WW II Vet, Worked with Coco Chanel and Top Ad Exec Richard Parker Dies at 100
Friday, July 22, 2022
Parker, Richard S., 100, of Wakefield, formerly of Narragansett, passed away peacefully Wednesday, June 30, 2022. He was the husband of the late Ann Lewis Parker, and of the late Nina Ambroze Parker, and a fond friend of Nancy Preston Bredbeck.
One of the “mad men” of New York’s Madison Avenue advertising world of the 1960s and 70s, Parker was born Nov. 16, 1921, in Everett, Wash., to an early Puget Sound family. The son of Carlton Hall Parker and Charlotte Newcomb Parker, he grew up in Rhode Island, a descendant of the Slater, Reynolds, Greene and Anthony families. He attended Rhode Island School of Design, during which time he also served three and one-half years in the United States Army Infantry Pacific service during World War II.
After graduating from RISD, Parker moved to New York City and became a freelance artist designing and executing interior displays for clients such as Revlon cosmetics and United States Lines shipping, and painting interior art for retailers, such as a mural for the department store Bonwit Teller. He went on to serve as assistant to Coco Chanel when she was creative director of the new Chanel Perfume showroom in Manhattan, a showcase for Chanel creativity. Here, he worked directly with “Mademoiselle” Chanel creating a studio that was later featured in Vogue.
Parker went on to work for two of New York’s biggest advertising agencies: BBDO, where his account was DuPont; and Bozell International, where he was VP account supervisor for accounts including Lee Jeans, the American Association of Railroads, and the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt attack plane.
Later hired by textile giant J.P. Stevens to create advertising and promotional campaigns, he pioneered marketing innovations that included tie-ins with professional football players and Hollywood movies. These included campaigns featuring the celebrated New York Giants linebacker Sam Huff, the Warner Brothers’ film Camelot, and Francis Ford Coppola’s Finian’s Rainbow. Parker’s innovations were later described by his colleague Archie Thornton in the book Tales of a mAdman, and his movie tie-ins were so productive that Warner Brothers invited Parker to join them for their 50th-anniversary celebrations at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973.
Also at J.P. Stevens, Parker was in charge of fashion fabric advertising for both men’s and women’s wear. He created a comprehensive textile dictionary at a time when synthetics were revolutionizing the industry, produced Broadway-style musical fashion shows for retail audiences at major trade shows, and created numerous promotional programs. In addition to his client work, Parker served on the board of directors of trade groups including Woolens and Worsteds of America, the Men’s Fashion Association and the Sales Promotion Executives Association.
Taking early retirement, Parker returned to Rhode Island, settling in Narragansett, where he was highly active in the arts. An avid watercolorist, he traveled extensively to paint landscapes in places such as Cornwall, Cuba, and Mexico. He painted with the local Every Thursday Painters group for many years, and exhibited his work at the Honolulu Academy of Art, the Museum of Art at RISD, The Charleston Gallery, and other venues. He was the chair of the Docent Council at the Museum of Art at RISD, and volunteered for 25 years as a docent at the Museum. Additionally, he served on the board of the Museum of Primitive Art and Culture in Peace Dale, was an adviser to America’s Textile Museum in Lowell, Mass., and painted murals for various exhibits at the South County Museum. He was also an enthusiastic member of the Little Rest Readers dramatic play-reading group.
In a late-life career change, Parker took up writing in his 80s, publishing a number of essays in the Independent, the Providence Journal, and the Narragansett Times on local history and observations from his travels. He also published two books. The first was a memoir of his experiences working for Coco Chanel, The Improbable Return of Coco Chanel, as Witnessed by Her Assistant, Richard Parker. The second, Pacific Memories: War and Peace in Far Away Places, was a memoir of his time serving in the military in Japan immediately following that country’s surrender, in September 1945. Always at his happiest when he had a project in the works, Parker was working on a third book, about the traditional religious art of the Kingdom of Benin, and a compendium of his essays, at the time of his passing.
In addition to his wives Nina Ambroze, who died in 1972, and Ann Lewis, who died in 1992, Parker was predeceased by his companion Nancy Bredbeck; his son, Philip; and his daughter, Stephanie. He is survived by his son, Eric, of Johnstown, New York, his wife Jane, and her daughter, Sierra; a niece, Ann Taylor, of Arizona, and a nephew, Karl Parker, of Colorado; and many cousins: Betsy (Hall) and her husband David Palazzetti, of South Kingstown; Donald Hall, of Orinda, Calif.; Christine Hall, of Stamford, Conn.; and Jeffrey Hall, of Columbus, Ga.
A memorial will be held at 11 AM on August 5th at St. Peter’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church at 72 Central St. in Narragansett. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Rhode Island School of Design at risd.edu/giving or Rhode Island School of Design Fund, Division of Institutional Advancement, Rhode Island School of Design, Two College Street, Providence, RI 02903.
