 An ordained minister, in 1987, Parr was awarded an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from Eureka College.Parr's interest in joining the Secret Service originated as a boy after watching "Code of the Secret Service" (1939) starring Ronald Reagan as agent "Brass" Bancroft.He was working as a lineman for Florida Power and Light in 1962 when he was interviewed by a visiting recruiter for the Secret Service.