Portadown born Professor, E Malcolm Parkinson, a scientist and historian, dies in USA

Professor E Malcolm Parkinson died recently in the USA aged almost 80 years old and a celebrated scientist and historian who spent his career teaching across the globe.

Malcolm was born in Londonderry in 1942, the second son to parents Frank and Marjorie Parkinson. The family soon relocated to Portadown where Malcolm’s father took up employment as Shirt Factory Manager with Spence Bryson. The family lived in 21 Edward Street with the RUC Station being on one side and the Carnegie Library close on the other.

Malcolm and his three brothers all attended Thomas Street Primary School when Isaac Dalton was Headmaster. Malcolm had one older brother Frank (d.2016), and two younger brothers John and Brian.

His younger brother John, who was five years younger than Malcolm, has many memories of lively debates and discussions, especially about faith related subjects. John said: “The home drew its character from the deeply held Christian faith of our parents.”

School in Portadown, Co Armagh

As a boy, Malcolm was an avid reader and soon showed an interest in history and geography, having read all ten volumes of Arthur Mee’s Children’s Encyclopaedias from cover to cover while still at primary school. He also enjoyed the usual boyhood hobbies of cycling, train spotting, and stamp collecting. From 1953 to 1960 he attended Portadown College where his exceptional academic ability would soon become evident.

Malcolm’s daughter Hilary Parkinson announced his death, just a month before his 80th birthday. He died peacefully at home in the USA with his wife and children by his side after a year of treatments for stage 4 cancer.

Hilary revealed that as a young man, Malcolm traveled throughout Europe and the Middle East. He even worked in a kibbutz in Israel, but got sunburned and finished out working in a carpenter’s shop in Nazareth. (He enjoyed retelling this story many, many times over the next few decades.)

University education in Belfast and the USA

He attended the Queen’s University in Belfast as an undergraduate and a graduate student. His Doctoral dissertation was “An Expansion Method for Calculating Atomic Properties” and it earned him a PhD.

He went to America in 1966 to attend Princeton University where he shifted his focus to history of science.

Family life and career

While living in New Jersey, he met his wife, Ellen, fell in love, and married her in 1969. The couple celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2019 with a family trip to Santa Fe.

Mr Parkinson spent almost his entire career as a professor teaching history of science at WPI (Worcester Polytechnic Institute).

His daughter said: “He loved the academic life and sharing his knowledge with undergraduates. We enjoyed going with him to stay in London while his students worked on projects at the Tower of London, Imperial War Museum, and other museums.”

He also enjoyed many visits to the National Archives at College Park and abroad to research the development of camouflage in World War I.

He was President of the Higgins Armory Museum and served on the board for many years. He was President and also served on the board at Briarwood and was a member of the Worcester Torch Club.

Hilary said: “My dad loved all things beautiful: art, writing, and architecture. He enjoyed travelling and visiting new places. He and my mom ventured to Japan for an amazing trip with my husband and me - but his favourite experience might have been discovering the French bakery in Kyoto!

“One of my favourite times with my dad was celebrating his naturalization with a dinner at Old Europe in Washington, DC, in 2014. He announced that he was a new citizen to the room and received a round of applause!

“My dad was supportive and proud of all the accomplishments and adventures of his daughter and his son, my brother, Ivan. He enjoyed talking with us and following our career and lives. He always took the time to support us in any way we needed, from driving us around to new apartments, meeting our friends, or just listening to us work through the various problems that we faced as young people and new parents.

“He was proud to be a grandfather to Natalie, Desmond, and Angus. (He was also delighted when we gave Desmond the middle name of Malcolm, carrying on the tradition from my brother who also bears his name!) He enjoyed giving his grandchildren new books on topics he knew they were interested in.

“He was a person who found life enormously interesting, who was kind, who was pleased when he made my mom laugh too hard, and who loved to explore the world.

“We are so lucky to have many, many wonderful memories with my father. We will miss him so much.”

Association with Higgins Armory Collection

Higgins Armory Collection said in their Facebook post: “It is with great sorrow that we must inform the Higgins community of the passing of Prof. E. Malcolm Parkinson. During his four decades in Worcester, Malcolm was a passionate supporter of the Higgins Armory and the Higgins Collection, serving for many years on the Armory’s Board and its Collections Committee, including a term as Board President in 1985-88.

“He also built a vibrant program of collaboration between the Armory and WPI, where he taught History of Science and Technology. Malcolm will be remembered as a man of outstanding intelligence, creativity, charm, and humanity, deeply beloved by his friends and colleagues in the Higgins community. He will be missed more than words can express.”

Memorial services were held in Rockville, MD (Maryland), and at Salem Covenant Church in Worcester, MA (Massachusetts).

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