SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA-John B. Parker, the founder of Orange County-based Parker Properties and an industry pioneer whose career spanned 60 years, has died at the age of 83. Parker—who made his mark as a developer, a brokerage executive and a leader in education, community and cultural organizations—died of a cerebral hemorrhage at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo.

Parker, who was a resident of San Juan Capistrano, had been active in Aliso Viejo-based Parker Properties until the time of his death. Over the course of his career, he was responsible for the development of over 10 million square feet of office space in Orange County, Los Angeles, and San Diego and developed some of Southern California’s most recognized commercial buildings.

Parker’s real estate industry accomplishments ranged from opening the first Orange County office of Coldwell Banker (now CB Richard Ellis) in 1962, to moving Allergan Pharmaceuticals to its current location in Irvine to the development of the Summit Office Campus in Aliso Viejo—along with supporting industry education via efforts like his role in establishing the University of California, Irvine Graduate School of Management. Outside of the industry, he was active in supporting community and cultural organizations including UC Irvine Program in Geriatric’s Senior Health Center, KidWorks, the Orange County Performing Arts Center and Laguna Beach Museum of Art.

Gavin Herbert, founder and chairman emeritus of Allergan Pharmaceuticals recalled, “John Parker was this legendary real estate character—stories of his off-the-wall humor, determination, and generosity reached an almost mythical status.” Herbert recalled how Parker brought Allergan to its Irvine headquarters: “I’ll never forget this. In the 1970s when I was in Europe, John sold everyone on the idea of Allergan moving from our five-acre property to a 24-acre property at our current location. It was crazy for our size at the time. He made it happen and he couldn’t have been more right. He was one of the most effective board members Allergan has ever had.”

Parker was born in Beverly Hills, graduated from Los Angeles High School, entered the Navy at 17, and then enrolled at UCLA with the help of the GI bill. Upon graduation, he was hired in 1951 by the real estate firm Coldwell Banker to work the “sign truck” putting up and taking down “for sale” signs.

He was with Coldwell Banker from 1951-1974, in the L.A. office for the first 11 years before opening the Orange County office, then went to Northern California in 1967 reorganize eight CB offices. In Orange County, the group that Parker hired for the new office were known as "the tea house gang" for the tea house-like design of the firm’s temporary office on Pacific Coast Highway. The teahouse gang still meets to this day as a social and philanthropic group.

Parker, who rose through the ranks over the next 23 years to become president of Coldwell Banker Management Co., landed the Irvine Co. as his first client in Orange County. Ray Watson, former president of the Irvine Co., recalls, “John was sent to the largely undeveloped Orange County to help the Irvine Co. fulfill its promise to build a new city around a new university.”

In 1974, Parker formed Parker Properties where he was joined by his son, Russ Parker, in 1994. Completing Parker’s vision for a family business, son-in-law Lee Redmond joined forces with Parker Properties in 1999. Together, they created numerous projects, most notably a 60-acre office project in Aliso Viejo, Summit Office Campus.

The peaks and valleys of Parker’s development career were emblematic of the opportunities and perils of commercial real estate development. In his mentoring of hundreds of young people interested in the real estate industry, he shared his stories of failure as well as success as a way of teaching the realities of the industry.

Andy Pelicano, dean of UC Irvine’s Graduate School of Management, said of Parker’s role: “Without John Parker, the Center for Real Estate at UCI would not exist. He was the catalyst that brought everyone together.” In 1999, Parker received the Graduate School of Management Lifetime Achievement Award. Other awards included the Orange County Power-Packed Philanthropist Award and the Humanitarian Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews.

In addition, Parker was a governor for the Urban Land Institute Foundation and a trustee and for the Orange County Performing Arts Center and Laguna Beach Museum of Art. He was active in his support of KidWorks, a community organization working with at-risk-children and their families in Santa Ana. Ava Steaffens, director of Kidworks, said, “Up until the day he died, John was dreaming up new ideas and resources to keep hope alive for the children and youth at KidWorks.” He was also both a patient and board member at UC Irvine Program in Geriatric’s Senior Health Center, committed to supporting top-quality medical care for older adults and their families.

In addition to his wife of 59 years, Betty, Parker is survived by his three children and their spouses: Lee and KC Redmond; Russ and Karen Parker; and Todd and Kerry Burnight’ as well as 11 grandchildren and four great- grandchildren that meant so much to him.

A celebration of Parker’s life will be held Saturday, Dec. 11 at 10 a.m. at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in San Juan Capistrano. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the John Parker Remembrance Fund. The fund was created by the University of California, School of Medicine’s Geriatrics Program to honor his commitment to the program. UC Irvine, Program in Geriatrics, 101 The City Drive South, Bldg 200, Suite 835, Orange, CA 92868.