Parker bequest results in $100,000 gift

Chris Pepple/Kim Chaudoin | 10/04/2007

The family of Dortha Regina Parker recently presented Lipscomb University a check for $100,000 to help provide a Christian education for future generations of students.

Ms. Parker was known for her generosity. Whether she was doting on nieces and nephews or giving of her time and financial support to church or civic organizations, Ms. Parker believed in giving to make life better for others. Even in death, Ms. Parker continues to give to others.

"She left everything she had to charity," said Michelle Parker Bradley. "She was an amazing person even through her illness."

“Cancer took her body, but the joy of her spirit always prevailed,” Ms. Parker was remembered in her obituary. Her family remembered her joy that could be heard through her infectious laugh and felt through her dedication to friends and family. She shared Christian advice when given the opportunity and offered a shoulder to cry on for those needing a friend and a good listener. 

Ms. Parker personally knew the benefits of donations that can be used for scholarships to students. Both she and her sister were beneficiaries of the Fanning Fund, an endowment that funded scholarships for students who had lost at least one parent prior to attending Lipscomb University. The Fanning Foundation, which was named in honor of Restoration Movement pioneer Charlotte Fanning, closed recently. The foundation's assets were transferred to Lipscomb University, where the fund will continue to fulfill its original purpose for generations to come.

In notes for one of her Bible classes she taught, Ms. Parker wrote, “When my father died in 1968, I had just turned 16 and worried about what would happen to my mother, little sister and me. I desperately wanted to go to college and saw no way for that to happen.” The scholarship helped make her wishes come true.

Ms. Parker completed her Lipscomb degree with a major in sociology and returned to complete a degree in education. She served as a teacher for a brief period, and then worked as a property assessor for the state of Tennessee and Rutherford County until her retirement. She worked as a software consultant during her retirement years. She also taught Bible and appraisal courses for many years.

Now Ms. Parker can help make other wishes come true for Lipscomb University students. Through the donation of her life insurance policy to Lipscomb, Ms. Parker can help make many things possible. The joy of her spirit will live on in the lives of Lipscomb University faculty, staff and students for many generations to come.

“Being a lifelong Bible teacher, Ms. Parker knew the importance of making a Christian education available to students in Nashville and around the country,” said Bradley. “She believed in the vision of Lipscomb University and followed its growth through the years, supporting many of its campaigns.”