David W. Parrish, Jr.

David Parrish, Jr. was captain of the 1946-47 men’s basketball team at Emory & Henry College. A state leader in scoring, Parrish was inducted into Sports Hall of Fame in 1973.

As a student, Parrish was involved in the Dom-I-Necher social fraternity, the Calliopean Literary Society, and Blue Key Honor Fraternity. In addition to his contributions to the men’s basketball team, Parrish earned one letter for football.

Before attending Emory & Henry, Parrish earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Merchant Marine Academy. He served during World War II, sailing the North Atlantic on a merchant ship.

After graduating from E&H, Parrish attended the Law School of the University of Virginia, where he earned an LLB degree. He then began a career as an editor for the Michie Company, law publishers of Charlottesville, Virginia. While with the company, he became president of a California subsidiary which he established himself. Eventually, Parrish worked his way up to executive vice president, and became president and general manager in 1969. He turned Michie Company from a small operation into an international corporation by using state-of-the-art computer technology. He retired from the presidency in 1989, but continued to work part-time as vice chairman until 1995.

For several years, Parrish was chairman of the editorial board of the Virginia Bar Association Journal. He received the Virginia Bar Association’s Walker Award in 1995 in recognition of this service. In addition, he served terms as chairman and vice chairman, and as chairman of the development council of the Emory & Henry board of trustees. The college awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree and named him Alumnus of the Year in 1992.

Parrish’s civic activities also included president of the Senior Center, United Givers Fund, the Community Services Council, and vice president of the Chamber of Commerce.

David Parrish, Jr., a Bristol, Tennessee, native, died on July 2, 2010