Since being inspired by a toy construction set at age 6, Theodore E. “Ted” Parker dreamed of being an engineer. He eventually handled the electrical work in some of Chicago’s most notable buildings, including the Sears Tower and the new Cook County Hospital.
“He always wanted to build and to create,” said his daughter Carol McConnell. “He particularly liked the technical end and how lighting creates different effects for different purposes.”
His passion for engineering fueled an energy that kept him on the job for 56 years, continuing to work despite having heart bypass surgery a year ago.
Mr. Parker, 76, died of a heart attack Sunday, June 2, at Northwestern University Medical Center, hours after meeting with a contractor to discuss the Cook County Hospital construction project.
Mr. Parker was born Theodore Potesky and raised on Chicago’s West Side by Russian immigrants. His father, Izzy Potesky, was one of Chicago’s last merchants to sell fruits and vegetables from a horse-drawn wagon, which he did into the 1960s.
Mr. Parker changed his last name after graduating with an engineering degree from Georgia Tech in 1945 because he thought it would be easier for clients and colleagues to remember, said his college roommate and best friend, Gil Bachman.
His devotion to work caused his second wife, Merle, to take over the driving when they were together in the car because Mr. Parker was prone to staring at buildings to check out their lighting, Bachman said.
His reserved personality suited him well in the field, as he rose from engineer to vice president of Gerson Electric Construction Co. during a 40-year career there, after a short stint at another firm.
At Gerson, and over the last 11 years with Globetrotters Engineering Corp., his resume of Chicago-area projects read like a list of landmarks: Argonne National Laboratories, Water Tower Place, Orchestra Hall, O’Hare International Airport, the Field Museum of Natural History and many others.
Of all of them, he was proudest of his work helping install and coordinate the miles and miles of electrical wiring and thousands of connections and lighting fixtures in the Sears Tower, his daughter said.
He had hopes of adding more projects to the list, friends and family said.
“He never wanted to retire,” said co-worker Ken Schubert, manager of mechanical design at Globetrotters. “His work was even his hobby. He just loved his job.”
In addition to his wife and daughter, Mr. Parker is survived by another daughter, Marlie Wasserman; a son, Robert; stepsons Steve, Barry, Rick and Howard Brody; a sister, Ethel Kahn; three grandchildren; and seven step-grandchildren.
Services have been held.
