Fundraising Spotlight:
Dr. Fred D. Parrott
Fred D. Parrott, MD is one of the most consistent benefactors of the University through his celebrated Real Men Cook Foundation. Most recently, he has established the Real Men Cook Foundation Academic Scholarship of Excellence and Endowment Challenge Fund and partnered with the National Medical Foundation to support historically Black medical schools.
A $ 12,500 award will each be given to two CDU African American medical students during the 2020-21 academic year who have demonstrated academic excellence and strong community service. It is a continuation of Dr. Parrott’ s longstanding vision of increasing the number of minority health care providers by awarding scholarships to medical students attending HBCUs.
A native of Houston, TX, Fred Parrott had a stellar academic career. He graduated from Jack Yates high school at the age of 16, and Howard University at 19 with a psychology degree. He followed up with a Masters’ degree in microbiology at UCLA.
He was drafted into the US Army in 1952, inducted as a First Lieutenant. He trained with doctors and was sent to Tokyo, Japan as a bacteriologist. Ever enterprising, he also opened a tailor shop in Tokyo, fitting servicemen with Hong Kongmade shirts.
His first employment in the medical field was working as a territory manager for Wyeth Pharmaceutical. He occupied that position while simultaneously attending Meharry Medical College, graduating in 1958.
He moved to Los Angeles and completed an internship at Los Angeles County Hospital before becoming a fellow at the University of Minnesota Medical Center Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. After completing his fellowship, he returned to Los Angeles and began his private practice.
His generosity and insistence on building a platform for emerging ethnic minority leaders in medicine has a solid base which he has developed over the years. Real Men Cook is an example of Dr. Parrott’ s talent for recognizing the value of bringing together diverse parts of the community in a unified cause, often while having fun.
Real Men Cook was an annual happening between the late 1980s and mid-1990s. It was based on the various“ Taste Of” events that proliferated in a variety of communities and continue in spirit today. Even by today’ s standards, Real Men Cook was something to talk about. By creating a colorful event that featured an attraction that appeals to everyone, in this case great food that included many dishes familiar to attendees, as well as exotic delicacies from around the world, Dr. Parrott’ s showcased participants’ imagination and creativity.
The videos that Dr. Parrott commissioned to showcase the events are both historic and memorable for a variety of reasons. There is every indication that such a unique type of cause-related activity will be hard to duplicate ever again. There is the appealing visual look and the actual taste of the food. The event was staged in a donated space at an appropriate venue such as the LA Airport Hilton.
Real Men Cook was a competition, with professional culinary experts in the form of executive chefs serving as judges. As a“ quasi-friendly” competition, there was plenty of opportunity for camaraderie and plenty of smack-talking about whose food was the tastiest.
CDU College of Medicine | PG. 18