I wish to honor and congratulate a good friend and constituent on a well-deserved recognition for his unique and exemplary commitment to preserving our nation’s architectural and cultural heritage. 

For over thirty years, Parker Westbrook has dedicated himself to promoting the preservation and rehabilitation of countless buildings, parks, museums and monuments throughout the nation.  In Arkansas, he is affectionately and aptly known as “Mr. Preservation.”  An active member of many state and local preservation foundations, commissions, and councils, Parker’s efforts can be observed in numerous places throughout the state, perhaps most notably in the historic town of Old Washington, Arkansas, which briefly served as the state capital.

Parker spent many years in Washington, D.C. working here on Capitol Hill for several members of Arkansas’s congressional delegation.  His contributions to historical preservation began in 1968 while he was serving as an aide for the late United States Senator J. William Fulbright.  At that time, Parker purchased and restored an old Quaker cottage in Waterford, Virginia, for which he received the Excellence in Restoration award from the Loudon County Chamber of Commerce.  

His passion for restoration and preservation continued when he returned to Arkansas in the mid 1970s.  In the 1980s, he helped create the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas and helped pass an initiative that provides over $3 million per year for preservation in the State of Arkansas.  Later, President Clinton appointed him to the National Park System Advisory Board and twice named him to the President’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.  

Friends and colleagues describe Parker as dedicated to excellence and committed to “volunteerism.”  His leadership in preservation serves as an example to all of us at a time when our country faces new challenges that demand greater community involvement and public service. 

Fittingly, in honor of his decades of work and dedication, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has recently bestowed upon him the prestigious National Preservation Award and declared him a “National Treasure.”  

Parker Westbrook is a “national treasure,” a true champion of a noble cause.  His accomplishments will undoubtedly be admired and appreciated by this and future generations for many years to come.