Norman Francis Parker
Dr. Norman Francis Parker, lifetime member of Sigma Xi since 1947, passed away at his home in San Antonio, Texas, on April 20, 2019.
Born in Fremont, Nebraska, on May 14, 1923, Norman Parker spent his childhood between Fremont and San Diego. He graduated from San Diego High School, and after serving on the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee during the war, he graduated from for Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1948 with a Doctorate of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.
Dr. Parker led the Autonetics Division at North American Aviation, Inc., from 1948-67, during which the provision to the military of the guidance and control system for the Minute Man missile and the inertial guidance system for nuclear submarines were developed. From 1967-68, he served as Executive VP and Director at The Bendix Corporation in Detroit before joining Varian Associates in Palo Alto, CA, as President, CEO and Director.
Recognized for his exceptional technical, management and executive skills, Dr. Parker served as director for the National Academy of Engineering’s Board of Army Science and Technology, and was a fellow in IEEE (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and AIAA (the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics). His civic and charitable contributions included serving as a Life Trustee of Carnegie Mellon University along with assuming the responsibility of Directorships for Saint Clare's Homes, the Boys and Girls Club of Escondido, California, and the San Francisco Medical Research Center.
Norm Parker was a sports car enthusiast and raced in time trials throughout the U.S. and Europe. Travel was a second passion of his and he spent his retirement years exploring the world. His daughter shares that he was “known for his intelligence and his integrity, qualities that never wavered, and his greatest sense of pride and accomplishment came from those he loved.”