Get to know Robert "Bob" Parnell ('66) and Gerard "Gary" Finer ('61), for whom a memorial bench has been placed on the brick walkway between College Hall and Herak Quad known as "Bulldog Alley."
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life."
Gary and Robert both attended Gonzaga in the 1960s—Gary graduating from the School of Education before beginning his career as a teacher at Ferris High School, and Robert earning his degree from the School of Engineering and going on to build a successful career as an engineer.
Bob Parnell graduated from Gonzaga University in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering, and subsequently went on to earn his Master’s in Water Resources from Utah State University and another Master’s in Engineering Management from the University of Alaska. He began his career with the Army Corps of Engineers starting in Los Angeles, then Anchorage, ending in Seattle. After approximately 15 years with The Corps, he entered the consulting world working for the major civil engineering firms. After several years he started his own consulting practice focusing on water drainage and environmental resources for twenty years until he retired. During his career he was active with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and was awarded “Engineer of the Year.” An advocate for introducing youth to math and civil engineering, Bob was a believer in “walking the job site.” He encouraged engineering students to get out into the field and quickly apply what was learned in the classroom to practical applications, even as simple as walking a stream to watch how water flows around bends and over rocks. He and his wife, Mary, raised three children in Anchorage and Issaquah, including their eldest son who also attended Gonzaga and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
Gary Finer graduated from Gonzaga University in 1961 with a degree in Education and an emphasis in English, and went on to earn his master’s in English from Vanderbilt/Peabody in 1962. His lifelong devotion to learning shaped generations of students during his 37 years at Ferris High School in Spokane, where he taught until his retirement in 2004. He raised three children in Spokane, including an eldest daughter who proudly followed in his footsteps as a Gonzaga graduate, and his legacy continues to inspire a love of education, integrity and community. May this bench stand as a tribute to the quiet, enduring impact of a life dedicated to teaching.
The memorial bench was made possible by Gary and Robert's children, Sabrina ('91) and Robert ('91) Parnell, III.