TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
Joseph A. Parker 1934-2021 Municipal Program Executive, Educator, U.S. Army B rother Joseph A. Parker (Gamma Beta 1953) entered
then he worked for Com- monwealth Edison for over a quarter-century, ascending to upper manage- ment positions, including Director of Diversity, before retiring in 1997. Mitchell’s second career, one of service to others, began earnestly after retirement. He became increasingly active with the Midwest Community Council, Evanston School Districts 65 and 202, the Evanston NAACP (past President), Illinois NAACP (past President), Skokie Caucus Party (many Com- mittees/Commissions), The Chicago School of Profes- sional Psychology (past President), The Community Solution Education System (multiple Boards and Committees), and the Evan- ston (IL) Alumni Chapter where he led the chapter as Polemarch. Brother George P. Mitch- ell is survived by children Byron Mitchell, Esq. (Dr. Natasha Noel) and Lisa Herbert (Donnell); grand- children Trinity Mitchell, Andrew Mitchell and Jaden Shillingford; brother Joseph Hill Jr. (Cheryl); sister Carmeryl Hill-Macon (Bob), brother Very Rev. Canon H. Gregory Smith and a host of relatives and friends. ♦
“HE WAS AN ADJUNCT FACULTY MEMBER AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY AND FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY.”
the Chapter Invisible on Monday, June 21, 2021, at age 86. Born on December 14, 1934, in Monroe, MI, he was the eldest son of Rev- erend J. Allen Parker and Mary Alyce Parker. In 1943, the Parker family moved to Pontiac, MI, when his father became pastor of Newman A.M.E. Church. After graduating from Pontiac (MI) High School in 1952, he enrolled at Western Michigan University. From 1955-1958, Parker served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Following his honorable dis- charge from military service, he earned a B.A. degree from Azusa Pacific University in 1960. He earned an M.A. and M.S. degrees from Central Michigan University and a doctoral degree from Washington International University. In 1966, Parker moved to Indianapolis, IN, to become the Deputy Manpower
Commissioner for the City of Indianapolis Manpower Development Programs. During the 1980s, he served as Executive Director of the Saginaw Economic Development Corporation in Saginaw, MI. In the early 1990s, he worked as a manager with the Wayne Metro Community Service Agency and as an Executive Vice President at the Ram Technical Institute. A great deal of his professional experience was as a business administra- tion consultant and as an educator. He was an adjunct faculty member at Central Michigan University and Ferris State University. In 1996, he began with the Teachers for Africa
Program and taught at the University of Cape Coast and Methodist University in Accra, Ghana. He subse- quently taught in Belize at the University College of Belize City through Ferris State University. Addition- ally, he worked for over 20 years as an Adult Educa- tor in the Detroit Public Schools, Department of Adult Education. He is survived by his daughters, Vicki L. Bonds (Rodney) and Monique E. Parker; his grandchildren, Courtland Crenshaw, Chloe Gayfield, and Joi Parker, his brother Keith (Paulette); his sister Sudine Bradley (James), and a host of rela- tives, close friends, former students, and colleagues. ♦
68 THE JOURNAL ♦ WINTER 2023-2024
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