Obituary of Robert Lee Parker

Robert L. "Bob" Parker was a man known for his national leadership in the energy industry and in the Tulsa business community. But Bob's greatest pride was in his family and his church. Bob and his wife, Cissy were the parents of three children, Robert L. Jr., Carol and Debra. The Parkers looked to their kids' accomplishments with pride, while also sharing in their disappointments. The couple took great delight in their 11 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren and rarely missed an opportunity to be part of grandkids' activities. Family gatherings at the Parker's Tulsa home, or their beloved Cypress Springs Ranch near Kerrville, Texas, were special times and Bob will be remembered as a fun-loving, practical jokester, "R.L." Bob was a quiet man of deep faith. On the reception tables in his Parker Drilling Company offices were copies of the Holy Bible, with nothing on the cover but gold leaf lettering that stated, THE PLAN FOR BUSINESS. Bob grew up in the First United Methodist Church in Tulsa and over his life he contributed significant time and resources for the continual development and evangelical mission of the church. He served in various leadership roles in the congregation, and in many quiet ways, too. In the 1980s, the Parker family provided the funding for the Children's Building at First United Methodist. Bob was an active lay leader and served as delegate to the United Methodist General Conference for many years. Bob was modest about his faith and gently shared the gospel of Jesus with others — from presidents and congressmen, to leaders of the largest oil companies and roughnecks on Parker Drilling rigs. Committed to his employees, Bob hired a full time pastor to minister to Parker Drilling people around the world. In 2001, the native Tulsan was recognized by the National Boy Scouts of America with the organization's God & Service Award. An avid outdoorsman, Bob hunted and fished and loved being in nature. In 1940, he became the World's Open Skeet Champion, the youngest person to hold that honor. Bob was a member of the U.S. All American First Team in Skeet and was inducted into the National Skeet Shooting Hall of Fame. Under Bob's direction, the Parker ranches in Kerrville and near Masie, Oklahoma were turned into exotic wildlife and/or game hunting and fishing sanctuaries. Another love for Bob was his alma mater, the University of Texas. It was there he met his future wife, Catherine Mae "Cissy" McDaniel. They married on December 16, 1944. At UT, he studied Petroleum Engineering, in which he received a Bachelor of Science degree. He also was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. For several years Bob served as a director of the Development Board of the University of Texas at Austin, and in 1969, he received UT's Distinguished Engineering Graduate Award. Ten years later he was honored with a University of Texas Distinguished Alumnus Award. Rarely did Bob and Cissy miss a Longhorns home game and the Parkers' love for burnt orange always caused a stir in Tulsa, especially during the week of UT-Oklahoma games, when a huge Texas flag would be unfurled from atop the oil derrick on top of Parker Drilling's downtown headquarters. For years, Bob instigated a good-natured rivalry full of practical jokes with Sooner Federal, a Tulsa banking institution with deep ties to the other university. After graduating from college, Bob joined the Army, where he served as an officer in post-war Germany. When he returned, he passed on a job offer at Atlantic Richfield to work for his father, Gifford, at Parker Drilling Company. Learning the business from the ground up, Bob and Cissy lived in the oilfields of Mississippi and Texas. In 1949, the Parkers moved to Tulsa. In 1954, Bob became the owner of Parker Drilling by matching the highest bid offered by an outside investor. Under his leadership, the contract oil and gas driller expanded internationally and became known for its technological advances that transformed the industry. Parker's research and development brought forth innovations such as Arctic drilling and ultra-deep drilling technical advances. Parker's patented Transportable By Anything lightweight rigs opened previously inaccessible areas to energy development. In 1969, Bob took the company public and Parker Drilling became the first western drilling contractor to operate in China, Vietnam and republics of the former Soviet Union. In the late 1990s, Parker acquisitions moved the driller into offshore markets and into the oilfield supply business. The company has operated in more than 50 countries. Bob's quiet, but effective leadership in the oil and gas industry brought him many honors and accolades. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan appointed Bob to chair the United States Energy Policy Task Force, a position for which he was awarded the U.S. Secretary of Energy's Distinguished Service Medal. For years at his Kerrville ranch, Bob, along with son Bob Jr. -- who rose to become president and chief executive officer of Parker Drilling -- regularly hosted a summit of energy industry leaders and high level government officials, including former presidents, U.S. Senators and governors. Bob was a director of the American Petroleum Institute, the National Petroleum Council, the Independent Petroleum Association of America, the International Association of Drilling Contractors and served on numerous corporate boards. In 1999, Bob was named recipient of the American Petroleum Institute's Gold Medal. In Tulsa, Bob served as chairman of the board of First United Methodist Church, as well as Saint Francis Hospital, the University of Tulsa and the Thomas Gilcrease Association. He received honorary doctorates from Oral Roberts University and John Brown University. He was a past trustee of John Brown University, Southern Methodist University, Perkins School of Theology at SMU and the Maguire Oil & Gas Institute at SMU. He also was a past director of the University of Texas-M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the Indian Nations Council of Boy Scouts of America and the YMCA of Greater Tulsa. In 1992, Bob was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and in 2001, the Tulsa Hall of Fame. He also was a Tulsa Press Club Headliner. A graduate of Culver Military Academy, Bob was named Culver Man of the Year, in 1981. Robert Lee Parker was born in Tulsa on July 16, 1923, to Gifford and Gladys Parker. He died on July 9, 2016, at the age of 92. Bob was preceded in death by his wife Cissy, and daughter Carol Adams. He is survived by his children Bob, Jr. and wife Risa, and Debbie and husband Phil Hinch. Also surviving are grandchildren Robb Parker, Austin and Adam Rodriguez, Kimberly Adams, Ashley and Dave Blazer, Jamey Adams, Julie Marshall, Christy and Rick Parker, Cara and John Jordan, Hailey and Ryan Woodard, Bradi Hinch, Brooke Hinch and eight great grandchildren. A funeral service will be held 2:00 PM Wednesday, July 13, 2016 at First United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, friends may contribute in Bob’s memory to the First United Methodist Church Memorial Fund, 1115 South Boulder Ave., Tulsa, OK 74119 or www.fumctulsa.org/give.