He began his career in education in the Canute Public Schools as a teacher, coach and principal. He was a teacher and principal with the Lawton Public Schools for 16 years before coming to Cameron in 1970 where he taught until retiring as professor of education in 1987. He taught media, reading, and observation classes for the teacher education program and became coordinator of field experiences placing students in observation and student teaching settings. He founded and sponsored the Oklahoma Student Education Association chapter on the Cameron campus and guided them to numerous state awards including outstanding chapter in the state. He has served as president and board member of numerous education organizations on the county, regional and state levels.

Honors Dr. Parker has received include the Award of Special merit from the Oklahoma Education Association, Distinguished Service Awards from the Oklahoma Student Education Association, Comanche County Schoolmasters Association and Lawton Area Reading council.

As a member of the Oklahoma Retired Educators' Association, he served on the committee which secured long term insurance plans exclusively for retired educators.

He continues as an active participant in church, civic and other community organizations. He says his philosophy of teaching was molded from the experience of surviving the Great Depression of the 1930s, the humbling experiences of the dust bowl of western Oklahoma and the trauma of World War II. He aspired to help shape lives by giving students educational experiences designed to promote and develop the thinking processes. Dr. Parker has applied that philosophy during his career in education and has enriched the lives of his students, colleagues and community members through his dedication.