Joseph J. Parnicky

PARNICKY Joseph J. Parnicky, age 94, resident of Friendship Village, Columbus, passed away Monday, October 1, 2012. Son of the late Peter and Eudokia Parnicky, was born in New York City on September 29, 1918. His initial education was in New York City public school and later in Freehold, N.J. where he attended a one-room schoolhouse. Graduating from Freehold High School in 1936 as president of his class, he then entered Brown University (Providence, R.I.) as a scholarship student and earned a bachelor's degree in sociology in the class of 1940. In 1942, Dr. Parnicky was awarded a master's degree in clinical social work from Boston University. From 1942 until 1946, Dr. Parnicky served as a psychologist in a Numbered Army Hospital and retained from commission until his retirement with the rank of Lt. Colonel. As a civilian his first professional position was with the Community Service Society in New York City. In 1950, he joined the faculty at Adelphi University (Garden City, N.Y.) and also completed doctoral requirements in clinical psychology in 1954. His thesis, "Factors Affecting Community Readjustments of Mental Hospital Patients," led to a career heavily directed to serving intellectually and developmentally handicapped persons. In 1954, Dr. Parnicky joined the faculty at Rutgers University (New Brunswick, N.J.). Three years later he was recruited to be the Superintendent at the E.R. Johnstone Training and Research Center (Bordentown, N.J.), a residential facility for adolescents with psychological problems. During this time he was engaged in developing educational conferences and professional training programs. In 1968, Dr. Parnicky was invited to join The Ohio State University Nisonger Center and the faculty in the College of Social Work. He remained at OSU as tenured professor until his retirement in 1989. Throughout his professional career Dr. Parnicky served as both clinical and humanist psychologist of The American Psychological Association, affiliated with Qualified Mental Retardation Professionals; board member of the Franklin County Mental Health Association; board member of Columbus International Program and of National Association of Social Workers. In 1995, he was awarded the Norman Guitry Award for "outstanding leadership in the promotion of mental health and the prevention of mental illness." In more recent years Dr. Parnicky worked to help build houses for Habitat for Humanity. For six years he was visiting professor at the University of Otago (Dunedin, New Zealand). Skiing, sailing, and travel were among his favorite pastimes and, with his wife Gail, visited all of the continents- often under the aegis of People-to-People in which he had a strong interest. He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Gail Clapp Parnicky; a son, Kris Parnicky M.D., and his wife, Rosalie Denenfeld of Ann Arbor, Michigan; a daughter, Karen W. Parnicky and her husband, Stephen J. Weber of Reston, Virginia; three grandchildren, Elizabeth P. Weber, Jonathan P. Weber, Kaela Jo Parnicky, and a step-grandson, Torbin Bolz; a brother, Wiliam Parnicky and his wife, Juanita of Lake Oswego, Oregon; and nieces and nephews of Walla Walla, Washington. ARRANGEMENTS MADE BY SCHOEDINGER WORTHINGTON CHAPEL. Please visit www.schoedinger.com to share a favorite memory or express condolences.