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"I had a wonderful instructor and a great person next to me," he said with a chuckle.Still, the person Parman gained the most knowledge from was his father."Dad and I understood each other," Parman said. "We could move from actual facts to hypothetical situations.Not everybody has that relationship with their father. We were very close. He was very beneficial tome."Parman has one older sister, Joy Maurine Parman-Freeman, also a Cowley graduate. She lives in KansasCity, Mo.Since money was tight in the 1930s, it was practically a foregone conclusion that Parman would attendACJC. But the benefits of the Arkansas City college were lasting to Parman."I did tutoring for one course at the University of Chicago because I had already taken the course atACJC," Parman said.Years ago, Parman was easy to find during the fall of each year. That meant hunting, particularly duckhunting. Once again he followed in his father's footsteps. More recently, Parman has enjoyed deer hunting.As a young businessman in Arkansas City, Parman was active in civic work. He is a member of RotaryInternational, is past president of the Retailers Association and the Junior Chamber of Commerce, and hasserved on the board of the Senior Chamber of Commerce. He also co-chaired Arkalalah two years.Parman has remained a bachelor all his life. He said he has dated, but he was more interested in buildingthe business early on."If you're up to here in debt," he said, placing his hand at his neck, "there isn't much time for anythingelse. Even a social life gets cut into by a business."As a businessman, Parman had one, simple philosophy."You have to take care of your customers," he said. "If you don't help them when they need help, someoneelse will. It's kind of like at the college. If you don't help your students, someone else will."Another rule Parman always followed? Home furnishings follow ladies' clothing."The primary furniture buyers are the ladies of the house," Parman said. "The furnishings fit the lady ofthe house. They're there more than men are."It's little wonder Parman has been so successful.%