My friendship with Mike Parsons -- who unexpectedly died a couple of days ago-- is as old as my tennis hobby.
Mike had a tennis team and welcomed me at the club. He was a tennis nut, and would play the game three to four times a week. I have seen him play six to seven sets of tennis continuously!
Mike was a very interesting guy. He was friendly, generous, and funny. Many of the expressions I use today -- "Goober-head" and "Fiddlestick"s being favorites -- I learnt from him. He once used to have a hotdog stand ("Mike's Hot-dogs" for those might remember) in downtown Birmingham. He subsequently worked with Dentists all over Alabama supplying them with medical equipment and consumables. He knew all the Dentists -- good ones, bad ones, ones with attitude. I would ask him who was *his* dentist, an answer he avoided.
For our long friendship, I didn't meet any of his family members and my wife would give him grief about his girl-friends. He was fond of our dog TinTin. I fondest memory of Mike. is when he imitated TinTin's howls.
Mike was a huge Alabama Football fan. The legend has it that he went to a National Championship game dressed as a magazine/brochure vendor-- he didn't have tickets to the game! He was busted and sent out; then he shelled out a thousand dollars on the black market and re-entered the stadium. "It was worth every penny" he told me after Alabama won the National Championship.
He was also a strong believer in the power of magnets to heal. You can see from the picture how he is wearing magnetic bracelets to balance the "Chi".
Goodbye Mike. I will cherish your memories. Wish you could have played some more years.
The visitation and a memorial service will be held at Jefferson Memorial on June 21st. https://www.jmgardens.com/notices/Michael-Parsons Friday, June 21, 2019 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM JEFFERSON MEMORIAL 1591 Gadsden Hwy Birmingham, AL
