Douglas Alan Parker, a Howard County entrepreneur whose eSchoolnewsletter , an e-mail communication link, connected schools with the homes of their students, died Monday of pancreatic cancer at Four Seasons Hospice at Northwest Hospital Center. The Woodbine resident was 49.
The genesis of Mr. Parker's e-mail system came about in 2002 during the height of the sniper attacks in the Washington area, when worried parents were trying to call schools whose phones were constantly busy.
"We couldn't get to principals to find out what was going on," Mr. Parker, the father of four, told The Sun in a 2007 interview. "So I went to the [Lisbon Elementary School] principal and asked if I could put together a quick ... e-mail system."
As word spread of the successful system, two principals of nearby schools prevailed upon Mr. Parker to install the message system in their schools.
"I had no idea it would grow as quick as it did. It was originally intended just for my elementary school. It took off like wildfire," Mr. Parker said in the Sun interview last year.
Since 2002, Mr. Parker had owned and operated eSchool Systems LLC and was president of the company at his death.
"Doug created a product that is family driven and is a great avenue of communication between schools and parents," said Alyson R. Tommins , who is marketing and development manager for eSchool Systems LLC.
About 27,980 Howard County families subscribe to the service, which is used statewide and sponsored by community businesses.
"There are 72 schools in Howard County using eSchoolnewsletter," Patti Caplan, the school system's public information officer, said yesterday.
"When Doug set up the system with its sponsorship, we didn't have to pay anything for it. He did it because he thought it was something that was good for communication," Ms. Caplan said.
Mr. Parker told The Sun this year that his company was adding text messaging.
Parents "can give us their cell phone number so we can start building the database," he told the newspaper. "We're collecting the cell phone numbers now so that when it comes time to kick off the program we can text message those people and tell them the next step for signing up."
Mr. Parker was born in Johnstown, Pa., and moved with his family to Ellicott City in 1964.
He was a 1977 graduate of Howard High School and earned a bachelor's degree in manufacturing engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1982. In 1985, he earned a master's degree in business administration from the Johns Hopkins University.
