StM News

• G. Bruce Parkerson ’75 
• Member of the 13-Year-Club
• Married to Dr. Jennifer Moorhead Parkerson ’76
• Southern Methodist University, BBA 1979
• Southern Methodist University, JD 1982
• Partner, Plauché Maselli Parkerson LLP

When you think back to the 13 years you spent as a St. Martin’s student, what first comes to mind? 

The many great adventures of Lower School, whether it was Heavenly Days or just the wonderful, loving teachers, like Mrs. Shepherd and Miss Shilling, who encouraged and challenged us at the same time. They were all wonderful teachers who provided a compassionate challenge to learn and to be a better person. 

In Upper School, I remember how great our science teachers were. It started with Belle Johnson in 8th grade, who patiently listened to our questions while teaching us the foundation that we needed to progress in school.  Mrs. West was an incredible teacher of biology in 9th grade. Also, Mr. Graf for chemistry was fantastic. I also remember my math teachers, Ms. Bolles, Mr. Latham, and Ms. Saik. For English, Ms. Burkes was fantastic. Our longtime teacher Pedro Perez encouraged us to do well in Spanish. We had inspiring art teachers, Carolyn Boone and Mary Sue Nelson Roniger ’60. I loved the art classes upstairs in the old barn above the cafeteria, and they really planted the seed for my love of art. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at St. Martin’s. I feel a real sense of gratitude for the experiences of StM as well as for people, and coaches, like Coach Flettrich, Coach Dike, Coach Rambis and Coach Porter. Coach Flettrich especially instilled a sense of pride in us and challenged us to be better athletes and better people. He was an incredible coach. 

When I think back to my time at St. Martin’s, I really just think about how I had a lot of really good teachers who truly cared.

Of course, I’ll never forget sneaking off campus to run over to the “little store” on the corner for candy, when I was waiting for the Timberlane bus after school! 

What impact do you think St. Martin's had in shaping who you are as a person?

St. Martin’s instilled a sense of pride and work ethic, and helped me find my path to success. It provided a foundation of Faith, Scholarship, and Service. I now  realize how each of those is really grounded in the Episcopal tradition. It’s a reminder of those qualities we strive for in living our life. 

Also, my graduating class was the largest class in St. Martin’s history; we had 94 people. We had a really broad spectrum of students attending St. Martin’s, from all neighborhoods in the greater New Orleans area, perhaps the broadest in those days, in comparison to other private schools. Besides the Episcopal identity and faith-based education, that’s one of the main reasons I continued to stay at St. Martin’s all the way through. Being around a broader group of people was really important, and the experience prepared me for life. 

When you left St. Martin's for college, how did you feel?

I felt prepared for the challenges of life, and my experience of being with friends and classmates from more walks of life than other private schools helped me with that. I felt that the challenges and encouragement from coaches and teachers allowed me to find a path to success. 

What St. Martin's traditions do you cherish the most? What do you think is most valuable about an Episcopal education?

Heavenly Days was a blast, particularly as a small kid in the lower school. Really though, Chapel was a tradition. We started every school day with Chapel. That was a wonderful experience! I remember there were musical performances by students during Chapel, and those services just had a real grounding effect on all of us. 

What first attracted you to law / when did you know that was the path you wanted to take?

Who knows!  In fact, I can remember taking government and history courses with Mr. Van Horn, Coach Porter and Mrs. Porter, and I really struggled in those courses despite how good they were at teaching I had more of a math and science brain. I really had no idea what I wanted to do in college, but fortunately I went to a university that allowed me to explore all of the options. The only history I really took in college was 18 hours of art history, because of how much of an impact my StM art teachers had in helping me appreciate art. 

When I first started practicing law, I didn’t realize I would love it as much as I do, and respect it as much as I do. I actually told Coach Flettrich this in later years, after I had graduated- those qualities that were instilled in us as student athletes, to be competitive, have a work ethic and take pride in what we do, carried over to my practicing law as a trial lawyer. You have to have a certain amount of competitiveness. And there’s a reason they call it ’practicing’ law. It takes a long time to find out how to do things right, and to do things well. I’m still learning better ways to do my job! That’s part of what St. Martin’s taught me - to continue to keep an open mind and to keep learning. 

As an alum, what advice do you have for our current Saints? 

Remember that you define success, success is not defined by others. Challenge yourself to find your success, whatever that may look like for you. 

How have you stayed involved with the school, since you graduated?

We had a large class that is spread all over Louisiana, and the country, but I’m hopeful to see a lot of them return for our 50th reunion in the spring. My wife and I have always enjoyed the Spirits Party, but really, we’ve stayed in touch through a sense of gratitude to St. Martin’s, and the way we can express that gratitude is by supporting the mission of the school. Jennifer and I believe in that. 

I was asked to serve on the Board of Trustees by Perry Eastman ’62, for whom I have the greatest fondness and respect. He and his brother John (’64) encouraged my service to the school.

Talk about your goals as Chairman of the St. Martin’s Board of Trustees, and what are you most excited about?

I’m eager to support the wonderful leadership we have in Whitney Samuel Drennan ’94. She’s dynamic, enthusiastic, and energetic, and she knows St. Martin’s so well, because she has been part of the culture and lived it. She loves connecting with Saints from all decades, and I encourage more alumni to visit campus to see her – and the school – in action. Hopefully, the entire Saints community of students, parents, alumni, faculty and staff will join us in supporting St. Martin’s with our time, talents and resources. Strong communication is important to me, and our Board will be clear about the respective responsibilities of our entire StM community to each other and our school.