives and by 
extension the Southwest Georgia Region. He was truly community focused 
and knew the college could not reach its full potential unless it had 
the support of the community. He developed partnerships with community 
organizations, industry and other institutions of higher learning in 
the State which enhance the impact of Albany Technical College in 
fulfilling its mission. Because of his visionary leadership, Albany 
Technical College is ranked among the top technical colleges in Georgia 
and in the Nation.
  Anthony Parker was a man of faith. Throughout his life he 
demonstrated Christian principles and during his later years worshiped 
faithfully at Bethel AME Church in Albany, Georgia. Moreover, he 
achieved many successes during his life and career, but none of this 
would have been possible without the grace of God; his high school 
sweetheart and loving wife of 49 years, Sandra Pinkney Parker; his 
children, Dr. Kimberly A. Parker, Commander Andrea Parker Smith and 
Richard Anthony Parker; along with his granddaughter, Parker Elizabeth 
Smith.
  On a personal note, Dr. Parker was my friend and my brother in the 
bond of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. I was always impressed by his 
calm demeanor and his knack for dealing with people in a respectful way 
even under the most difficult circumstances. He was humble and always 
treated people the way they deserved to be treated. Dr. George 
Washington Carver was often quoted as saying: ``How far you go in life 
depends on your being tender with the young; compassionate with the 
aged; sympathetic with the striving; and tolerant of the weak and the 
strong because someday in your life you will have been all of these.'' 
Dr. Anthony O. Parker was such a man. He rose from humble beginnings 
and achieved the pinnacle of success because he accepted and fulfilled 
God's purpose for his life. Albany Technical College, Southwest 
Georgia, our Nation, and the world are better because Dr. Anthony Owens 
Parker passed this way.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to 
join my wife, Vivian, and me, along with the more than 730,000 
residents of Georgia's Second Congressional District, in paying tribute 
to Dr. Anthony O. Parker and in extending our deepest sympathies to his 
family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult period of 
bereavement. Moreover, we pray that they will be consoled and comforted 
by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks, and months 
ahead.

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