Fred Parks Legacy Society

The Fred Parks Legacy Society, a tribute to our late 1937 alumnus and Texas legal legend Fred Parks, was established in 2007. Through his estate plan, Parks left a bequest to South Texas, making it the largest planned gift in the almost 100-year history of the law school. This society serves as a way to honor donors who have made a planned gift and continue Mr. Parks' tradition of investing in South Texas.

Membership Benefits

• Invitation to annual appreciation reception
• Recognition in donor report
• Membership gift
• Lapel pin
• Access to exclusive content and events

The Legacy of Fred Parks and the Parks Foundation

Fred Parks '37 was born in Oklahoma in 1906. Raised by his mother, Nora, Parks developed an unwavering work ethic as a young boy, which served him well at the Rice Institute and then later at South Texas College of Law. When World War II began, Parks enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was assigned to the JAG headquarters in Italy. Upon his return from war, he fell in love with and married Mabel Robertson. Parks was a talented attorney, working in civil law and personal injury and holding many leadership positions within the legal community. The law was good to him, and in 1975, he made his first gift to South Texas College of Law to purchase a chair in the Joe M. Green Jr. Auditorium. Over the next quarter of a century, Fred and Mabel Parks continued to give back to the law school, increasing their contributions over the years. They made generous unrestricted gifts supporting the school's areas of greatest need, as well as gifts to fund student scholarships and the school's endowment. Before his death in 2001, Fred contributed $3 million to the capital campaign to build the Fred Parks Law Library. Unfortunately, Fred passed away just weeks before the dedication of the Library, where his friend, President George H.W. Bush, delivered the keynote address. Parks' desire to give back to his law school continued beyond his passing. In his will, Parks left a bequest to South Texas, the largest gift ever received by the school, which was added to the endowment to help secure the school's future success. The Fred and Mabel R. Parks Foundation has continued this history of generous support through scholarships, program funding and capital support. The Fred and Mabel R. Parks Foundation provided the $2 million gift necessary for South Texas to renovate the front entrance and atrium. Their contributions continue to have an everyday impact on the school and its students.

Fred Parks Legacy Society Members

Updated September 29, 2022

• Anonymous
• Virginia Mudge Alexander *
• Laurent A. Baillargeon '74
• M. Norwood Cheairs '63 *
• D. Maxine Cook *
• James G. Farr '77
• Lawrence R. Gardner*
• Dean Emeritus Donald J. Guter and Patricia A. Guter
• Harry P. Hutchens Jr '56 *
• The Honorable Jay T. Karahan '83
• Daniel B. Lovejoy '36 *
• Jack Clyde Ogg '62*
• Betty Carole Osborne Parham*
• Mabel R. Parks * and Fred Parks '37 *
• Gordon J. Quan '77
• Professor Harry L. Reed * and Betty Reed *
• Dorothy B. Rieger '35*
• Sharon M. Schweitzer '89 and John H. Robinson
• The Honorable D'Lisa R. Simmons '90
• Emilie B. Slohm *
• Tommy L. Stuchell '99
• Bradley S. Tegeler '02
• John Hunter Winborn '69*
• Anne R. Woods *
• Florence Jane Yount '58 *

*indicates member is deceased