A tribute to Beau Parent in Ecuador

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It’s more than 2,200 miles from the A. B. Freeman School of Business to Quito, Ecuador, but in that faraway South American community, accounting professor Beau Parent is fondly remembered.

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Freeman School alumnus Augusto Martinez fondly remembers his former accounting teacher, the late Beau Parent. (Photos courtesy of Augusto Martinez)

Thanks to the efforts of Freeman alum Augusto Martinez (BSM ’90), a new educational and recreational center near Quito recently was dedicated to the memory of Parent, who died on July 20, 2014. He was a much-beloved and award-winning instructor who taught Financial Accounting at Tulane to every business undergraduate for 37 years.

A former student of Parent, Martinez is president and CEO of Parquesanto S. A., a leading Ecuadorian corporation in the death care industry. In keeping with its ongoing social programs, the firm built the new center earlier this year to serve 150 families in an underprivileged neighborhood in southern Quito.

“I believe it will have an important impact in increasing the quality of life of the people in this area through health care, vaccination campaigns, training seminars and courses,” Martinez said. A plaque on the exterior of the building carries a dedication to Parent.

Martinez explained the project in an email message to Colette Raphel, Parent’s daughter, who is the university registrar at Tulane. Martinez said in his message that Parent put his heart and mind into educating young people and was “a world-class educator.”

In a speech dedicating the center, Martinez said, “I have been lucky to attend classes, seminars and courses in several countries around the world, and I have never encountered someone like Beau. He will remain in my mind and my heart as one of my heroes, someone who inspired me and others in many ways. His teachings, his friendship, his kindness, his inspiration and his smile will always be in my heart.”

Fundraising is currently under way online for the Beau Parent Memorial Scholarship Fund.

In Quito, Ecuador, neighborhood residents gather for the dedication of the new educational and recreation center that honors the memory of Beau Parent, who taught accounting at Tulane for 37 years.
In Quito, Ecuador, neighborhood residents gather for the dedication of the new educational and recreation center that honors the memory of Beau Parent, who taught accounting at Tulane for 37 years.