I write with the sad news of the death of James Andrew “Jay” Parker, on Monday, September 14, 2015, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Jay was, among other things, the founder and president of the Lincoln Institute for Education and Research (which was often a client of the otherwise unrelated Lincoln Legal Foundation). He was a member and past trustee (2008-11) of The Philadelphia Society. Jay was also a longtime trustee of The Fund for American Studies and a member of the Frank Meyer Society.
Joe Morris writes that Jay “was the treasured mentor of many students, including Clarence Thomas, Lee Walker, and me.”
The rich archive of The Lincoln Review, “The Lincoln Letter,” and amicus briefs bears testimony to Jay’s courageous leadership in the conservative movement.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, September 18, 2015, at 11:00 a.m. (preceded by a viewing from 9:00 a.m.) at the 46th Street Baptist Church, 46th and Woodland Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19143. Interment will take place thereafter at the Eden Cemetery, 1434 Springfield Road, in Collingdale, Pennsylvania 19023.
Jay is survived by his wife, Dolores McIver Parker, and his daughter, Ashley Parker.