Chick Parsons
| Charles Thomas Parsons, Jr. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nickname(s) | Chick |
| Born |
April 22, 1902 Shelbyville, Tennessee, United States |
| Died | May 12, 1988 (aged 86) Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch | United States Naval Reserve |
| Years of service | 1929-Unknown |
| Rank |
 Lieutenant Commander
|
| Campaign Participation |
World War II *Philippine Islands operation *Leyte operation *Luzon operation *Manila Bay-Bicol operations *Escort, antisubmarine, armed guard and special operations |
| Awards |
 
 Distinguished Service Cross Bronze Star Medal Philippine Medal of Valor Philippine Legion of Honor Order of St. Sylvester
|
| Other work |
Merchant mariner Civil Servant Businessman Panamanian Consul general |
Charles Thomas "Chick" Parsons, Jr. (April 22, 1902 – May 12, 1988) was a businessman, diplomat, and decorated World War II veteran. He was born April 22, 1902, in Shelbyville, Tennessee. Parsons died in May 1988, survived by his four sons, Michael, Peter, Patrick and Jose.
Charles Parsons' interest in the Philippines occurred because two of his uncles had gone there to seek their fortune. Their letters home ignited Charles' imagination and sense of adventure. As a result, he took courses in shorthand and Spanish while in school at Chattanooga. After graduating from school, he held a job as a court reporter for a year or two. Then in 1921, at the age of 19, he arrived at Manila after working across the Pacific as a crewman on a freighter. His knowledge of shorthand and Spanish allowed him to qualify as secretary to U.S. Governor-General Leonard Wood. For three years, Parsons traveled throughout the Philippines with Wood and got to know the Filipino people, learning their language and customs, as well as picking up knowledge of Philippine geography. All this would serve him well when he later went into business for himself and served as a U.S. naval officer during the war years.
A postgraduate course in commerce and his increased fluency in the local dialects allowed Parsons to find work with the Philippine Telephone and Telegraph Company. Then in 1927, he went to Zamboanga in Mindanao as a buyer of logs and lumber for the Meyer Muzzell Company. This company, financed by Mayor James Rolph of San Francisco, exported timber to the United States. This job required Parsons to travel extensively throughout Mindanao, learning details about the island and its inhabitants that would save his life many times during World War II.
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