In Memoriam: Remembering Virginia Parks

Dr. Virginia Parks, the first woman to hold a vice-presidential role at Seattle University, died at home in Highlands Ranch, Colo., on May 9, after a short illness. Legions of former faculty and students will remember her as a brilliant, tough-minded, incisive problem solver who, early in her career at the university, partnered with President William Sullivan, S.J., to guide the institution from financial insolvency to economic vibrancy within the span of a decade. For these and other myriad accomplishments, she has been called “one of the maverick women who shaped Seattle University.”

Dr. Parks’ career began in the early 1960s, when it was highly unusual for women to embark on professional careers. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas in Austin and became a certified public accountant. After she and her husband started their family, she earned her master’s degree in business administration and then a PhD in economics from the University of Houston.  

Following several years in public accounting as a member of the audit staff at Alexander Grant & Co. in Houston, Dr. Parks worked as an accounting supervisor and assistant controller for Hughes Tool Co. and Hughes Dynamics, before leaving the private sector to pursue a budding career in higher education. In Houston, she served on the faculties of the University of Texas and Houston Baptist College.

Dr. Parks and her family relocated to Bellevue in 1972, when she joined the faculty of Seattle University as a tenured professor at the Albers School of Business and Economics. At SU, Dr. Parks excelled as a classroom teacher. Her students—eventually including her youngest daughter—widely appreciated her rigor and concern for their successes. She took the time to get to know her students and their aspirations and followed many of them once they launched their own careers. 

Adroitly juggling work and family responsibilities, and in addition to teaching accounting, Dr. Parks served at various times as the chair of the Accounting Department and associate dean of the School of Business. In early 1975, she helped to found and then served as the first director of the university’s Master of Science in Accounting program.  

By 1976, Dr. Parks’ financial insight and administrative problem-solving skills had been recognized, and President Sullivan asked her to assume the position of Financial Vice President. She was the first woman to hold a top administrative cabinet position at the Jesuit institution. Over the next 11 years, Dr. Parks worked closely with university administrators to balance the institution’s budget, dramatically expand its infrastructure and academic offerings and build a solid foundation for the university’s long-term growth.  

After returning to teaching in 1988, Dr. Parks continued to be tapped to fill a variety of leadership roles at the university. Among other projects, she worked with the Dr. John Eshelman, then university provost, on acquisition of what is now Seattle University School of Law; served as the university’s chief information officer when computers first were integrated into the university; and worked as the first director of SU’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. 

Outside the school, Dr. Parks’ financial and administrative prowess was recognized, as well. In 1978, Time magazine honored her as one of Seattle’s Newsmakers of Tomorrow, and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors appointed her as director, Seattle branch, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, a position she held until 1984. She also served on the boards of various entities, including Pacific Gamble Robinson Co. and Pacific Medical Center. In addition, she volunteered as a peer evaluator for the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, focusing primarily on financially troubled institutions.

Dr. Parks’ work inspired multiple generations of young people, including her daughters and her grandchildren, to believe that anything is possible if one thinks logically, clearly, creatively and long enough to find a solution. 

After her retirement from the university in 2004, Dr. Parks relocated to Summit County, Colo., where she volunteered on local boards, before moving to Wind Crest, Highlands Ranch, Colo.. She enjoyed spending time with her daughters and grandchildren, visiting with friends, analyzing financial statements, entertaining her cats and getting in her 10,000 steps each day.

Dr. Parks is survived by her brother, Roy Lucas, of Houston, and her daughters, Katherine Parks, of Hingham, Mass., and Karen Parks, of Copper Mountain, Colo. She had four grandchildren: Bryan, Katrina, Elizabeth and Christopher.

A private family memorial will be held in the fall. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in memory of Dr. Parks be made to the Albers School of Business and Economics or via mail at Seattle University, c/o Advancement Services, 901 12th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122.