UMW James Farmer Multicultural Center Founding Director Forrest Parker
Forrest Anthony Parker – founding director of the University of Mary Washington’s James Farmer Multicultural Center (JFMC) and co-creator of its annual Multicultural Fair – passed away on the first day of the new year, Jan. 1, 2024.
Parker will be remembered at Mary Washington, particularly by the many students he inspired, the positive impact he had on colleagues and the campus community, and the welcoming multicultural home he established on campus and in the Fredericksburg region. As chronicled in University of Mary Washington: A Centennial History, 1908-2008, he avowed to establish the fair from his first days on the job, and his work certainly lives on in the history books and through the individuals with whom he connected through the years.
Parker’s work at Mary Washington College began in 1989 as an associate dean for admissions, where he directed Project SOAR (Summer Orientation Adventure Retreat) and led the James Farmer Scholars Program. He became the founding director of the Multicultural Center at Mary Washington when it was established in 1990. As head of the center, he directed the SOAR and Summer Transition programs, as well as coordinated major celebrations, from MLK Jr. Day to annual heritage months. During his tenure, the center was officially named the James Farmer Multicultural Center in 1998. In 1991, he also imagined and implemented the first Multicultural Fair, now a much-anticipated tradition attended by thousands each spring. Read more.