Richard Parker ('88), credits Walker with firm foundation

 
“My professors in U.S. Diplomatic History and History of Nazi Germany at The University of Alabama gave me high praise for my writing skills. Those are definitely a product of my Walker education,” he said. 

Richard arrived on Walker’s campus in 1979 and found his passion in the model United Nations program during his 11th and 12th grade years. Richard says he might be best remembered for having published a book at the age of 15 called “The Official Book of Space Trivia,” which sold in seven states and helped him finance his first year of college at Alabama. 

With a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, a Masters of Public Administration, a Ph.D. in Mass Communications and a Graduate Certificate in Educational Leadership, Richard says he was an average student at Walker until his Senior year. He says he graduated 27th in his class, then pauses, and adds “out of 53.”

He struggled socially at Walker, likening himself to Cameron Frye from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” He says, regardless, his parents “believed in the value of a Walker education, and they cared enough to make sure that I got the best academic experience I could to prepare me for college.”

He credits “the first-rate teachers” and their dedication to what made his experience at Walker a positive one. 

Richard has many accolades to his name. He was a department chair for five years at High Point University, participated in a faculty exchange to Graz, Austria, has hiked 84-plus miles of Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail in northern England and published a second book “Leadership Lessons from Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” based on materials he used to teach an MBA class on leadership communication. 

At the top of his list of post-Walker accomplishments is the service he has given to the Navy Reserve. He has served on assignments in Hawaii (where he married his wife, Alison), Ukraine, Italy, Bahrain, Mauritius, Japan, Guam, Norway and Germany; currently he serves as a Public Affairs Officer with the Navy Reserve unit supporting the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command Headquarters in Colorado Springs, Co. 

For nine months in 2015-2016, Richard served as Deputy Public Affairs Officer to the Pacific Submarine Force and wrote former First Lady Barbara Bush’s farewell speech for the submarine USS Houston. 

When asked what he would share with today’s Walker parent, Richard says: “While your kids are likely to get one of the best private educations in the state of Georgia, make sure they will have a good social interaction there, as well.

“It’s important they experience an environment that will help them to grow and mature as individuals and members of society while appreciating the value of treating others kindly and with respect.”  
 
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The Walker School is a private, co-ed day school offering opportunities in academics, arts, and athletics for preschool, elementary, middle, and high school students in Metro Atlanta.