Four decades after coaching them, Joan Parker is still making an impact on Cal's women's basketball, softball, volleyball and tennis teams.

Parker has made a $3.5 million bequest commitment to the four programs she once coached in the 1960s and '70s, with 25 percent of the funding going to each team. The gift will further fund the already existing Joan Parker Volleyball Scholarship, Luella J. Lilly Softball Scholarship, and Women's Basketball Discretionary Fund. The gift will also establish the Joan Parker's 1970's Women's Tennis Teams Scholarship.

"We are extremely grateful to Joan for her transformational gift that will have a phenomenal impact on four of our women's programs," Cal Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton said. "As a former Cal student-athlete, coach and administrator, Joan understands our department's high standards of academic and athletic excellence. This planned gift will benefit countless student-athletes for generations to come, and we cannot thank her enough for this legacy commitment."

Parker spent over four decades on campus, beginning as a student-athlete in 1959. She played basketball, badminton and tennis for the Bears before graduating in 1963, but that was just the beginning of her contribution to Cal Athletics. As a tenured faculty member of the Physical Education Department, Parker coached the four teams she is supporting with her gift. When the university established the Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Department in 1976, she was required to give up her tenure and went on to serve as the Assistant and Associate Athletic Director in the Women's Athletic Department for 13 years. When the men's and women's departments were combined in 1991, she served as the Executive Director of the Bear Backers until her retirement in 2001.

"Cal has been such an important part of my life, and I believe in the direction the program has gone," Parker said. "It's phenomenal to see how opportunities for women athletes have come so far."

Parker marvels at the advances that have been made for female student-athletes since she put on a Golden Bear uniform. Resources were scarce for women's athletics in the 1960s and '70s, and Parker's teams found themselves piling into teammates' cars for road trips, making their own uniforms without any money for food after competitions.

Parker coached the Bears to the first-ever NCIAC volleyball championship, which qualified Cal for the 1970 AIAW National Championship. She pleaded with the Physical Education Department to let the team travel to AIAW nationals, and the team ultimately made the trip, driving to Long Beach and crowding into a couple of rooms at a local Motel 6.

"We are extremely excited and tremendously grateful for the gift from Joan Parker," Cal volleyball head coach Sam Crosson said. "Joan is a beacon of inspiration for the young women within our program. Her uncompromising support and generosity will have a significant impact on the student-athlete experience of our players for years to come."

Parker has kept in close contact with many of her former tennis players from the 1970s and the team has held annual reunions in recent years. They meet for brunch and attend a women's match, where they have the opportunity to meet the current student-athletes.

"Our women's tennis program is really grateful to Joan Parker for her continued leadership in establishing this new endowed scholarship," Cal women's tennis head coach Amanda Augustus said. "It's been an honor to carry on the legacy of the Cal women's tennis program, and it's been wonderful that the players from Joan's teams have formed a special relationship with the current players. Joan is an outstanding example of what it means to give back to Cal, and especially to Cal women's tennis."

Between 1959 and 2001, Parker spent only two years away from Berkeley – one to teach P.E. at Arroyo High School in San Lorenzo (where former Cal men's golf head coach Steve Desimone was a student at the time) and one to serve as the first Director of Girls and Women's Sports on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in Washington, D.C., in 1973.

"Joan's continued generosity to support Cal softball is unmatched," Cal softball head coach Chelsea Spencer said. "She has helped our program break barriers, and given us the opportunity to truly compete to be a top national contender. We are beyond grateful for her contributions and look forward to making her proud."

Since retiring in 2001, Parker has maintained a constant presence on campus as a fan and supporter. She has season tickets to football, men's basketball, women's basketball, softball and volleyball. Parker is active in the respective booster groups and enjoys getting to know the student-athletes.

"Joan's contributions to Cal Athletics and women's sports in particular are phenomenal," Cal women's basketball coach Charmin Smith said. "She is truly making a difference in the lives of our student-athletes, and we are extremely grateful."

Parker served as president of the Women's C Society and was named the National Athletic Fundraiser of the Year in 1992. She also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from NACWAA in 2006 and served on the AIAW Board of Directors, including a stint as President of the Western Region. In 2008, she was inducted into Cal's Athletic Hall of Fame as an athlete, coach and administrator.

"I really love Cal. It's been my life since I went to school here," Parker said. "It's been an incredible experience to see how far the women's program has come since I was a student-athlete, and I just wanted to help continue the excellence of the program. Giving back is so important, and I am so proud to be a Golden Bear."