Dear Argus,
We, some of the many people who knew Parker Tey, have created a patchwork of stories, adventures, and bits and pieces of who they were in the hopes of capturing some semblance of how important they were to all of us:
“Parker and I were good friends; they were so easy to be around and so easy to talk to.”
“Parker Tey ’26, a double major in Music and Theater at Wesleyan, made a lasting impression on our Theater Department through their exceptional talent, dedication, and creative vision.”
“Parker had awesome hand painted pants and seemed so cool. Every time we talked, I thought we could have been good friends. I wish I had gotten to know them better.”
“Parker and I met as musical collaborators and it grew into an artistic friendship, which is a beautiful kind of relationship.”
“Knowing Parker was (& still is) knowing someone who makes the world feel like a warmer, kinder, more brilliant place than it was before they were a part of my life.”
“Parker and I bonded over eating spicy food (i.e. straight gochujang on chips, blue takis), playing Magic: the Gathering, and being silly.”
“We would often delve into the obscure and bizarre, often making things up as we went along.”
“The first time Parker and I met we were working on a song together for a class. We kept laughing and couldn’t stay serious the entire time we worked together and it was so much fun. It was that interaction that led us to becoming roommates and even writing together later sophomore year.”
“I loved talking and laughing with them, and really appreciated their ability to consistently make things more bizarre.”
“I feel so blessed that I have gotten to grow up with them, and see them change, and express themselves, and impact so many people with their love and incredible passion for art and creating”
“We wrote a song together for the first week in music theater workshop—it felt like the easiest and most natural thing in the world, playing off what the other was thinking and hyping each other up.”
“I would not be the person I am today, in ways big and small, known and yet known, had Parker and I not chanced into each other’s lives those few short years ago, in the dark, sitting on Foss Hill.”
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“I thank you dearly…for allowing me to cut a malevolent being’s head off with a chainsaw. It wasn’t DnD, but it was still filled with all the wild voice acting and character/environmental descriptions you could possibly imagine. My favorite, of course, being the epic description of a chainsaw sawing off the head of an eldritch horror, following the Jenga pull of the century.”
“Parker and I wrote a play together last semester and it was the most joyous I’ve ever been for a class project. They were so effortlessly funny and wrote some amazing jokes in our script—the day before the performance, we were desperately trying to make a worm puppet and they did a fantastic job.”
“One time Parker snuck into my room every day for a week and took something of increasing value, until they gave it all back to me at a Secret Santa. At first I was like how the hell did they know to buy me all the things I just lost. I have never felt so insane and then so relieved when the jig was up.”
“When I told Parker that jelly belly jelly beans were my favorite flavor, they got them for me so many times that I actually got sick of them and haven’t bought any for myself since.”
“Everyone loved and adored Parker. One of my first memories of Parker showed me this talent, and they were not even in the room at the time. They just started working in the CFA Theater scene shop, and a few of our student staff found out they would be joining the team. They were excited and telling each other, THAT’S OUR FRIEND and getting giant smiles on their faces. I could have sworn everyone who worked that day had a new bounce in their step.”
“While Parker was in Pittsburg, they started to work on their thesis project. It was just in the beginning stages, building a radio and amplifier set-up in their room, wires taped to the wall. They took files from their computer and transformed them into sound bites, running them through the speaker system.”
“Making Parker laugh felt like the best feeling— not that they didn’t laugh a lot, but it just felt really good when they laughed. In freshman year, I got them to do a spit take two times, and I felt like I was on top of the world.”
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“Parker took several design courses, including Space Design for Performance, where their model work was so exemplary it was selected for exhibition at the Usdan display. Their outstanding contributions led to their position as Assistant Scenic Designer for our Spring 2024 Mainstage production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where they designed the entire first act with remarkable skill and artistry.”
“They were gentle and thoughtful and creative and hilarious, willing to take risks to make beautiful unexpected things.”
“After Parker was my director in Great Comet pit, I was so nervous about being theirs when they joined pep band—and maybe I was kind of right to be because they were the only one who ever called me out on my bullshit. I’m so grateful for that and for them, for what they contributed musically and culturally, how they just picked up the alto sax with no complaints, how they created the most beautiful arrangement of I Bet On Losing Dogs I’ve ever heard.”
“Parker had the ability to pick up just about anything that they were handed and not only learn quickly, but excel, whether it be carpentry, hanging lights, design, and mentorship.”
“As a creator they worked diligently to collaborate and had a drive and passion for many disciplines, even some surprising ones like conducting an orchestra to building a wooden shrimp. They also had a bit of a trickster streak and enjoyed surprising others with talents and jokes.”
“I loved their fashion, their poise while conducting, a well-cuffed sleeve with baton in hand.”
“Parker shines in improvisation and to me that is an inspiration—from them I learned that we all can muddle through and come up with something beautiful, so long as we hold on to some scrap of whimsy. I think what this boils down to is Parker’s incredible capacity to create—whether that be music, stories, or a damn good joke.”
They always thought of others; as a friend, mentor, or collaborator, be it by creating something or lending a hand, they stepped up for others.
“They were incredible hugs & discovering forms of music you’ve never heard before & jokes so quick it takes you a second to process them & talking for hours without even realizing it because it’s so easy.”
“I remember how much fun they made even simple things, like the long five-hour drives to and from Philadelphia or going to get photo cards at Staples.”
“They were so kind and caring and funny that, no matter how awful my week was going, everything bad just seemed to melt away once we started talking.”
“Whenever Parker and I talked, it felt like we could talk for hours. If we ever lived together, I don’t know how much we would have gotten done, but I think that’s what they would have wanted. Parker reminded me to follow my passion, whatever made me feel most alive.”
“Their vibrant presence, collaborative spirit, kindness, and creative insight were evident in everything they did—from coursework to their work in the scenic shop, and their enthusiastic participation in student theater.”
“They were a spark in every space they were in, with an acute ability to pick up on the unspoken tension in any rehearsal room.”
“We could build off of each other’s ideas in really fun ways and ramp up the absurdity to make each other laugh. One favorite of mine was coming up with how the human body would work if we had one large gland instead of a brain.”
“Playing D&D with them was magical—they had an incredible ability to paint a movie, with full special effects and audio, in your head.”
“They ran D&D campaigns with such extensive world-building that they had a Google Drive folder filled with probably 50 pages of documents for it. Parker knew exactly how to set the ambiance and enhanced every game they led with perfectly timed music. They let players have such free rein with their character design and inspired me to be more creative.”
“Everything Parker did, they did with such drive, passion, determination, and courage. It was never out of ambition or out of obligation; Parker did what they did out of the most genuine interest and the purest of love for the art, whatever the art might be (and Parker dedicated themselves to many). Their energy was infectious; when Parker was leading the charge, everyone around them were inspired to follow suit with the same level of vigour and attention they brought to everything they touched.”
“Parker pushed us to share in their vulnerability and closeness, creating a space where we could all be there to support each other without fear of judgement or of being a burden.”
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“I don’t have a ton of eloquent things to say, just that I feel so much grief because I really liked Parker.”
“With such enormous abilities, Parker’s character will leave the most lasting impression. Parker was full of grace, style, compassion, and humility.”
“I will always miss the comfort and stability they brought to my stressful college life, the way they made me feel safe & like myself even when I was overwhelmed.”
“They had this quiet gentleness that I will really miss.”
“Our last conversation was on venmo, passing the same 50 cents back and forth as we talked about our lives and what we’d been watching recently, trying to fit as much as we could into the 280 character limit. I wish I could have been there too, March 19th, watching the sun rise over Pittsburgh with you.”
“All who were fortunate enough to be in Parker’s presence will miss their indomitable spirit immensely.”
“They will be deeply missed by all of us in the theater department.”
“I’ll miss finding new ways to make them smile forever, and I’m endlessly lucky I got to as long as I did.”
“The sense of comfort and safety I felt around them is a memory that I will treasure, counting myself so incredibly lucky that Parker was a part of my life.”
“I’m so sad that they don’t get to continue living in all the beauty they’ve created.”
“but now I’m realizing this tone of vulnerability and shared support is something that none of us will forget.”
“I am planning on planting something for Parker in my garden at home because I am not ready to let go. I’m trying to decide if they’d like a Paw Paw tree or Blue Moon Phlox better. I think they’d like the idea of continuing to make beautiful shapes in the world, whether it be through flowers or leaves or fruits.”
“There’s too much to be able to write—I miss you, Parker!”
Sincerely,
Adri, Alary Sutherland, Anonymous, Professor Brewer Ball, Caitlin, Cas, Elena, Eliah, Emma Bella, Isaac, Julia, Lampton, Prof. Marcela Oteíza, Marissa, Maze, Mira, Raine, Rebecca, Sage, Senica, Stuart, Suzanne Sadler
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