Linwood Parker Harrell Jr.

A proud 1956 graduate of Saint Albans School in Washington, D.C., Parker was Captain and All-Metropolitan end of one of only three undefeated football teams in the school’s history. He went on to graduate from Princeton University in 1960 with a degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. After college, he was awarded a Rotary International Fellowship to pursue graduate studies at the London School of Economics.

Following his service in the U.S. Army Reserve, Parker began his professional career at Wachovia Bank in North Carolina. He later moved into executive search with Paul Stafford Associates in New York, and in 1984, joined Korn/Ferry International. There, he rose to become a managing director and head of the global financial services practice, standing proudly on the podium of the New York stock exchange when the firm went public in 1997. From 2007 to 2010, he served on the Board of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta.

Deeply committed to education and community, Parker served on the boards of several institutions close to his heart, including St. Albans School, National Cathedral School, and Sweet Briar College. He also remained a devoted Princeton alumnus, actively involved in various reunion committees over the years. A lifelong golf enthusiast and avid sports fan, Parker found great joy in athletics, whether playing or cheering from the sidelines.

Throughout his life, Parker and his family made their home in Washington, D.C.; London; Hume, Virginia; and Delray Beach, Florida, before returning to the Washington area. He was most recently a member of Saint David’s Episcopal Church. He also belonged to the Chevy Chase Club and was a former member of the Metropolitan Club of Washington, the St. Andrews Club in Delray Beach, and the Gulfstream Bath and Tennis Club.

Parker was devoted to his family and intensely proud of his two daughters: Glenn Helmers of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Logan MacKethan of Chevy Chase, Maryland; his eight grandchildren: Adele Logan Helmers, Jeb Helmers, Sophie Helmers, Eliza Helmers, Gordon Helmers, Conrad MacKethan, Natalie MacKethan, and Parker MacKethan; and Adele, his wife of 62 years. He was their mentor and cheerleader.

A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, May 13, at 11:00 a.m. at Saint David’s Episcopal Church on Macomb Street in Washington.