John W. Parrish

Who is John W. Parrish?

John W. Parrish served as the interim president of Oklahoma Baptist University, having been appointed on October 12, 2007 after Mark Brister’s resignation as OBU president. He began his presidency on November 11, 2007. In his opening address to students, he requested that they use the title "Mister P." when addressing him. This was later parodied by students who called him Master P.

Parrish joined the OBU administrative staff in 1964 and retired as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer on November 20, 2002. Serving as the university’s director of public relations in the 1960s and 70s, Parrish held several positions at OBU, including assistant professor of journalism, director of alumni and annual giving, assistant vice president for development, vice president for institutional advancement and as executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Parrish is also author of the book The Glory Years of Bison Basketball, a highly detailed review of the OBU dynasty of the mid-1960s, including the 1966 NAIA National Championship season.

In 2006 Parrish was elected president of the Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society.

On February 10, 2010 Parrish was awarded an honorary doctor of humanities degrees during the Founders' Day chapel service.