Purpose
The purpose of this Scholarship Fund is to provide support for educational scholarships for students who are accepted into and attend South Piedmont Community College, in particular to female students in underrepresented communities.
Story
Mary Burton Parks was a native of Norfolk, Virginia, and a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School. She was married to John E. Parks, Jr. for 55 years and had 10 children.
In the early years of her marriage, she traveled with her husband who was a career Navy cook. As the family grew, they settled in Virginia Beach where they lived on West Neck Road for 60 years. Mrs. Parks actively participated in her community through her church, Campbell’s Chapel AME, where she was a deaconess, missionary, choir member, and usher. She was a member of the United Order of Tents and The Red Hat Society. She served as a foster parent for children and seniors and was an entrepreneur as a Sara Coventry Jewelry representative and loved bargain shopping. Mrs. Parks most of all loved her family and was always there to see her children, grandchildren, and neighborhood children as they participated in church and school programs, scouting, and graduations. She had a quick wit and an infectious smile and taught her children to be kind and to practice the golden rule. She encouraged all of her children and grandchildren to pursue education and led by example.
At age 65, she graduated from Tidewater Community College with an associate in arts degree in Human Services. Her most memorable quote was “Some people do, some overdo, some never do – how do you do?”
The scholarship is sponsored by Mrs. Parks’ granddaughter and namesake Dr. Mary Lindsay-Barber in honor of the encouragement and inspiration she received from her beloved Grandma Sug. (Mary Cornelia Burton Parks)