[3][4] Parkinson was also a political activist for much of his life and survived an assassination attempt in 1961 by a former student who sought to "get someone who was associated with Communism.
When World War II began, Parkinson enlisted in the Army, but was eventually discharged due to his height.
[3] A former Berkeley student with serious mental illness named John Harrison Farmer compiled an assassination list of professors and other individuals on the campus he suspected of being communists or being part of the "liberal movement.
"[5] Farmer included Parkinson on the list due to statements he made in his courses and an article he published in campus newspaper, The Daily Californian.
[8] After the murder attempt, Parkinson continued to promote liberal causes, served as campus Ombudsman, and chaired the Berkeley chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP).
[1] He became part of the circle of writers, including Lawrence Ferlinghetti, that helped evolve the San Francisco literary culture of the 1960s.