Jess Norman Parmer

Biography and Wartime Service

Jess Norman Parmer was born on November 23, 1925 in Elkhart, Indiana as the only child of Jess Noah and Zayda Irene (Tressler) Parmer. He enlisted the service on June 27, 1944 in Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. Norman served in the 83rd Infantry Division as a foot soldier and fought in the Battle of the Bulge when he was just 19.

After the War, he married his high school sweetheart, Bessie Norma Peterson, on September 12, 1948. He studied history and went on to earn his Bachelor at the Indiana University in 1949, his Master of Arts at the University Connecticut in 1951, his PhD at Cornell University in 1957 and followed his passion for international studies. He was the first Peace Corps director in Malaysia. He was an associate dean at Ohio University and served as vice president for academic affairs at Trinity University in San Antonio. Dr. Parmer loved teaching, reading, traveling and writing. He worked with graduate students well into his 80's.

Dr. Jess Norman Parmer passed away on January 26, 2016 at the Dayton, Ohio VA Medical Center surrounded by his family. He was 90 years old. He was a great storyteller and a kind man who will be missed by many. In recent years he wrote his memoir of World War II. Norman Parmer is buried at the Rice Cemetery in Elkhart, Indiana.

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