WHE SHE WAS grow­
ing up, Parker says, it was
assumed that she and her
sister nd brother would at­
tend college. Her mother, a
1944 University graduate,
was the first Black nursing
tudent at the U-M. Her
father gr duat d from
Howard Univer ity.
c
ild
ood
A a lilll girl Theola
would ac .o m p ny her
mother to c r for the sick
nd elderly. From those
early year he learned to 1-
ways treat other with kind-
nc and later cho e
career path that would
enable her to touch many
live.
At the young ge of 61,
Theola Jone h s com­
pleted her course require­
ments nd will receive
Parker, ho as . shy
teen-ager, dreamed of gom,
to sc l i ADa Arbor b t
" t d tb U-
-D 'hich t-
te dect 0 year before
dropping out to go to or.
"But I could never ha e
the thought "if only 1
could 've gone to Ann
Arbor:" P rker roter
rece tly to U- PresideDt
James J. Duderstadt.
D 1988 P rker took an
educ tio 1 le ve from the
Ho ·0 Division and e -
rolled at the lJ-M. it as a
sh ky start.
.. "I tried to put together my
o n aid p ckage nd it fell
through," Parker recalls. ·1
thought I wa fini hed."
However, with t e help of
her former bos , U -M hous­
ing Director Robert C.
Hughes; Robert B. Holmes,
assistant vice president for
c demic affairs; and Ar­
chie Andrews, associate
director of student housing,
P rker was hie to begin
ag in in winter term 1989.
'" A D I HAVE -r looked
back. It hasn't been easy
being older than many of my
T As, and I sometimes felt
Wee or Beee her 3 , 1
,
·0
mi
ere,·P r er
of her cl m t
says, "I'hey've I ys
tended to help me." She
jo ingly told them th she
a the only tude t ho
a a junior for
And Parker s y
received 10 of eD�"'.I'"
e t erself from
eelleat teacher .
• Parker on $300 for a
cries of ess y 0 the
poetry of Gwendolyn
Brooks, .the effect of Black
teacher expectation on
I ck tudent and "Fin I
Rights - the Art of the
Autopsy."
Par er looks forward to
c tching up n a few videos
and reading for �Iea ure,
beginning with Nt rgaret
Trum n D niels murder
mystery.
Having chieve d a life
dream - her U-M degree -
Parker's go Is now are to
land job t the U-M;
develop her writing skill ;
and eventually "own a
wonderful I rge house with
a m gnificent view,
Fai
in tills caring
MICBIGA CITIZE
Pa 3
ar
Married for 42 year. he
. n d her hu and A r n
have thr e adult hildr n all
f wh m have received l-
lc J d re ..
he was recognized
"M ther f th Ye r"
chur h in 1970, the m-
munity and A ci ted
w p per in 19 and in
19 9 y the Ink ter hris­
tian in Action.
Well Kn wn and h ghly
regarded for her comm nity
service and hri ti n
value .f he h s r ce ive d
numerou wards nd
honors. During the
sesquicentennial ye r of
Michigan, Theola was the
bach lor f arts d gre in
g r ntology from Mad nn
Colle e.
"I wanted to g to c llege
after I gr duated fro high
. school, but there was no
money, explained Jones. "I
have alw y lov d c ring for
people and I w s d ter-
. mined to devote my life to
treating other as I would
like to be tre t d."
For 33 year she wor ed
in the Psych] tric Divi ion
Pub'
Sundatt�
. NEW DAY
PUBLISHING ENTERPRISE -. ._,
12541 S cond St
P.O. Box 03560
. Highland Park, I 48203 .
Phone: (313) 869·0033 I Fax I: (313) 88S-043Q
Western Michigan Bure u: 175 W. aln �t
P.O. Box 216, Benton Harbor, I 49022
(616) 927-1527
Publisher: Chari • D. Kelly
Editor: Tere.a Kelly
Office Manager: Bernie Brown
Correspondents: .
Derrick Lewl. - Bernice Brown
ary Golliday - Flodean S. Rlgg.
Ichael Stroud - Vera White
Leah Samu I.
Production Staff: Ka cene Bar.
Ray DeFile - Donna Dav nport
AdvBrtlslng Representative - Gary Watkin.
Klr n Smith· Darryl Carthen
at W yne unty cncral
H pit I. .. e egan a an
attend nt nd then wa
promoted t o ward super­
visor wh r he wa in
ch rge of the care of 5
patients, mo t of whom were
elderly.
"I w still intent on ne
d y getting a college de­
gree," id Theola. "After I
retired from the Hospital. I
didn't w nt to w te tim 0
I enrolled t M donn in
1984." he fir t ttended on
a p rt-time b si nd later
bee me a full-time student.
JO ES I ALSO a
devoted wife and mother .
f ne of the
Mi dhi n 0 Fir t L dy
Aw rd . Whil tudent at
M liege, h
rec ived the pp
PI l. atherine chi v -
me� M edal f r h r church
Ie er hip, her involv m nt
in tee mmunity nd in
campu activities, and for
m intaining a high gr d
poi t ver gc.
A life-l n Ink ter r e i-
dent nd Afric cthodi t
pi cop Ii n , J ne h a
been ctivcly involved in h r
church, the Smith Ch pel
A.M.E. Through her church
. nd thr ugh number of
loca and n tion I organiza­
tion , she h s been ble to
pro ide c re for senior .
She s member of the top
Ladies of Distinction, the
Inkster Commission on
Aging nd the Senior
. Citiz n's Circle.
AI hough it would b im­
possible to list all of her c­
complishment , Theol ha
another favorite pastime. "I
love to write, especi l1y
poetry," she sid. "Th C
why I cho e to Iso pur ue a
mino in journ lism/public
relati ns at M donn ."
No surpri ing, she h
writt D for sever I
news pers nd the Church
New �etter nd recently w
recog ized by the Americ D
Colle iate Poets Anthology
for he poem, "Life, What I
It."