Alice Dabney Parker died at her home in Franklin, Virginia, on April 21, 2007. She was 94. She was born Alice Saunders Dabney on Sept 4, 1912, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Her father, R. Heath Dabney, was professor of history and economics at the University of Virginia for 49 years and dean of the department of graduate studies for 18 years. Her mother, Lily Davis Dabney, was the founder of the English-Speaking-Union in Charlottesville and a celebrated hostess at her home, which still stands at 703 Rugby Road. Mrs. Parker, like her older brother Virginius Dabney (later editor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch), was educated entirely at home by her father and her great-aunt until she was in her teens. She then graduated from St. Anne's School and Sweet Briar College, where she received her A.B. degree with honors at the age of 19.
She was married in 1935 to John C. Parker of Franklin, Virginia. For decades during their 51-year marriage she and her husband went to New York City twice a year where they reveled in theater, ballet and the cabaret scene. Their intense curiosity about the world made their many trips abroad memorable not only for themselves but for their daughters who relished their tales and Mrs. Parker's beautifully composed photographs taken with the simplest of cameras.

Keenly musical, she studied the piano for many years. When Emmanuel Episcopal Church needed an organist, she volunteered to learn the organ and served in that capacity at the church for 11 years in the 40s and 50s. She was a devoted member of that congregation for a total of 72 years. She was a 48-year member of the Franklin Book Club, to which she gave countless hours of loving attention and intellectual guidance. Her programs for the club were remarkable for their vitality and scholarly depth. She was also a very active member of the Franklin Music Club and the Franklin Garden Club.

Her family was entwined with the history of the University of Virginia from the beginning, her mother being a collateral descendant of Thomas Jefferson's sister Martha. Mrs. Parker's great-grandfather, John A.G. Davis, chairman of the University faculty, was shot dead on the Lawn by a student in a notorious incident. Her great-grandfather, James E. Heath, was a founder of Phi Beta incident. Her great-grandfather, James E. Heath, was a founder of Phi Beta Kappa.
She is survived by her daughters, the Reverend Fleming Rutledge of Rye Brook, New York, and her husband R. E. Rutledge, and Elizabeth (Betsy) Parker McColl of Columbia, SC, and her husband James C. McColl; by three granddaughters, Heyward Rutledge Donigan of Seattle, Elizabeth Heath Rutledge of Atlanta, and Elizabeth (Eliza) Dabney McColl Liles of Charlotte; and two great-grandchildren, Alice Dabney Donigan and Patrick Riley Donigan.

The family will receive visitors at 307 Meadow Lane on Thursday and Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 28 at Emmanuel Episcopal Church with the Revs. Edmund Pickup and Ben R. Duffey officiating. Burial will be at Poplar Spring Cemetery immediately following. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Emmanuel Episcopal Church Endowment fund, P. O. Box 146, Franklin, Virginia 23851; the Southampton County Historical Society, 33335 Statesville Road, Newsoms, VA 23874 ; or the Ruth Camp Campbell Library, 280 N. College Drive, Franklin, VA 23851.