Dr. Susan R. Parker, a native of St. Augustine, is a graduate of the SAHS Class of 1964. Dr. Parker participated in Jacket Journal, member of Alpha Club, Inter Club, Quill & Scroll, FTA, Glee Club, Pep Club, Sub Juniors, and Teen Town.
From her Senior yearbook, “The secret to success is constancy to purpose”. Dr. Parker chose a profession that required that type of mindset. Her love for local history and living in the Oldest City provided the landscape that shaped her educational career path after graduating SAHS and becoming one the lead experts on historical matters within our community. Dr. Parker earned her masters and PHD from the University of Florida studying Colonial United States, Colonial Latin America, and Anthropology while earning her B.A. from FSU studying Spanish and History. Susan’s dissertation was “The Second Century of Settlement in Spanish St. Augustine, 1670-1763” and her thesis was “Men Without God or King: Rural Settlers of East Florida, 1784-1790”. Susan also has training in Spanish paleography and reading knowledge of Portuguese.
Her vast knowledge and experience on local/national colonial and historical matters gave her the opportunity to work in St. Augustine providing her expert knowledge while promoting and protecting the legacy of our historical city. Susan is currently (2007-today) the Executive Director of the St. Augustine Historical Society. A few previous work experiences as well as research/consulting ventures includes Regional Consultant for Historic Preservation Florida Division of Historical Resources (2002-2007), member of Historian-Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board (1987-1997), adjunct history professor at UNF, project historian for Orange County Regional History Center (1997-1998), consultant for Historic Resources Study for Canaveral National Seashore for NPS (1998-2002), research consultant for Florida Public Broadcasting, Inc. for series on Florida history (1999), and historian for environmental audits-cultural resource assessments (1997-2002).
Dr. Parker has been involved in a wide variety of historical related board memberships as well as involvement in many historical related publications, book reviews, conference papers, public lectures locally/statewide/national/internationally, and media/television presentations promoting our local history of St. Augustine and the State of Florida over the many decades of service. Her service includes member of Advisory Board-Florida Studies Center at USF, Historic Resources Review Board for St. Johns County, and Board of Trustees for St. Augustine Historical Society. Further, Dr. Parker’s has been involved with publications discussing history such as The Oldest City-Sunday history column and books such as The New History of Florida-Second Spanish Period.
Honor and awards include receiving various research grants, Marquis Who’s Who In America, LeRoy Collins Prize for best graduate essay, and Arthur W. Thompson Prize for Florida History.