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Streaked grey walls, end of hope;
A broken down car, a man puttering;
Mud everywhere.
 
An attempt to sweep
Is discouraged;
One room cannot be kept clean.
 
Wanderers, families of despair,
Ever despondent,
But still dreaming of going on.
 
Where did you come from?
And why did you leave what you had?
To be a burden of charity,
A family of misery?
 
Summer is the time for autocamps.
Winter is meant for work.

 
“Auto Camp,” by Jack Parsons, January, ’31
in The Guard and Tackle Annual, “Published by the Associated Students of The Stockton High School” (Stockton, California; June 1931) : 48
archive.org : link
 

It is nice to learn that poet Jack Parsons would go into (and far with) the field of social work.

1. Obituary
   Jack R. PARSONS Age 88, died July 22, 2002. Retired professor of Social Work, University of Washington. Preceded in death by his first wife, Rhea and second wife Ruth. Survived by his children: Cheryl Wellington, Robin Parsons, Kim Parsons and many loving grandchildren. His hobbies included stamp collecting, wine making and reading. His love for animals was evidenced by his volunteer activities as a docent at the Woodland Park Zoo. He worked in Sri Lanka, Cyprus, and Australia promoting child welfare issues. Memorial Service to be held at the home of Lakshman & Pat DeSilva on Sunday, August 4, 2002.

   Published by The Seattle Times from Aug. 1 to Aug. 2, 2002.
   link

2. MR. and MRS. JACK PARSONS ’36 (Rhea Duttle ’35) now live in Verona, Pennsylvania. Jack was recently appointed associate professor of social work at the university of Pittburgh. The COP sociology graduate has pursued an interesting and far flung career in his field. He taught at Placerville, was child welfare officer for the Stockton schools, superintendent of the San Joaquin County Juvenile Hall, graduate student at Columbia University School of Social Work where he won his master of science degree, a student at Northwestern University, and headmaster of the Herriman Farm School of the Brooklyn Children’s Aid Society — all before the U.S. Army took him over in late 1943.
         He describes his army career as California to Virginia to Washington (Pa.) to Texas to England to Luxembourg and to Germany — where he arrived with a combat engineer battalion as a classification specialist. With the typical whimsy for COP friends well remember Jack, he further relates, “I was official noncommissioned grave registration officer for the battalion, a fact which shows I was no irresponsible laggard in our organization.”
         After the war it was back to school for a three months brush-up in New York, and then to the University of Oregon as assistant professor of sociology and social work. This time, Jack stayed put for five years — until awarded a Ford Foundation fellowship at the University of Chicago. He began pursuit of a doctorate and the chase is still on as he takes up his important post at Pittsburgh.
         Throughout, Jack pays tribute to the guiding hand of Dr. Harold Jacoby, his major professor at COP who helped steer his career. He is proudest of all of his three children — Cheryl, Robin, and Kim — and freely gives credit to Rhea for “collaborating closely” in this joint project.

   ex “Keeping Up with the Alumni,” in Bulletin of the College of the Pacific (Pacific Review and Alumni issue) 39:10 (December 1952) : 7
   link
    

 

20 May 2026