Parmenter a gentle giant built to excel

Dan Parmenter was seen by his Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity brothers as a gentle giant.

At nearly 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, the Westchester native was built to excel on the football and rugby fields.

But the 20-year-old NIU sophomore had a soft streak as well, as the organizer of weekly fraternity outings to play Bingo with seniors.

Friends are remembering both sides of Parmenter.

Kevin Greco says he made the best decision of his life by joining the fraternity, which only happened because Parmenter convinced him.

The two played football together at York High School in Elmhurst. They weren't close at the time, but Greco says they grew tight over the past months.

"I owe him so much. He has changed my life forever," Greco said. "I'm just upset because I can't truly thank him for everything."

Parmenter was a two-year starter for the York football team. His senior year he volunteered to move to offensive tackle to fill a team need, a selfless act head coach Bill Lech says spoke volumes to his character.

The move worked as the team went on to win the West Suburban Silver Conference for the first time in several years.

"He was a kid who stood out because of his work ethic," says Lech. "He was always prepared and willing."

Lech says the halls of Parmenter's alma mater were somber Friday. Grief counselors were on hand, and the basketball team all wore red in support of the fallen victims.

"There's an overall sense of loss," Lech said. "We're a family, and we lost a member."

When York Principal Diana Smith heard Parmenter and his girlfriend were sitting at the front of the lecture hall when the shooting began, she wasn't surprised.

"(This) was characteristic of his dedication to academics, to athletics, to everything that he pursued," Smith said in a statement.

Parmenter was a good student with a strong interest in the business world. He won an online business-building contest known as the Junior Achievement Chicago Titan Competition in high school and went on to major in finance. Friends say Parmenter hoped to intern this summer at the Chicago Board of Trade. He also worked as a sales associate for the NIU student newspaper, the Northern Star.

Parmenter's involvement in so many areas of campus life has left many at a loss.

A group of his friends could be found Thursday evening outside the Kishwaukee Community Hospital emergency room entrance, sobbing on the curb as they awaited word.

At midnight, more than a hundred sorority and fraternity members held a candlelight vigil for Parmenter and two women from the house next door who also were wounded.

"He was my roommate for four months last semester, and I don't think we got into one argument," said Derek Burk of Roscoe. "He had so many things to offer. This shouldn't have happened to him."