Alton C. Parker was born in Windsor, Ontario, on July 3, 1907, where he remained for the rest of his life.
[2] He was also president of the Central Citizens Association, a group organized to (among other things) employ black people in Windsor's public services.
His appointment met some resistance before his professional demeanor swayed those fellow officers.
In the 1960s, he became a director of Goodwill Industries and hosted an annual children's event at Broadhead Park, a site renamed in his honor in 1976.
[5] Parker died on February 28, 1989, aged 81; his funeral service attracted such a large crowd that loudspeakers and radio carried the speeches to many listeners.