Woodrow McClain Parker
American educator and author
- 2 min read
- 3 chapters
Explore on Lably
ToursExplore Lably’s 3D toursEarly life and education
Parker was born in the small, rural, and segregated town of Atmore, Alabama on April 23, 1941. He is the fourth of five children born to Mark and Nellie Parker.
Parker attended the Escambia County Training School from the first through the twelfth grade. As a teenager, Parker labored as a migrant worker. He picked cotton, harvested potatoes, and cut corn to earn money to buy clothes and to help his family with basic necessities.
Parker received his Bachelor of Science degree in English from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He furthered his education with a Master of Science degree in Counselor Education from the University of South Florida in 1971 and earned a PhD in Counselor Education and Mental Health from the University of Florida in 1975.
Sign in to keep reading
2 more chapters are free with a Lably account.
Career
Parker worked as a professor in the Counselor Education Department at the University of Florida for 19 years and as a mental health counselor in the student health care center. He has disseminated his research findings in numerous books and journals and received the "Most Prolific Contributor Award" for his work published in the Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development. He has collaborated with various school districts and consulted with various colleges and universities. Parker also conducted group discussions and research in West Africa and Puerto Rico. In 1996, he received two university-wide awards for excellence in teaching and research.
Parker's books include Consciousness-Raising: A Primer for Multicultural Counseling (three editions), Multicultural Relations on Campus: A Personal Growth Approach, Images of Me: A Guide to Group Work with African American Women, and Becoming Multiculturally Responsible on Campus: From Awareness to Action. His memoir, The Real Education of Sweet Papa T, and The Mask Wearing Journey of Sweet Papa T, inspired by Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem "We Wear the Mask."
Parker was awarded the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the University of Florida College of Education and the Lifetime Service Award to the counseling profession from the Florida Counseling Association.
Personal life
Parker is married to Sylvia Brandon Parker. He is an avid cyclist and has trained and completed the New York, Boston, Marine Corps, and Ocala Marathons.