Robert B. Parker (1) [1932–2010]

Robert B(rown) Parker (1) was born September 17, 1932, in Springfield, MA. He earned a B.A. in English from Colby College in Maine in 1954, served as infantryman in Korea, and earned an M.A. in English from Boston University in 1957. He held several jobs before enrolling in Boston University's PhD program, and then taught English at various colleges until 1978. He is married to the former Joan Hall; they have two sons. Parker has created private detectives Spenser, and Sunny Randall, and Police Chief Jesse Stone, each of whom is featured in an ongoing series. Their story lines occasionally intersect. He also writes an American Western series featuring Hitch and Cole, and has contributed to the Wyatt Earp saga with the novel Gunman's Rhapsody. Recently, he has written some young adult fiction as well. He died unexpectedly at home in Cambridge, MA, on January 18, 2010.