Yolo County CA Obituary Project Obituaries.....PARSONS , Frank George  June 22 2004
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Peggy B. Perazzo pbperazzo@comcast.net July 8, 2004, 11:35 pm

"The Davis Enterprise," Sunday, July 4, 2004
Frank G. Parsons

Frank George Parsons, a Davis resident since 1937 and known throughout the state
for his work in agronomy and the seed industry, died in his home at the
University Retirement Community on June 22, 2004. He was 94 years old.

He was born on a farm near Benton City, Mo., on June 14, 1910, the eldest of 10
children. When he was almost 6, his family moved to a farm near Winfield, Kan.
The Great Depression broke just as he graduated from high school, so for three
years he farmed for his father and worked at various jobs to earn money to go to
college.

After three years, he had saved only $40, but fees for enrolling at Kansas State
College were $75. Determined to continue his education, he borrowed money and
enrolled in the fall of 1931. At a 4-H Club dance near the beginning of his
sophomore year, he met Harriet Reed. That meeting blossomed into marriage on
July 21, 1934, just before Frank's senior year.

After graduating from Kansas State in 1935, he was employed by the college,
dividing his time between management of the agronomy farm and working for the
Kansas Crop Improvement Association. In 1937, he was offered a position to head
the newly established foundation seed program at UC Davis.

He later organized the California Crop Improvement Association as California
became the nation's leading producer of certified seed. Parsons directed the
program until his retirement in 1976 while also serving as director of the
Foundation Seed and Plant Material Service of the university.

Parsons became an internationally known leader in seed certification. He
received many awards from the industry, including a commendation from the
California Assembly. In 1986, the Seed Certification building on the UCD campus
was named in his honor.

He loved to pilot the Piper Twin Comanche, which he flew on his many crop
inspection tours throughout the state. His enjoyment of flying brought many
friendships with pilots throughout the country, and he and Harriet thoroughly
enjoyed flying to the numerous conventions he attended during his career.

A gourmet cook who could create a memorable dish from the most basic
ingredients, a fisherman who could coax trout from a mere trickle in the
mountains around Lake Tahoe and a master photographer with an artist's eye,
Parsons was a man who believed in the future. He always expected the other
fellow to do the right thing, and he was almost always proved correct in this
attitude.

For more than 50 years, Frank Parsons was an active member of the Davis Rotary
Club and is a past president. He believed deeply in the Rotary vision and was a
significant contributor to the humanitarian and educational programs of the
Rotary Foundation.

After becoming a Paul Harris Fellow, Frank gifted Harriet, his three children
and his five grandchildren with fellowships -- an honor that all recognize with
pride.

He is survived by his wife, Harriet; their three children, Bob Parsons and his
wife Ann of Longmont, Colo., Elizabeth Minney and her husband Jack of Del Rio,
Texas, and Larry Parsons and his wife Nanine of Lake Alfred, Fla.; five
grandchildren, Mark Parsons of Boulder, Colo., Frank Minney of Woodland, Ann
Helene Treat of Houston, Roy Minney of Allen, Texas, and Jennifer Parsons of
Gainesville, Fla. He also is survived by eight great-grandchildren.

A memorial service and reception will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at Davis
Community Church, 412 C St. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations
be made to Yolo Hospice, P.O. Box 1014, Davis, CA 95617-1014; to the URCAD
Foundation at 1515 Shasta Drive, Davis, CA 95616; or to a charity of the donor's
choice.


Additional Comments:
Submitted with the permission of the "The Davis Enterprise." (315 G Street,
Davis, CA 95616).

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