Brooks Parker, former Blanton press aide, PR executive and patron of the arts, dies at 92

Brooks Parker, a former Tennessee commissioner and a longtime Nashville public relations executive, died on May 4, his family confirmed. He was 92.

He was a "bridge-builder" for people and various causes, friends and family said, as well as a strong advocate for women and minority communities, and an influential arts patron in Nashville and beyond.

"His connections were amazing and immeasurable within government and business," said Howard Gentry, the Criminal Court Clerk of Davidson County. "He was creative. He knew how to deliver the message in a way that resonated with whatever community he worked with."

Parker, a Texas native and U.S. Navy and Korean War veteran, settled in Tennessee after attending the University of the South in Sewanee.

He joined Gov. Ray Blanton's administration as press secretary before he was named commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Employment Security in 1978. In 1976, Parker orchestrated a rare visit by the United Nations Assembly to Nashville, where 101 UN representatives attended a Vanderbilt forum and Centennial Park event.

Lois Riggins-Ezell, director emeritus of the Tennessee State Museum, first met Brooks at the beginning of Blanton's administration.

"Brooks was a door-opener. He kicked those doors open for you if he thought it was important for the state of Tennessee, and for you as an individual," Riggins-Ezell said, calling Parker instrumental in her own career.

He later founded the public relations and advertising firm The Parker Group, which boasted clients such as Rosa Parks and prominent Nashville businesses.

It was then that Gentry met Parker, when Parker was working with Fisk University on their museum and a public relations campaign. Gentry said he was surprised at first to see a white man working with a historically Black college, but he learned Parker was "very intentional" about understanding the people and communities he was working with.

Parker later assisted Gentry in rapidly growing business at Citizens Bank, the oldest Black-owned bank in the U.S.. He also encouraged Gentry to seek public office.

"He's really responsible for a lot of who I am and what I've been able to accomplish in business and in politics, particularly in politics," Gentry said. "Had I not had him with me when I first started, I probably could not have handled being the first African-American in every office that I held in the beginning. There was a lot of pressure, a lot I needed to learn and be made aware of. I needed guidance in how to function in that world."

Parker was also a dedicated arts patron and sat on the first board of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, where he helped secure a temporary home for the Tennessee State Museum at one point, Riggins-Ezell said.

"Tennessee is better off to have had him," Riggins-Ezell said. "He opened doors. He made things happen. He believed change was always good, and you hopefully always move up and forward, never backwards. Those were the principles he lived his life by."

Parker's family said he led a "long life of committed service to his family and community."

"His impact on those he assisted and loved runs deep," his family said in a statement. "He was a passionate advocate and champion for equal rights and opportunity for women and Nashville’s Black community. Tennessee State University and Fisk University held a special place close to his heart. His legacy for service, compassion, and kindness will live on in all that knew and loved him."

Parker was preceded in death by his wife, Anne Coleman Smith Parker, and is survived by four children, six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

The Parker family invites his friends to celebrate his life on Saturday, June 24 from noon to 4 p.m. at the home of Carrie and Robert Peery, 1445 Hwy 96, Burns, Tennessee.

Reach Melissa Brown at mabrown@tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Brooks Parker, former Blanton press aide, PR executive and patron of the arts, dies at 92