The top spot in the heart of Carleton Parish ’71 goes unequivocally to his late wife Sharon. After her firm hold on the position, two passions run neck and neck: baseball and Plymouth State University. “PSU gave me the polish I didn’t have. My professors completed me as a gentleman,” says Parish, a retired physical security specialist with the US Marshal Service. “The University is where I learned for the first time in my life.”
In close contention for his affections with PSU are the Red Sox. He gets to indulge both passions––the game and the University–– during spring training at Fort Myers, where he lives and both the Sox and Panthers train. “Some of PSU’s players can’t afford to go to Fort Myers. But if you’re a team, you need to be a team,” says Parish, explaining why he supports the Panthers’ annual training trip to Florida.
Parish’s philanthropy goes well beyond the diamonds. He has made a sizeable bequest to PSU–– “You never see a U-Haul at a funeral procession,” he jokes––created two endowed scholarships; made a major capital gift to the ALLWell North building, contributed to the Fund for Plymouth State; and supported numerous projects and students in need. “Like my beloved wife of 36 years,” he says, “I want to pay it forward.”
Ian Halter photo.
Tags: baseball bequest Carleton Parish gift giving legacy philanthropy
