[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18334]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   IN HONOR OF DR. ANTHONY O. PARKER

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 29, 2011

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
outstanding academic, college administrator, education expert, 
community leader and good friend to me and the community of Albany, 
Georgia--Dr. Anthony O. Parker. On Monday, November 21, 2011, the 
administration at Albany Technical College, the institution of higher 
learning where Dr. Parker currently serves as President, paid tribute 
to him for his years of dedicated service to the college by having the 
school's library named in his honor.
  Throughout his successful career in the higher education field, Dr. 
Parker has had a profoundly positive impact on the lives of thousands 
of college students. One of the reasons he has been able to 
triumphantly guide the academic careers of so many students, is due in 
part to the impressive endeavors he was able to accomplish as a young 
collegiate scholar and graduate student.
  Dr. Parker's post-secondary academic career began at South Carolina 
State College in Orangeburg, South Carolina where he received his 
Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. He commenced his graduate 
studies at Augusta State University where he obtained an Educational 
Specialist degree in Education Administration. Additionally, he later 
would go on to receive his Ph.D. in Higher Education from the 
University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina.
  Over the course of his professional career in academia, Dr. Parker 
has successfully served in a multitude of roles in which he has 
progressively advanced the intellectual aptitude and social development 
skills of collegiate students. As Vice President of Student Services at 
Aiken Technical College and later at Southeastern Technical College, he 
was able to proactively develop programs, advise various student 
organizations and conduct research surveys designed to improve the 
schools' standards of educational enrichment. Additionally, as an 
instructor at Augusta Technical College, Dr. Parker played a hands-on 
role in counseling students, developing curriculum and teaching various 
classes aimed at improving the prospects of students looking to enter 
the workforce or acquire new occupational skills.
  During his 16 years at Albany Technical College, President Parker has 
established the school as a premier institution within the Technical 
College System of Georgia and as a stable workforce development 
training facility in Southwest Georgia through his vision of excellence 
and steadfast commitment to increasing enrollment rates and placing 
Albany Tech graduates in sustainable employment opportunities. By using 
his positively transformative vision as a guiding post for success, 
over the last two decades Albany Tech has propelled forward as one of 
Southwest Georgia's leading technical institutions.
  Dr. Parker has achieved numerous successes in his life, but none of 
this would have been possible without the grace of God and his loving 
wife of 38 years and junior high school prom date, Sandra Parker. Dr. 
and Mrs. Parker are the proud parents of three children--Dr. Kimberly 
Parker, a professor at Texas Woman's University; Andrea Parker, a Lt. 
Commander in the United States Coast Guard; and Richard Parker, an 
employee at the United Parcel Service.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in paying tribute 
to Dr. Anthony O. Parker for his life of selfless service to the 
students, institutions of higher learning and working families in the 
state of Georgia and throughout our United States of America.

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