Davis Parrish

Davis Pendleton Parrish, Colonel, USAF (retired), 86, formerly of Paris Texas, passed away quietly at home in Suntree on Monday, March 5, 2012. Born May 7, 1925 to Oscar Jefferson Davis Parrish and Cora Hoffman Parrish, he was raised by Dr. Ross and Polly May in Whitewright, TX. Survived by his one remaining sibling, Nancy Parrish Laws, he was predeceased in death by his brothers, Oscar, Alex and James Hooks Parrish and his twin brother. He has been ill for some time and lovingly cared for by his family at his home and in particular by his daughter , Carole Anne and his granddaughter, Carlene Nicole Harrison who were constantly there at his side. He is survived by his wife and soul mate, Martha; and by their five children and their respective mates: George Pendleton Parrish, Alexander Allen Skinner, Jeffrey Lenox Parrish, Jeffrey William Skinner, and by his devoted daughter Carole Anne. Proudly, he and Martha are blessed with 12 grandchildren (Levi, Michelle, Dr Jay Parrish, Shevon, Alexander Davis (USAF), Alexandra, John Davis, Timothy, Kailey, Carlene Nicole, Alyssa Ann, and Lucas); 4 great grandchildren (Jackson, Emmilene, Bryan and Parker. He felt blessed and continues to love and believe in them all as they were the jewels of his life. Services will be held at 10:30, Monday, March 12, 2012 at Faith “Viera’” Lutheran Church, 5550 Faith Drive, Viera. Burial will follow at the Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell, FL, with military honors, all are welcome. In lieu of flowers contributions in his memory can be made to your favorite charity or Parkinson’s Disease. You may sign Davis’s guest book at www.beckmanwilliamson.com Colonel Parrish was Commander, 6555th Aerospace Test Group, Patrick AFB, Florida. He attended Texas A&M College, transferred to Rice University in Navy V-12 status and graduated in 1945 with a BSME Degree. In 1949 he graduated from the U.S. Military Academy (BEAT NAVY), and from there attended Squadron Officers School at Tyndale AFB, then was assigned to Holloman AFB as V-2 Missile Project Officer. He attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology and upon receiving his MS Degree in weapon system engineering was assigned to the Air Force Armament Center, Eglin AFB, to work on aircraft bombing and navigation systems. In 1956 he was assigned to Patrick AFB as Guidance Project Officer for the Atlas, Mercury, Ranger and other early space programs as well as chief test controller for Atlas E&F Strategic Missile flight test. In 1962 he was transferred to Space and Missile Systems Organization and was engineering division chief in Subsystems Directorate for Guidance and Propulsion Systems for Thor, Atlas and Gemini. From 1964 -1966 he served as Deputy program director for Gemini Target Vehicle Program. Upon graduation from the Air War College at Maxwell AFB he was assigned to the Pentagon where he worked in the Space Directorate, DCS, R&D, and Headquarters USAF. His following assignments was as Commander, 6555th Aerospace Test Wing, Patrick AFB where he was responsible for providing field test management and pre- launch and launch support for programs of Air Force Systems Command and other agencies for which the 6555th Aerospace Test Group had been designated test agency. His final AF assignment was as Vice Commander of the Space Systems Division, SAMSO, Los Angeles under the Undersecretary of the Air Force. Their task was to work on AF special projects related to the space program. Completing 30-plus years with the Air Force he immediately joined Ford Aerospace in Palo Alto, CA., joining McDonnell Douglas in the fall of 1980 they bid and won the highly classified “Shuttle Payload Operations Contract” program, which involved all handling and checkout aspects of DOD/NSA surveillance satellite payloads on the Space Shuttle and Titan launch vehicles. Dave Parrish, having a DOD Special access security clearance and having recently retired at a high rank from the air Force, had been selected to supervise the proposal and head the program. Supervisors, engineers, inspectors, technicians, and support personnel moved into their offices in April 1981. Dave’s inspired and focused leadership was instrumental in McDonnell Douglas’ win of a 100% award fee after the first six months – the first 100% award fee ever given by the Air Force! Dave worked closely with his staff, often inviting them to his home to celebrate contract milestones. His retirement occurred in June 1992.