Most Americans above a certain age know who Fess Parker is, or at least, know the characters he portrayed for Walt Disney on TV back in the 1960s. Although my television-watching childhood years didn’t begin until the 1980s, I remember eagerly awaiting batches of Davy Crockett re-runs during school vacations.
Many on the Central Coast and around the world also knew Parker and his family for the wines they produce in Foxen Canyon. Still others are aquainted with the hotel — first Fess Parker’s Red Lion Inn, now Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort — that Parker defied all regualtory odds to build along Cabrillo Boulevard across from the beach in the heart of Santa Barbara’s waterfront.
On Friday in the rotunda of his namesake hotel, several hundred people — a few donning his trademark coonskin caps — joined Parker’s family and friends at a memorial service for the movie star/wine maker/hotelier who died March 18 at age 85, thanking him for the good example he provided for so many.
“If the Injuns are attacking and the fort’s under siege, take time to check in with the family,” said Darby Hinton, who played alongside Parker as Daniel Boone’s son, Israel. Hinton said that no matter how tough life got, Parker, like the characters he portrayed, always attended to his family, a fact supported by a 50-year marriage and two successful children — Eli and Ashley.
All who spoke about Parker agreed on one thing, best summed up by a quote from a cab driver who had recently spent some time with him: He was a good man.
For my part, I only had occasion to speak with Parker once, as a news reporter working on a story about a youth hostel he was building. Although some controversy existed regarding the project, Parker did his best to reassure people that the best interests of the community were his No. 1 goal. Even though I was asking some pretty tough questions, he reassured me, too, ending our conversation with a trademark, “Ay-dee-ohs, partner.” I wasn’t sure if I’d just spoken with a hotelier or Davy Crockett, but I left with a smile on my face.
— Noozhawk staff writer Ben Preston can be reached at bpreston@noozhawk.com.