Born in Canastota New York which is in upstate New York between Syracuse and Utica. During high school he was active in band, orchestra and theater with percussion as his specialty. He was planning on attending Potsdam to study music but joined the army. Most of his army career was spent playing in army bands on the west coast. From 1947 to 1948 Parker studied radio announcing at Columbia college in Chicago.
Parker has been a fixture in local broadcasting for decades. His first on-air job in Binghamton was at WNBF Radio in 1948. He helped launch WNBF-TV the following year.
Thousands of children appeared on WNBF-TV shows hosted by Parker. Among the shows: “TV Ranch Club,” “Captain Galaxy,” and “Officer Bill.”
Parker also presented weather segments on Channel 12 as the “Atlantic Weatherman.”
Parker later hosted music and talk programs on WNBF Radio.
Although Parker retired from WNBF in 2010, he continues to do occasional on-air work in local radio and in commercial production.