Parisian Family Transformed Tragedy Into Accomplishment

Trooper Ricky Parisian

 Since death is part of life, all of us face – or will face – tragedy in various guises, and respond in varied ways.
When it arrives, let’s keep in mind the exceptional Parisian family that responded in such an exceptional way to the unfair and unexpected death of a loved one, State Trooper Ricky “Pit” Parisian, who was killed on May 20, 1994, trying to stop an armed robbery at a Southside supermarket.
Fate was cruel to the Parisians.  But the family was unwilling to accept their loved one’s death as the end of the story.
That very October, the family organized the first “Pit Run,” a 10K race – a 5K and a walkathon have since been added, plus a picnic, music and games – in remembrance.
“The day is designed to celebrate Rick’s life by bringing the community together for a fun, healthy afternoon of outdoor activities,” according to pitrun.org, the event’s Web site.

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Proceeds – more than a quarter-million has been distributed in the past 17 years – help underwrite college scholarships for young people who are courteous, honest, caring, responsible – all the qualities of the namesake.
The money has been used to send young people on Rotary Exchange Programs to Costa Rica, Italy and Slovakia, to study Irish history in Dublin, to participate in an opera in France.
The scholarships helped send Marcel Sanchez to MIT, Thomas Vogler to Bucknell, Caroline Kang to the Eastman School of Music, Kristin France to Williams.
Alec Macaulay graduated magna cum laude from Cornell, Genevieve Bernier from Geneseo (she went on to a Ph.D. at Virginia Commonwealth), Jonathan Hojn from SUNY Albany.

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Ricky Parisian’s legacy could have been bitterness, but it’s been quite the opposite due to true devotion of a family that was stricken but not struck down by tragedy.
Last Saturday evening, March 19, the St. Mary’s School community honored the Parisian family, from Al, the father of the family, to his children and children-in-law, including Ricky’s widow Deb, to his grandchildren, with the St. Mary’s School 2011 Distinguished Education Partner Award.
It was a delightful evening at The Gables, as you can imagine.  (We can’t write about it with mentioning chef Bob Eklund’s beef tenderloin, rolled in pepper and garlic.  Exceptional!)
State Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, presented the family with a resolution passed a few days before on the Senate floor in Albany, and Mayor Miller declared March 19 “Parisian Family Day in Oneonta.”
St. Mary’s Principal Patricia Bliss presented Al Parisian – he and his wife, Margaret, ran a weekly Bingo game for years, to benefit the school – with a clock.  “Time is the most precious thing anyone can give,” she said.
Some may think community life is humdrum; quite the opposite.  The Parisian family’s story has it all.  Tragedy, grief, then renewal and accomplishment, accomplishment that through the scholarship winners will be carried forward into innumerable generations in ways we can’t know.
Friends, tragedy has stricken all of us and will come again.  It’s the human condition.  But let’s reflect on Parisians’ story, gain inspiration from it, and declare to a family who we can all be proud of:  Well done.

Jim Kevlin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
The Parisian family was honored with the St. Mary’s School 2011 Distinguished Education Partner Award with a dinner at The Gables.  Standing, from left, are Lisa Parisian,  Jennifer McGrath, Edythe Parisian, Scott Georgia, Janice Currie, David Currie, Mark Parisian, Deb Parisian, Steve Parisian.  In front are Al Parisian and, at left, his granddaughter Cheryl Parisian.