A Life of Inspiration

Timothy Eugene Parker Creates Endowment in Honor of His Mother

“I cannot remember a time that my mother said anything unkind about another person,” says TimothyParker of his mother, Cecilia Kleinschrodt Parker. “I remember my mother for her compassion and love for others, and my gift to UAB is my attempt to follow that example.” It is this example of acompassionate life that inspired Mr.Parker to pay tribute to his mother’s memory by creating an endowed support fund in the Department of Surgery through his estate. By naming the endowment the Cecilia Kleinschrodt Parker and Timothy Eugene Parker Endowed Support Fund for Colorectal Cancer Research, Mr. Parker honors her extraordinary determination and strength.
 
He adds, “By the time my mother was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, it was too late for successful treatment.She lost her battle to the disease in 1984. It is my hope that this fund will allow otherssuffering from this type of cancer the possibility of a better quality of life and maybe even lead to a cure.UAB has an outstanding reputation in the field of cancer research and treatment. I want tohelpfoster the continuation of those worthy efforts with this gift.”

“Planned gifts like this are very important to research,” says Kirby Bland, M.D., chair of theDepartment of Surgery. “The implications for UAB are huge. Thanks to Mr. Parker’s generosity, funds will continue to be available for researchers to continue their work toward finding a cure for colorectal cancer. We are deeply grateful that Mr. Parker chose to honor his mother through thisgift.”

Mrs. Parker, who had a long and memorable career with the Social Security Administration until her retirement in 1983, was born into a devout Catholic family in Mobile, Alabama, where she grew up prior to the Depression and resided most of her life. The oldest child of Frank and Anna Kleinschrodt and the granddaughter of German immigrants, she demonstrated a commitment to her family and her community throughout her life. “Her family’s wealth was measured by their love and devotion to each other,” Mr. Parker says. “She attended and graduated from Catholic schools, and her strong foundation of faith, as well as the simple pleasures and lessons learned on the Mobile River Delta, sustained her throughout her life.”

Her own five children—Francine, David, Teresa, Donald, and Timothy—are a large part of Mrs. Parker’s legacy. Tim Parker, senior vice president and regional investment manager for Wachovia Bank’s Trust and Wealth Management Division, serves as president of both the board of trustees of the Children’s Aid Society Foundation and the Chartered Financial Analyst Society of Alabama. A member of the Leadership Birmingham class of 2006, he is also a former member of the board of trustees for Birmingham AIDS Outreach.

“I believe my mother would be both proud and surprised at the idea of a designated fund bearing her name,” Parker says. “She never sought recognition, but I believe she would indeed be pleased to know that her lessons of compassion and care for others live on. I know in my heart that if she had possessed monetary wealth, her kindness toward others would have resulted in financial assistance. I hope that this endowment will allow her lessons of compassion and her good heart to stand as a testament. It is my sincere hope that others will join me in working to find a cure for colorectal cancer.”