2013 Wall of Honor Recipient:
Paul Parry of Bettendorf is the recipient of Pleasant Valley High School’s 2013 Wall of Honor Distinguished Alumni Award. Mr. Parry, a 1984 PVHS graduate, will be honored by the Pleasant Valley Community School District at the Academic Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, April 17. He will be inducted into the Wall of Honor, which recognizes past students for their academic achievements and contributions to society.
Mr. Parry, the son of Ralph and Rosie Parry of Bettendorf, received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Iowa in 1989. He graduated with honors and was inducted into Pi Tau Sigma, the International Mechanical Engineering Honors Society.
Following graduation, Mr. Parry joined KJWW Engineering Consultants, a Quad-Cities-based firm that at the time had one office and about 40 employees. Today Mr. Parry is a principal with the firm and has been very instrumental in helping the company grow to 14 offices with over 500 employees in the U.S. and abroad.
Mr. Parry, a licensed professional engineer in 15 states and a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional, is the Office Director for KJWW’s corporate headquarters here in the Quad Cities. He also is the National Director for the firm’s higher education and sports and recreation markets, in which he leads project development, system concept designs, document quality control reviews and client development. His expertise is in high-performance building design, including innovative technologies such as geothermal, chilled beams, energy and resource saving systems (photovoltaics) which have helped many facilities attain LEED certification for sustainability from the U.S. Green Building Council. He has worked on advanced technology classroom facilities, laboratories, auditoriums, performing arts centers, student unions, residence halls, academic libraries, dining halls, stadiums, arenas, indoor practice facilities, indoor aquatic centers, student and community recreation centers, civic centers and outdoor sports complexes.
Mr. Parry is well known throughout the engineering profession and speaks at many national events and judges several regional and national engineering competitions. He is the recipient of several community and professional awards, including Q-C Leaders Under 40, Quad City Business Journal’s Quad City Movers and Shakers and the American Council of Engineering Companies’ Engineering Excellence Eminent Conceptor Award, the highest engineering award in the state of Illinois.
He serves or has served on the board of directors of several Quad City based organizations including KJWW Engineering PSP, Pleasant Valley Schools Educational Foundation, Development Association of Rock Island (DARI), Deerbrook Estates and the Quad Cities Health Initiative.
Mr. Parry graduated with top honors from PVHS, where he also played football, baseball, tennis and track. He continues to be athletically competitive as a runner and has completed 32 Bix 7 road races and over 50 marathons, including the Boston Marathon. He has also completed all 15 Quad Cities Marathons which puts him in an elite group called the Interstate Road Warriors.
His biggest source of pride, however, is his family. He and his wife, Janelle, have lived their entire lives in the Quad-Cities and have two daughters – Kayla, a PVHS graduate and current freshman at the University of Iowa, and Ashley, a PVHS junior. He coached his daughters’ sports teams in their younger years and makes family a priority, supporting his wife and children in all their activities and spending as much time with them as possible, including cherished family vacations.
The Pleasant Valley School District has played a large role in his family for many years.
“One thing about getting this award is that it has really made me reflect on how long Pleasant Valley schools have been in my life,” said Mr. Parry. He attended PV schools from kindergarten through high school; has been involved with the district professionally on engineering projects, and continues to be connected to the district today because of his daughters. He is impressed with how the district has evolved over the years and prepares students for higher education.
“Our decision to raise our kids in the PV school district was a very good decision,” he said. “They do a very good job of preparing their students for the future – not only in the classroom but also all of the extra-curricular programs as well.”
A reception for Mr. Parry will be held in the PVHS library at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17, 2013. Faculty, staff, students and the public are invited to attend. The Academic Awards program will begin at 7 p.m. in the high school gymnasium.