Photography by Clyde Thomas
Gary Parker, the 64-year-old founder and CEO of Center Oil Co., died Saturday following a tragic ski accident in Colorado. He is survived by his wife, Karman, and the couple's six children.
Parker's oil-distribution company, founded in 1986 as G.P.&W Inc. and based in Town and Country, deals "in refined petroleum products with annual sales in excess of $4.8 billion," according to the company's website. Despite the company's enormous success, however, Parker rarely appeared in media outlets. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch described him as "notoriously private about himself and his business." The Denver Westword noted he was "so publicity-shy that no photos of him are available." A brief profile in Forbes ran without a picture.
Among the few media appearances that Parker granted over the years, he agreed to be photographed in 2004 for St. Louis Magazine's inaugural Best Dressed List.
Then-style editor Jerry Talamantes had first met Parker in 1994, while with Saks Fifth Avenue. "He was so striking," Talamantes recalls. Over time, Talamantes got to know Parker well, often visiting with him about clothes for Parker's wife and daughters. "It was very sweet," Talamantes says. "He had this real sensitive side, where he was always about his wife and girls." Parker also would consult Talamantes about his suits, with his favorites being custom-made by Hickey Freeman and Ermenegildo Zegna.
In the summer of 2004, the Best Dressed List photoshotoot took place in Parker's office. "When we arrived, he was just about to embark on ethanol," says Talamantes, recalling that a diagram explaining the various stages of ethanol production was displayed on a nearby shelf. "He was so proud, telling me, 'This is the next big thing.'" Parker excitedly told Talamantes about plans to build an ethanol plant in Sauget, Ill., which he did several years later, forming Center Ethanol Co.
"He was this titan, in every aspect of the word," says Talamantes. "He was not about the limelight or recognition at all. He was 150 percent business and 200 percent family."
