Obituary: Richard Barron Parker – Portland Press Herald

Richard Barron Parker

PORTLAND – Richard Barron Parker passed away peacefully at residence on August 13, 2021. Identified with metastatic prostate most cancers in 2018, great health care treatment enabled him to keep on regular daily life until finally just lately. A calendar year in the past he and his family sought health care aid through Maine’s right-to-die law, which enabled him peacefully to conclusion his personal lifestyle surrounded by family. Richard Barron Parker was born Oct. 13, 1940 in Houston and elevated in Baldwin, N.Y. Always known as “Dick” to family and pals, he graduated from Baldwin Superior College in 1958 and Haverford University in 1962. In June of that year, Dick married his substantial faculty sweetheart, Valerie Mawdsley, who regretably died of cancer in the summer season of 1963. Dick finished his master’s degree at Brown College and entered the College of Chicago’s Ph.D. program in philosophy, researching ethical injustice. He graduated in 1968. In 1967 he married Patricia Lawson, a graduate student in English at the University of Chicago. Their only little one, Anne, was born in 1972. Dick entered Harvard Legislation University in tumble, l968. When a scholar, he lectured in basic training and taught sections of Professor Charles Fried’s system on Law and Morality. His volunteer stint at Harvard Lawful Help taught him extra simple elements of law and morality, as he defended very poor ladies in Boston divorce court docket. Right after graduation in 1971, he became exploration assistant to Professor Paul Freund, in which he obtained Prof. Freund’s renowned messy desk habit as nicely as great regard for the supreme court docket and the field of constitutional law. Concerning 1971 and 1982, Dick taught at Rutgers Regulation University and practiced legislation in Boston. He then used a 12 months consulting in a legislation agency in Seoul, Korea in which Pat taught as Fulbright professor, and in 1983 he commenced his Fulbright teaching yr in Sendai, Japan at Tohoku College. There, Dick turned fascinated with Japan and its society. All through his checking out professorship at Osaka University, 1985-87, he turned a lot more fully immersed in the lifestyle, learning Japanese language and having every single option to have interaction in Japanese daily life. He became a lover of Japanese food and consume, Japanese gardens and baths, and primarily Chiyonofuji, star sumo wrestler. The final 18 yrs of his experienced lifestyle were being spent teaching at Hiroshima Shudo College. He in no way missed the cherry blossom festivities in April and the maple leaf shades of tumble. His fascination in Japanese arts grew to incorporate the historical dance-drama type, the Noh, and he generally brought foreign attendees to Noh performances on Miyajima Island. 1 of Dick’s biggest pleasures in everyday living was Dix Island in Penobscot Bay where he and his brother David and their people shared a cabin. He beloved the sea, the rocks, his 21-foot outboard, and fishing off the island pier. Dick retired from Japan in 2008 and joined Pat at their home on the Presumpscot River in Falmouth, wherever they lived right up until soon right before he died. He is survived by his spouse, Pat brother, David Parker and sister-in-law Annie Popkin his daughter, Anne Bergman, son-in-law, David, and grandchildren, Jacob and Elisheva. Various cousins and nieces and nephews also mourn his passing. Dick’s internet site containing some of his composing can be attained at richardbarronparker.com. In lieu of bouquets donations can be made in Dick’s identify to the Maine Coastal Heritage Have confidence in.

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