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As a senior at TCU in 1975, Ron Parker was awarded the football program’s Abe Martin Award, presented to the player who gave the most of his talents and himself to the team.
Clearly, that recognition was just the beginning of a life devoted to servant leadership in service to the university and his fellow man as “a beacon of kindness and selflessness.”
Parker, a member of TCU’s Board of Trustees and a tireless advocate for the school, died suddenly over the weekend, university officials and associates confirmed Tuesday morning.
He was 70.
In addition to serving on the board, Parker was a member of the Neeley School of Business Board of Advisors and co-chair of TCU’s successful Lead On capital fundraising campaign, which raised over $1 billion and positioned the university among the top institutions in the U.S. for comprehensive fundraising efforts.
“Ron’s passing has shaken up all of his friends at TCU," said Dee Kelly Jr., who served with Parker on the board and as co-chair of Lead On. "I did not know Ron well until we started working on the [Lead On] campaign together, but we grew to be good friends and colleagues. He was tireless, enthusiastic, and a respected leader. I sat next to him at a meeting the day before he died, and we shared stories like we always did. Just unimaginable. He will be dearly missed.”
Parker had a long career in human resources, including almost 30 years with the $92 billion-a-year PepsiCo, where he rose to senior vice president. In that role, he directed the company’s global diversity and inclusion, and labor management strategies in the U.S., Latin America, Asia, Africa, and European operations.
Black Enterprise said Parker “carved pathways for Black executives, among others, to ascend to the highest levels.”
He retired from the company in 2010.
“Ron dedicated nearly 30 years to PepsiCo,” said Steve Williams, CEO of PepsiCo North America, as cited by Black Enterprise. “Throughout his career, he held multiple leadership roles across the company, shaping our people strategy and fostering a culture of growth and inclusion. A people-first leader, he was deeply committed to mentorship, leadership development, and creating opportunities for others.”
Parker later was a founding member of PepsiCo’s partnership with The Executive Leadership Council and later served as its president and CEO, working to elevate Black executives in corporate America.
“One of the most sincere people I have ever known, Ron was generous, engaging and dedicated to serving others,” said TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini. “He loved and served TCU with compassion and integrity and leaves a lasting mark on TCU.
“A loving husband, father and friend to so many, Ron will be greatly missed. Our prayers are with his family during this difficult time.”
Parker grew up in Brenham, home to the Brenham Creamery Company, better known today as Blue Bell, between Austin and Houston. According to a story in TCU Magazine, his family raised cattle and planted cotton and corn.
Parker was the captain of the football team at Brenham High School and a member of the basketball team. As a senior, he was class president, voted most popular, and named an All-Central Texas as a football player, according to TCU Magazine.
He played football at Blinn College before transferring to TCU where he played in 1974-75 for head coach Jim Shofner.
In his last game at TCU, the Horned Frogs beat Rice 28-21 to break a 20-game losing streak. Parker had three receptions for 43 yards. Mike Renfro had seven catches for 121 yards and a touchdown.
“He was a really good tight end,” Renfro said in a text message, “but a better person. And he loved TCU.”
In his two seasons, Parker recorded 33 receptions and two touchdowns, including 21 catches for 289 yards as a senior. He was inducted into the TCU Block T Hall of Fame in 2004.
The Chicago Bears drafted Parker in 1976, but a knee injury cut his prospects short. He took the advice of a mentor, Dick Lowe, and retired to enter private business, which he did, taking a position in the audit department of American Quasar. He was promoted to assistant to the vice president in 1977.
He returned to TCU to serve as assistant athletic director in 1978 under Frank Windegger. In the role, he was charged with national recruiting for the football and basketball programs, as well as overseeing academic and campus life for student-athletes.
When he left two years later to take a position with The Western Company, he was credited with facilitating contact with 5,000 recruits for all sports. Under his leadership, TCU’s recruiting was expanded to a national level, concentrating on the metropolitan areas. He was praised as having had a pivotal role in helping football coach F.A. Dry recruit the university’s best class in 12 years.
“Ron took a lot of work off the coaches by evaluating the talent on the ground level,” Windegger said in 1980.
One of those recruited that year was John Denton, today the executive director of the Flying T Club but then a recruit from Dallas Bishop Dunne High School. Denton wrote on X: Forty-five years ago this month Parker “was the [recruiting coordinator] for TCU Football when I visited. He was impressive and when we got done, I was a Frog.”
Parker graduated from TCU with a degree in political science. His wife, Paula, is also a TCU graduate, earning a nursing degree in 1977.
In 2006, Parker and his wife established the first fully endowed athletic scholarship to underwrite a team position — tight end, naturally. The Parkers also have supported a number of projects at the university, including the Harris College Scholarship for Nursing, and an endowed professorship in the Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences.
“The reason why Paula and I are so passionate about TCU is because that’s where it all started with us,” Parker said to TCU Magazine.
The Parkers were also supporters of the Amon G. Carter Stadium Project and were members of the Addison & Randolph Clark Society, the Chancellor’s Council, and the TCU Black Alumni Association.
Parker was also a member of the board of the Brite Divinity School.
“Ron was a true leader and visionary and had an extraordinary ability to make everyone around him better” Boschini said. “He valued personal connections and intentionally built relationships with every Horned Frog he met.”
Said TCU President Daniel Pullin: “Ron was a leader among leaders whose compassion, servant leadership and ability to inspire those around him have had a profound impact on our university in countless ways. He was a beacon of kindness and selflessness, always putting others first. His legacy of championing success for all students will inspire us forever. We mourn his loss, and we remember and celebrate the remarkable impact he has made on TCU's past, present, and future.”
