Gloriana S. Parchman

Gloriana Simmons Parchman, B.A. ’54, was born Aug. 7, 1932, in Olton, TX, to Jessie Smith Simmons and Virgil Andrew Simmons. She graduated from Baylor in 1954. She met her husband, William Leo Parchman, B.A. ’54, while attending Baylor. They were married May 30, 1954, two days after graduation, and were married for 72 years.

Parchman was a lifelong supporter of Baylor. As a student, she was named to Who’s Who Among Students (1954) and served as permanent class secretary for the Class of 1954. Over the years, she served on the Baylor Fling Committee for eight years; was active in the Baylor Alumni Association; served on the Baylor University Council for Institutional Development; and was a charter member of the Baylor University Women’s Council of Dallas, where she served as its second president. She also was a member of the Old Main Society, the Athletic Director’s Council and the President’s Club. Gloriana and Leo sponsor the annual Parchman Endowed Lecture series at Truett Seminary and have provided scholarships to Baylor’s business school and the Athletics Department. They received Baylor’s W. R. White Award for Meritorious Service in 2002.