Mary Thorpe Parker

Mary Parker was born on January 29,1941, in San Angelo, Texas, and spent her childhood in Eldorado, Texas. She died peacefully on Friday, April 8, 2022 in Austin. Her parents, W.T. "Pete" Parker of Texas and Josephine Stephenson Parker, of Galena, Illinois, continued to live in Eldorado until their deaths. Mary is predeceased by her parents and younger sister, Ruth Fairall.

After her marriage on August 29, 1963, she returned to Austin to continue her education and establish her permanent residence. Mary started her education at the University of Texas at Austin in the Plan II Liberal Arts program but transferred to the science program after several years. According to her notes, "I pursued a zoology and chemistry curriculum, after several years devoted primarily to liberal arts. I narrowed my choice for graduate study to genetics, partly because of the good reputation of the genetics group and partly because of interest. I really regard myself as more of a generalist than a specialist. I prefer synthesis, teaching, and innovation to research."

Mary earned a Bachelor of Arts with honors in Zoology in 1963, a Master of Arts in 1966 and a Ph.D. in Zoology in 1968 with genetics subspecialty. She was elected to membership in the University of Texas Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, a national honor society dedicated to the unity and democracy of education.

She worked as a research associate from 1968 to 1971. She achieved an appointment to teach genetics in 1971 as a temporary teaching associate; she thus broke the glass ceiling by teaching in an all-male department. Mary continued to teach varied sciences: biology, zoology and genetics over a six-year period and found it most gratifying to teach the students who did not plan to attend medical or dental school. Because teaching was part-time, temporary and unreliable for income, she came to two realizations: that she needed to find reliable employment outside of the academic sphere, and that she was a good teacher and researcher and needed to follow her love of science, the environment and of writing.

Shortly after this realization, she began working for the State of Texas and retired from the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission in 1997. During the many jobs of surveying land across Texas, she developed and honed her love for the natural environment. Her work built on the skills and desire for conservation that was instilled in her by her parents and by her self-taught identification of fossils and love of geology.

Mary had been a member of the Travis Audubon Society since 1963. In early childhood she started learning bird calls and eventually learned to identify over 300 birds. She accompanied ornithologist researchers and authors throughout the state and into northern Mexico on their quest to understand birds' habitat, mating and lives. Even late in life, she could identify a bird by hearing its call.

Mary was a member and dedicated newsletter editor for the Native Plant Society of Central Texas and a member of the Nature Conservancy. She worked tirelessly to help Austin build a space at the Mueller development that would be respectful of native plants, a practice she followed in her own gardens as well. She donated a significant part of her extensive library to the Audubon Society and Native Plant Society and to the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest when she closed her home.



A lifelong Episcopalian, Mary was a graduate of the Education for Ministry program at the University of the South, Department of Religious Studies. She turned to the church when she knew she was ill and had no family, and her adopted family at St. George's Episcopal Church cared for her during her last years of life. In these last years, she never forgot the love for her ranch in Eldorado, her devotion to conservation of plants and nature, her love for classical and church music, and her love of writing. She continued writing lists until her last week of life. Mary's gentle soul, kindness and generosity will always be remembered.

In 1979, she said of herself, "I am a very late-blooming flower, which is opening slowly. I hope that the bloom lasts a long time." The beauty of her spirit will continue to bloom for a very long time.

We want to thank the loving supportive care provided to Mary over the past two years by caregivers from Assisting Hands.

A memorial service will be held at St. George's Episcopal Church, 4301 N IH 35, Austin, TX 78722 at 11 AM on Saturday, May 21; a reception will follow. There will be a private interment of cremains at her ranch in Eldorado at another time. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. George's music program.