"For unto whom much is given, much is required."

Luke 12:48

Click here to view the live streaming of the funeral service.

Forrest Andre Parker, Sr. was born on September 13, 1959, in Franklin, VA to Olga Walden and Marshall Parker. Forrest passed away on January 1, 2024, in Fredericksburg, VA.  Over his lifetime as a servant leader and through his belief in Luke 12:48, he created a profound legacy by inspiring hope and a quest for achievement within countless numbers of youth, college students, families, and diverse communities.

Forrest attended public schools in Newport News where he further cultivated his journey of being a lifelong learner which had been instilled in him by his parents.  Forrest graduated from Warwick High School in Newport News where he excelled in academics and athletics. Forrest graduated from Ferrum College in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science degree where he was a leader of several student organizations, including serving as Vice President of the student body. He also earned a Master of Arts degree in Counseling Education from James Madison University.

Forrest's strong academic background prepared him well for continuous careers as a successful professional and as a community leader.  For over 40 years, he excelled in education, public service, business, entrepreneurialism, public speaking, and nonprofit administration.

For over 20 years, Forrest served in various administrative positions in higher education at James Madison University (JMU) and the University of Mary Washington (UMW).  The first recruiter of minority students at JMU, he served as an Assistant Director and Assistant Dean of Admissions.  Primarily through his outstanding efforts, JMU led the way in increasing the enrollment of African American students for four-year colleges in Virginia in the early 1980's to achieve their respective goals under Virginia's revised college desegregation plan.  During his tenure at JMU, he was largely credited for increasing the enrollment of minority students by 400%.

Beyond his numerical results at JMU was the phenomenal impact Forrest had on the African American student population, both collectively and individually, that not only ensured their enhanced recruitment, but also their increased retention and academic success.  He also created two groups for African American students – Brothers of a New Direction (BOND) and Women of Color, two organizations that had a profound effect on the campus and their student members and which continue to thrive on the JMU campus.  Former JMU students continue to revere Forrest and attest to his singular impact on their ultimate success.

In 1989, Forrest became the Associate Dean for Admissions at Mary Washington College (now University of Mary Washington) where he directed Project SOAR (Summer Orientation Adventure Retreat) and led the James Farmer Scholars Program.  He became the founding director of the Multicultural Center at Mary Washington (now the James Farmer Multicultural Center) when it was established in 1990. As head of the Center, he continued to direct SOAR and began oversight of the Summer Transition programs, as well as coordinated major celebrations, from MLK Jr. Day to annual heritage months. A true visionary of initiatives that pertained to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) long before the phrase was coined and became a significant factor in academic institutions and other organizations, Forrest imagined and implemented the first Multicultural Fair at Mary Washington. Although many on campus felt UMW was not ready for such an event, Forrest was persistent.  This event is now a much-anticipated tradition celebrated annually in the spring and includes great participation and attendance by local community members.  Forrest served as Director through 1993, when he was promoted to Vice President for Multicultural Affairs.

The engagement and academic success of minority and underserved UMW students was of paramount interest to Forrest. Building upon his success at JMU, he brought both BOND and Women of Color to UMW, inspiring students toward leadership roles. Forrest also encouraged the creation of organizations celebrating Latino, Asian, Jewish, and other heritages during his first two years as the Center's director. Forrest also established a community mentor initiative that matched minority students with local minority professionals to enhance their success on the campus and in the community. Furthermore, Forrest established a national conference, Multi-Ethnic Perspectives, which delved into topics on diversity in business, community, as well as in colleges and universities.

Forrest's impact on UMW will be remembered by all with whom he came into contact, but also through documents and writings, including the book, University of Mary Washington A Centennial History 1908-2008.  The latter documents that Forrest vowed to establish the fair from his first days on the job, and his work certainly will live on in the written history of UMW and through the individuals with whom he connected through the years, including students, faculty members, and colleagues.  Likewise, he will be remembered by many local community members whom he actively sought to make feel welcomed on the campus for the first time in their lives.

After leaving academia, Forrest further pursued business ventures in real estate, retail stores, and public speaking.  He was engaged in many local community organizations as a committee member or board member.

One of the boards of which he took a lead role was the organizing board of the local Boys and Girls Club.  He saw the benefit of it and became very vested in the development and implementation of the Club.  In 2001, he became the CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of the Rappahannock Region.  Under his leadership, the Club served more than 4,600 youth in the Greater Fredericksburg Region and beyond.  He always took a keen interest in the wellbeing of all the student participants, and he exposed them to many things with which they had no familiarity.  He became a positive role model and encourager for all the student participants.  He also recruited the active engagement and partnership of his fraternity's chapter, the Tau Rho Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, as well as its foundation, the Rappahannock Regional Uplift and Scholarship Foundation (RRUSF), to create a mentoring program at the Club, the "Passport to Manhood Program."

In 1985 Forrest was initiated into Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. He was a proud and devoted member of the Beta Delta Delta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi at James Madison University. He went on to earn a few of the most prestigious awards that the fraternity offered.  Those awards were "Omega Man of the Year" for the 3rd District (Va/Washington D.C.) in 1994 and "Omega Man of the Year" for the Tau Rho Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Inc . His active membership in the Tau Rho Chapter included participation in many activities associated with youth development as the Chapter sought to uplift the local community by educating and mentoring underserved and underprivileged young people.  Forrest's leadership of the "Passport to Manhood" program was instrumental in the Tau Rho Chapter being awarded the 3rd District Small Chapter of the Year five times and being named as the Omega Psi Phi International Small Chapter of the Year in 2019-2020, a very coveted award within the Fraternity.

Forrest was a very family-centered individual.  Of all his great accomplishments, his proudest achievement was being the father to his son, Forrest "AJ" Parker, Jr.  He took seriously the responsibility of fatherhood and the acknowledgement that God had only blessed two people with the role of parent of "AJ", that being he and Diane. They both worked hard to provide a loving family unit. Anyone who knew Forrest knew that he had a son, and he demonstrated both through precept and the principles of successful manhood.  Although he always empowered "AJ" to be his own self, he was very proud that, like his dad, he attended JMU, pledged Omega Psi Phi, and worked for a local Boys and Girls Club.

Forrest was predeceased in death by his father, Marshall Parker, and his sister, Wanda Bouknight.

He leaves to mourn, his devoted son, Forrest "AJ" Parker, Jr.; his beloved mother, Olga Chambers; his two brothers, Troy Chambers and Dr. Dwight Carson; his nephews, Wynston Bouknight and Troyce Chambers, and his two nieces, Shayla Marie Redding and Ilea Carson.  He also leaves to mourn his close friend, Yolanda Swift, and a host of other friends who would claim him as a family member.

A visitation will be held at A.L. Bennett and Son Funeral Home on Friday, January 12, 2024, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM with the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Memorial Service beginning at 6:30 PM.

A funeral service will be held at James Monroe High School, 2300 Washington Avenue, Fredericksburg, VA 22401, on Saturday, January 13, 2024, at 11:00 AM with a viewing one hour prior to the service.

Click here to access a live streaming of the funeral service.

All members of Divine 9 Fraternities and Sororities are requested to dress in their respective fraternal or sorority attire. Members of the JMU family, and UMW family are invited to dress in their respective school's colors or attire. All others are invited to wear Dallas Cowboy, LA Lakers, NY Yankees attire or any other informal attire.

In lieu of flowers and in honor of Forrest's devoted commitment to young people, the family requests that unwrapped toys be brought to the funeral service to be distributed at a special youth-focused celebration of his life at the Original Walker-Grant Center (the site of the former Boys & Girls Club) in July.