BATON ROUGE — Judge John Parker changed the course of history when he oversaw the desegregation of public schools in Baton Rouge in 1981. 

Judge Parker, born in Baton Rouge in 1928, graduated from LSU and LSU Law School before serving 10 years as assistant parish attorney. He was then nominated to serve as a federal judge in 1979, a role he would hold for 19 years, eventually assuming senior status in 1998. 

One of the many cases he presided over was the 1981 desegregation ruling that led to the end of forced busing in East Baton Rouge Parish public schools. 

"As a lawyer, who was a competent lawyer and a judge who did the best job he could," Parker reflected about what he wanted his legacy to be.