Late Donald E. Parlee ’55 Honored with Bridge Dedication in Doylestown
On Wednesday, October 16, the late Donald E. Parlee ’55 was honored with the official dedication of the Donald E. Parlee Memorial Bridge, located on route 202 next to the Doylestown Hospital
On Wednesday morning, October 16, the late Donald E. Parlee ’55 was honored at the Doylestown Hospital with the official dedication of the Donald E. Parlee Memorial Bridge. The dedication was in honor of Parlee’s lasting impact on the local community, including his alma mater, Ursinus College.
Parlee, and his wife, Joan B. Parlee ’57, were long-time philanthropists who supported Ursinus in many different ways. The couple contributed to scholarships, building projects, summer student research, the Ursinus Fund, and an endowment for the Parlee Center for Science and the Common Good.
“Don is an example of what an Ursinus education truly is,” President Robyn Hannigan said at the ceremony. “His love of life, learning, and being part of something bigger than himself is something he reminded me of when I came to Ursinus.”
The Parlees were also honored in 2023 with the Bear2Bear Impact Award for Leadership and Service—one of the college’s highest honors. The award recognizes extraordinary impact not just on the Ursinus community, but within the local, national, or global communities as well.
Parlee spent 43 years as a board-certified radiologist at the Doylestown Hospital, helping grow the department from one physician to 20 radiologists. He also served the United States for the U.S. Army from 1966-68, receiving the Bronze Star for his time in Vietnam.
“We are placing a marker on a road, but we’re also placing a guidepost about our community values, our purpose here, and showing that the good we do here will stay long past in the hearts and minds of our neighbors,” said Pa. State Rep. Tim Brennan ’00.
The Donald E. Parlee Memorial Bridge is located on route 202, an overpass of state route 611, next to the Doylestown Hospital and Central Bucks West High School.
“Ursinus’s first president, John H.A. Bomberger, said education is your bridge to the future, and it’s your responsibility as individuals and as a community to make sure that every person crosses that bridge,” said Hannigan. “Don led a life that kept that bridge open for everyone.”
