Served as assistant counsel to Governor Nelson Rockefeller, Albany, NY, 197174; called to the New York State Bar, 1972; appointed deputy counsel to the vice president, Washington, DC, 1975; general counsel and associate director of the White House Domestic Council, 197577; Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler (law firm), New York, NY, attorney, 197788, became partner, 1979; Dime Savings Bank of New York (became Dime Bancorp, 1995), New York, NY, chief operating officer, 198890, chairman and chief executive officer, 199095; named head of mayor-elect transition council, New York, NY, 1993; served as chairman of New York Citys Economic Development Corporation; Time Warner Inc., New York, NY, president, 1995 Member of presidential Drug Task Force; chairman, Wildcat Service Organization. He graduated number one in his class of more than 100 students at the age of 23, then received the highest marks among 3,600 lawyers who. Encyclopedia.com. The biggest boost came from the film division, which had experienced an enormous success because of the Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings series. "Parsons Faces Major Test in Unifying AOL Time Warner." Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. It did make history as the largest corporate purchase ever, but it also became known as perhaps the most failed megamerger on record. They have three grown children: Gregory, Leslie and Rebecca. Levin had been in negotiations with Steve Case (1958), AOL's CEO, for several years. As Parsons said in the New York Times in 1994, becoming a part of that Rockefeller entourage created for me a group of people whove looked out for me ever since. Parsons own concern for the underprivileged has been clearly shown by his work as chairman of the Wildcat Service Corporation, which has provided on-the-job instruction for people whose previous crimes, drug addiction, or poverty have made it difficult to find work. Credit: Shahar Azran / Contributor. Parsons was left in control of a bank that was apparently dying. Parsons, who's been married to psychologist Laura Bush for almost 50 years, acknowledges the pain it caused others and still causes him. ." UXL Newsmakers. . Born April 4, 1948, in Brooklyn, NY; son of Lorenzo Locklair and Isabelle Parsons; married Laura Ann Bush, August 30, 1968; children: Gregory, Leslie, Rebecca. My wife became my focus and the person to whom I owed my best. His plans to become a fighter pilot were redirected to law school largely due to Bushs influence. [1] He was previously the interim CEO of the Los Angeles Clippers NBA franchise. In his 11 years with the firm, he made his mark in both corporate law and civil litigation. Rockefellers influence on Parsons remained strong and prompted him to become a Republican whose views were liberal on social issues and conservative on economic ones. Dr. Larry Stein, another Extension horticulturist, has added further to the color scale with a glowing Purple Laura Bush. He joined the foundation's board of trustees in 2008. https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/parsons-richard-dean-1948, Decker, Ed "Parsons, Richard Dean 1948 UXL Newsmakers. "Can Dick Parsons Rescue AOL Time Warner?" Parsons skipped two grades and graduated from high school at the age of sixteen. Career: Served as assistant counsel to Governor Nelson Rockefeller, Albany, NY, 1971-74; called to the New York State Bar, 1972; appointed deputy counsel to the vice president, Washington, DC, 1975; general counsel and associate director of the White House Domestic Council, 1975-77; Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler (law firm), New York, NY, attorney, 1977-88, became partner, 1979; Dime Savings Bank of New York (became Dime Bancorp, 1995), chief operating officer, 1988-90, chairman and chief executive officer, 1990-95; named head of mayor-elect transition council, 1993; served as chairman of New York Citys Economic Development Corporation; Time Warner Inc., president, 1995-99; AOL Time Warner, co-chief operating officer, 1999-2002, AOL Time Warner, CEO, 2002-. L. Mpho Mabunda and Shirelle Phelps. In 2001, United States President George W. Bush selected Parsons to co-chair a commission on Social Security. "Parsons, Richard Contemporary Black Biography. BusinessWeek Online (May 19, 2003) http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/03_20/b3833001_mz001.htm (accessed on July 29, 2004). He frequently downplays race as a factor or handicap in his success. [8] He helped negotiate the company's merger with America Online in 2000, creating a $165-billion media conglomerate[10] that is "usually described as the worst merger of all time. Parsons was accepted by Albany Law School of Union University, New York, where he earned a Juris Doctor in 1971, finishing at the top of his class. He joined the foundation's Board of Trustees in 2008. Named president of Dime Savings Bank of New York in 1988 even though he had had no previous experience in the banking industry, he masterminded a turnaround at the bank in just a few years. Newzjunky - JCC Releases President's And Dean's Lists For Fall 2013 m.facebook.com. Hu, Jim. The position placed him second in command over the entire Time Warner holdings in magazine and book publishing, music, film entertainment, theme parks, and cable television. Join Facebook to connect with Laura Parsons and others you may know. As a result, the company struggled to maintain its credibility, its stock prices tumbled, and it faced $27 billion in debt. Employees: 14,500 Parsons also inherited a number of problems when he assumed his new post in January of 1995. As a result, Parsons became known as the consummate gentleman executive. Laura Bush petunia at President George Bushs Crawford Ranch In the same Business Week interview, the CEO revealed, "I take this job seriously. In Contemporary Black Biography. Bl, B3. To the rest of the world, they are former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush, but to Jenna Bush Hager's children . as vice president, Parsons was invited along. "Reeling Like a Bad Movie: AOL Time Warner." //