Terry Liberty Parker Passes Away
Posted by Stephen Gordon — December 17th, 2007
Libertarian Party old timers and anyone involved in politics or the libertarian movement in the Austin, Texas area will know this name: Terry Liberty Parker. Angela Keaton just passed this e-mail on to me:
To all who loved Terry. Terry passed away at 4:35 Am this morning, December 17, 2007. His passing was very peaceful and quiet. Plans for his memorial will be announced as soon as they are made. Terry would want to tell all of you that he appreciated your presence in his life and the constant flow of love and support during his illness. They were a great source of comfort to him. We will all miss him deeply. Love Rita
I had heard that Terry was in poor health, but apparently his situation was worse than I realized. I last physically saw Parker in 2004 in Austin, where we had a few drinks at a local pub and mostly talked about opposition to the Iraq War. Parker was a colorful character in the movement and will truly be missed by many people who were touched by his life.
Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.” To the very end, Terry was young by Thoreau’s standards.
One Response to “Terry Liberty Parker Passes Away”
1. RockHoward Says:
December 17th, 2007 at 8:07 pmThe freedom movement is particularly large and vibrant in Austin. Probably most of the younger participants don’t know anything about Terry “Liberty” Parker, but nonetheless it was Terry who, almost singlehandedly, educated the city about the nonagression pact and its’ implications for philosophy, politics and day to day living.
Terry was not really a “political party” kind of guy and so that is not the real measure of his contribution. That is not to say that he didn’t occasionally jump in and collect signatures or serve as County Chair or such, because he did. It was just that he was so interested in exploring the ramifications of his chosen philosophy and arguing the ins and outs with whoever had the time, that other activities rarely held his attention.
Some argue that Terry turned off as many people as he turned on. That is probably true but the same can be said for most of the other leading voices for freedom who have followed in his wake here in Austin. But helping individuals really understand how to “think and love freedom” was Terry’s aim and in that he succeeded. If the current groundswell of freedom lovers hangs onto that same dream for their entire lives, as Terry certainly did, then a bright future for our country is still possible.
Meanwhile, if there is a God, he or she will be preoccupied with wide ranging debate for many years now that Terry has arrived on the scene. If I had to bet on that contest, my money would be backing Terry!
Until the day that I discover for myself if that debate is really raging, I will simply say that I will miss Terry and am glad to have had the pleasure of his company for the last two decades.
Less
aynrkey
bostonteapartygoer
Kenn Jacobine
mattdharris
Mike Seebeck
Miche
paulie
Jim Davidson
ponggod
Stuart Richards
Steven Greffenius
Todd Andrew Barnett
I have seen it written that Terry Parker was an anti-semite. I did not know the man… so I could not say at all. Could someone enlighten me as to this situation? I figure LFV’ers have good dirt.
Ian, I did not know Terry myself, and google was not any help. Where did you see such things written?
I forwarded your comment to Angela, who knew him well; you were CCed.
paulie — the LPAZ-discuss list. Craig Bolton.
Usually I consider Craig to be one of the ones with a good head on his shoulders… but I’d really rather have actual evidence than hearsay on something like that, y’know?
Angela’s response:
“Ummm…He liked me plenty.
No, TLP’s only area of intolerance was with celibates which I was one when we met. (For the record—He had nothing to do with my end to celibacy.)”