Jerald Parker 

December 6, 2015

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Jerald Parker, 85, was born in Ardmore, OK, on February 24, 1930, and passed away on December 6, 2015. He graduated from Ponca City High School in 1948, after which he enlisted in the 11th Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. In 1952, he and Verna Lee Hastings were married; they are the parents of two daughters and two sons. He began his college studies at Oklahoma State University in 1952 where he earned the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering. He subsequently received a National Science Foundation Fellowship to Purdue University where he earned the Ph.D. From 1960- 1988, Jerald taught mechanical engineering courses at OSU. From 1988 to 1996, he taught at Oklahoma Christian University, where he was instrumental in developing the engineering department. His professional expertise was in thermodynamics and HVAC, and he co-authored a popular HVAC textbook. He is survived by his wife Verna, daughters Ann Henson and Leslie Taylor, and sons Frank and Thomas. He is also survived by ten grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.