Douglas Parrott

DOUGLAS M. PARROTT Age 92, of Riverside, CA, passed away Saturday, August 17, 2019, at Kaiser Hospital in Moreno Valley of complications from a stroke. Born in Utica, NY and raised in Stamford, CT, he was a graduate of Hamilton College (Clinton, NY) and Union Theological Seminary (New York City). After serving as a Presbyterian minister in Cold Spring, NY, and Ringwood, NJ, he decided to pursue an academic career. In 1965 he moved his young family to California, where he earned a Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union (Berkeley). From 1968 to 1971 he was part of an international team of scholars based at the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity (Claremont, CA) that translated fourth-century Gnostic writings found in an earthenware jar in 1945 near Nag Hammadi, a city in Upper Egypt. The team translated these papyrus codices (known as the Nag Hammadi Codices) from Coptic to English and studied the impact of Gnosticism on early Christianitya topic that became his primary research interest. Doug served the rest of his career at the University of California, Riverside, joining the Religious Studies faculty in 1971, where he taught courses on the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, the history of Christianity, science and religion, and Islam. Doug had a lifelong commitment to and passion for social justice. He participated in the March on Washington in 1963 and heard Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. He was active in the civil rights movement and in promoting interfaith dialogue. In his back pocket he always carried a worn and dog-eared copy of the Constitution. He was devoted to family, supporting them in large and small ways. Baseball games, dance recitals, graduations, birthdays, award ceremonieshe showed up. In conversation, he gave you his full attention. He loved opera and the L.A. Dodgers. His legendary buttermilk pancakes will be missed, as well as his dry wit, sharp mind, and gentle, compassionate spirit. He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Christine Petzar; son Kirk Parrott (Dina); daughter Elizabeth Parrott (Michael); stepdaughter Elena Ambriz (Jose); and their familiesnine grandchildren and seven great-grand- children. He also leaves a brother-in-law, John Cochran, and numerous nieces and nephews in New York and Connecticut. He was predeceased by his parents, William C. and Helen Parrott; his brother, W. Clinton Parrott; his sister, Ann Cochran; and his first wife, Anne Elder Parrott. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 21, 2019, at Calvary Presbyterian Church in Riverside. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Calvary Presbyterian Church, or a charity that promotes human rights would honor his memory.