Staff, students, family and friends of Olivia Parrish gathered at the Stevenson Courtyard on Nov. 17 for a celebration of Olivia Parrish’s life. Parrish worked as a staff member for Vanderbilt University Maintenance and Operations for almost 45 years.
Parrish passed away during a shift in the Stevenson Center on the night of Oct. 23. Organizers and family members expressed frustration that the university did not provide email communications to the Vanderbilt community about Parrish’s death, nor plan a memorial for her life. A university representative told The Hustler that the university does not typically hold memorials for community members who have passed away, and faculty memorials are conducted up to the discretion of individual colleges. Vanderbilt released a news story about Parrish’s passing nine days after her death and told The Hustler that it reached out to Parrish’s family about her death.
“We were appalled by the lack of response from the Vanderbilt administration. A woman who had, first of all, died on Vanderbilt’s campus, and who also had spent 45 years working for the institution had no formal acknowledgment,” junior Mayowa Kassim, African Student Union vice president of external affairs, said. “We thought we should come together as a community to acknowledge her, the work she [has] done and her long and beautiful life.”
Dores Worker Solidarity Network and ASU organized the memorial. The event was co-sponsored by the Center for Spiritual Life, the Curb Center and the Black Student Association.
“There is no way to have been around her and to have not known her love, or known that you were around greatness,” Dawn Witherspoon, Parrish’s cousin, said during her remarks. “She embodied to me what a true leader is. True leaders serve others, true leaders invest in other people by serving them without caring about what they get in return.”
A life-long Nashville resident, Parrish was educated in the Nashville-Davidson County school system and attended Tennessee State University. She was married to the late Clayton Parrish and was a member of the Mt. Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. Family members described her as an avid crafter, sewer and baker, lauding her famed peanut butter cookies.
“Her life taught me that you might not get what you want, but you still give. No matter if people treat you bad, you still love them,” Alanda Thompson, Parrish’s daughter, said during her remarks.
Jesse Schmidt, a Vanderbilt custodian who was trained by Parrish and worked in the same building as her, described her as “very patient” and “very nice.” Schmidt explained that he was one of the people who found Parrish and that he cleaned up the scene afterward.
“When I first started my routine, I had no idea what I was doing. She was more than willing to pause whatever she was doing to help show me the ropes,” Schmidt said.
Witherspoon reiterated how proud she was of Parrish and her career.
“Enabling someone else to learn, enabling someone else to be their best self by making sure they have an environment that allows them to learn, to grow, to be who they are called to be — and doing that whether you are ever clapped for and celebrated or not — that’s a true leader,” Witherspoon said. “Because of Olivia, I have gone through my entire life always noticing the people who other people don’t notice, because, for me, she was life-changing.”
