W. Alfred Parcell, dining hall checker at Elder Hall for 17 years, died Nov. 22 at the age of 92.
Parcell, a Northwestern University undergraduate and dental school alumnus, 60-plus year Evanston resident and retired dentist, was known for a keen memory and quick smile.
“When I think about him, I’m not sad because he passed away, but happy because Al was always happy,” said Weinberg sophomore Praneet Korrapati, who lived in Elder Hall last year and is now as a Community Assistant. “That makes a difference, no matter what is going on.”
Parcell typically learned the names of all 300-plus residents of the Freshman Quad within a few weeks.
“He’d always be really friendly and he’d always remember your name and recognize you. I went to lunch with one of my good friends who had lived in Elder the year before, and Al asked her about her summer in Chile, which he remembered hearing about,” said Weinberg senior Meg Graney, who lived in Elder as a freshman and currently as a Community Assistant. “It was one of my first interactions with Al, and I realized that he knows about pretty much everyone.”
Students who had moved out of Elder often came back to the dining hall to visit Parcell, and in past years have created T-shirts and a movie about him.
“You couldn’t find a better man,” said Paul Komelasky, Parcell’s manager at Sodexho at NU for 10 years.
While at NU, Parcell was a member of Phi Kappa Psi. After graduating in 1939, he opened up his own dental business and then joined the Army Dental Corps for three years. After World War II, he continued his dental practice in Evanston until his retirement in 1990, when he began working at Elder.
“I used to wonder: why would a successful, retired dentist want to be a checker?” Komelasky said. “But then I understood. This was his way to stay active and keep his mind active. It kept him going for many years.”
Parcell worked at Elder until his death. He worked through all three daily meals until this year, when he stopped working during dinnertime. Still, Komelasky said he always volunteered to stay later when he was needed.
“He was the type of person who strived to be his best everywhere,” Komelasky said.
A memorial service will be held at Alice S. Millar Chapel January 12 at 1 p.m. Parcell is survived by six children, 17 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
Reach Emily Laermer at [email protected].