Unmarked memorial for Oscar Blain Parler
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Memorial Artwork
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Sculptural Memorial
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Unmarked memorial for Oscar Blain Parler
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After twenty-five years as a Davidson College janitor, Oscar Parler died on January 6, 1938, from a heart attack due ongoing issues with hypertension. He was survived by his wife, Lola Parler, his daughter India Horton, and his mother Lucinda Parler.
His funeral was held three days after his death on Sunday, January 9, 1938 at Gethsemane Baptist Church in Davidson, NC. Parler was a member and had previously served as an officer of the church. It was one of the two black churches in Davidson at the time.
Friends, family, and several members of the faculty attended the funeral. Frank L. Jackson, Davidson College treasurer, gave the eulogy. The Charlotte Observer the college administrator as “one of Oscar’s most trusted white friends.”
Unfortunately, the roof of the church caught on fire during the funeral. A photo of local firemen putting out the blaze was commemorated in The Davidsonian, a student-run newspaper at Davidson College. Eventually, the fire was put out and the funeral proceeded.
Despite the unfortunate fire, Parler was able to be buried in his family plot in his hometown of Denmark, Bamberg County, South Carolina. An honorary delegation of his coworkers at Davidson College accompanied the family and others to his burial. Parler does not have a headstone. His wife and daughter were not buried with him in the family cemetery. Instead, they were both buried in the Christian Aid Society Cemetery in Davidson, North Carolina.
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Unmarked memorial in a family cemetery covered by grass
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January 1938
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Friends and family of Oscar B. Parler
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“Veteran Negro Worker at Davidson Dead,” The Charlotte Observer, January 9, 1938, 12.
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“‘Oscar’ Passes After Sudden Heart Attack,” The Davidsonian, January 12, 1938, 3.
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“Church Fire,” The Davidsonian, January 12, 1938, 5.
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“Death Certificate of Oscar Parler,” Death Certificate for Oscar Parler, 6 January 1938, North Carolina State Board of Health: Bureau of Vital Statistics, Davidson, North Carolina, Ancestry.com
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“Oscar B. Parler,” Web: Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, U.S., Death index, 1992-2012, Ancestry.com
Position: 1844 (44 views)