Hello; My name is John Parker.
I was named after my grandfather who was also named John Parker.
He was a professional baseball player for the old St. Louis Browns.
I was born in LaJunta Colorado on August 2, 1955.
I lived in Colorado until I was 10.
As a boy, I enjoyed and participated in the normal boyhood activities.
I was a Boy Scout. I enjoyed roaming the hills and finding fossils.
I started to think about becoming a Policeman when I was about 8.
One Christmas when I was 8, I knelt down in front of the Christmas tree
and accepted Jesus Christ into my heart. I attended the Catholic Church.
In 1967 we moved to Oklahoma City I was in the 6th grade then.
My dad was from Texas and my Momma was from Washington D.C..
Oklahoma City was as close to Texas as she was going live this time.
They lived in Texas once before. My older brother was born in Graham Texas.
My oldest sister was Born in Oklahoma City, my baby sister was born in LaJunta Colorado.
I began playing baseball when I was in the 6th grade.
I played the catcher's position. I really enjoyed baseball then.
when I entered Junior high, I started my wrestling career.
Wrestling took over my interest in baseball except for playing
the game on weekends with my friends.
When I started High School I played a little football and ran track.
I was still more interested in wrestling and focused mainly on that.
I had my hands full with my schoolwork, my wrestling activities,
and my involvement with the school band. I played the trombone in band.
Most of the time I was first chair trombone player.
I played in the marching band, the stage band, and the full orchestra.
I received a partial college scholarship from East Central University in Ada,
Oklahoma. After my first year, I transferred to the University of Oklahoma,
in Norman, Oklahoma. While There, I took several police science courses.
I decided I definitely wanted to go into police work.
After a year at the University of Oklahoma, I transferred
to the City of Oklahoma Police Academy. I graduated from the
police academy in 1975.
