Keep Sporting, Keep Fit : Dick Parker is the epitome of what a natural athlete is
By DICK STEELE
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's superman. No, really it's Dick Parker of Morris doing what comes naturally.
Dick was a basketball player at Mazon-Verona-Kinsman high school during the 50's; a terrific softball pitcher for boys and men's teams in the area, a runner in the roads and streets of Morris and other communities, a softball coach for his daughter's team, a sky diver and a former member of 101st airborne division in the US Army, white water canoeing and general nature lover and a wonderful family man.
Let's begin with high school and his basketball playing days at MVK high school. He was moved up to the varsity team as a sophomore. During his senior year, the Red Devils were
21-6 for the1957 season. Members of the team were Tom Waller, Jim Grenell, Ed Walker, Ed Knop and Parker. They lost to Pontiac in the regional tournament. The team was coached by Gordon (Junior) Arneson.
It was during his high school days that his softball career began. It started in 4-H, then
moved to Farm Bureau competition and also in the business men's league. He ended up playing three nights a week.
After graduating from high school, Parker started playing fastpitch softball. He was then drafted into the Army and got on the post softball team. In 1962, his team got second place in the US Army but the next year the team finished in first place.
Once out of the service, he picked up his softball pitching again and played all over the area and in the league at Lisbon.This writer had the pleasure of catching Dick in the competitive Lisbon league. Dick remembers playing in an All Star game and one of the opposing players was Walt "Moose" Moryn, former Chicago Cubs player.
In 1980, his fastpitch team from Morris captured the state tournament, beating
Fairview heights in the title game. Players on the team were Denny Thorson catcher, Parker pitched, Dutch Smith at first base, Dave Olson at second, Rick Beeler at shortstop and Russ Battersby played third base. Larry Walker was in left field, Andy Niewinski in center field and
Mick Severson played right field. Bill Klenk was the designated hitter. Also on the
team was Chuck Olson.
The team advanced to Midwest Regional and finished in third place. Parker has pitched five no-hitters during his softball playing days and has over 600 wins. He started pitching at age 12 and pitched his last game, last year at age 69.
Dick now teaches softball pitching for girls. Dick said he met his wife of 46 years, Jean, while she was working at the Feed Bag Restaurant in Mazon. He said the recent tearing down of the famous eating place in the city tore a piece of his heart out watching it go down.
Dick started his running at age 45 and ran in races every weekend in the area and
throughout the state. Parker ran in a race club with his daughter, Dana.
Parker said for those considering running to start slow, get a real good pair of shoes
and run facing traffic and train properly. Dick said he used to get up at 3 a.m., run five
miles, shower and go to work. He also added that if he had a big race coming up, he
would run in the evening.
He was a member of the 101st airborne Division in the Army and became a paratrooper.
Once out of the service, he joined a skydiving club, along with Jean.
Parker had 800 free falls when he quit sky diving.
The former MVK "Flash" coached softball and his daughter Addie for 10 years, winning
three state titles, one Midwest Regional championship. One year the team played 90 games
winning 78 and losing only 12 games.
Dick always has gone through life with plenty of energy and closed the interview by
saying,"My family has always come first in my life".
