The Vail Leadership Institute honors Bob Parker

By Dean Ericson

As the first in a series of tributes to Vail visionaries and unsung heroes, friends from near and far gathered on December 11 at the Lodge at Vail to honor Bob Parker.

Left: Dean Ericson, Pepi Gramshammer, Bob Parker and Earl Clark. Photo by Barry Stott.

As a member of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division in World War II, as editor of Skiing Magazine, and as marketing director for Vail Associates working closely with Pete Seibert and the rest of the Vail start-up team, Bob’s contributions were immense.

As Vail Leadership Institute President John Horan-Kates points out in the first chapter of his book on Bob, this“visionary leader was a key player in getting Vail up and running and in putting Vail on the map. He also helped create Vail Associates, Colorado Ski Country USA, the Vail Valley Foundation and Beaver Creek.

During his career and continuing after his retirement in 1985, Bob also demonstrated his talent for writing poetry, as an author (What Did You Do In The War, Daddy?), and as an archaeologist.

And, in his remarks following dinner and testimonials (from John Garnsey, Pan Conklin Pettee, Terry Minger, and Rod Slifer), Bob communicated his spirit and humility.

He did not focus on Vail and his accomplishments. Rather, he humbly spoke of the hard work of the great team of individuals who got the resort open on schedule.

He spoke of two epiphanies that he recently had as he prepared for his testimonial evening. One was his recognition of the pivotal roles of the many women who worked alongside and supported the men who created Vail. The second was his acknowledgement of the multicultural backgrounds of the many people who helped create and who have contributed to the Vail experience.

And, in reflecting on the early days of Vail, and his central role in getting the many parts for the first Bell gondola on site and assembled in order to open Vail in December, 1962, he focused on three incredibly important unsung heroes: a facilitator in Europe who helped clear parts through customs and shipping channels, a Denver trucker who worked many extra hours to bring parts to Vail from New York, Houston, and North Carolina, and a customs agent who cut through the bureaucracy to keep the process on track.

Bob Parker deserves our accolades. He is a Vail Visionary. He is a man for all seasons.

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