Sculpture Honors Board Chair Dr. Allan Parnell

parnell statue Chairman of the Lindsey Wilson College Board of Trustees Dr. Allan Parnell was honored on Saturday with the unveiling of a life-size, bronze sculpture to commemorate Parnell’s service as the longest-serving board chair and generous College benefactor.

The sculpture, which stands at the entrance of the Parnell Family Stadium, was unveiled during the College’s 92nd Homecoming celebration in a surprise ceremony before the football game.

“Mister P and the entire Parnell family are loving and faithful supporters of our College and its students,” said LWC President William T. Luckey Jr. “Allan is an important chapter in the LWC success story and this sculpture will ensure his legacy is forever honored and talked about.”

At the end of this year, Parnell will be the longest-serving board chairman in the history of LWC, serving 11 years at the helm of the 120-year-old liberal arts college. Under his leadership, LWC has seen record enrollment; record graduation and retention rates; the introduction of an online school; the launch of an international graduate program; confirmation of the first-ever doctorate degree; and multiple athletic championships including historic wins for football and volleyball.

Parnell is also responsible for the All In for LWC Campaign, a 48-hour alumni and friends challenge to raise money for scholarship aid. Since 2014, this annual fundraiser has raised more than $5 million.

Famously known as “Mister P,” Parnell founded Mister “P” Express, a truckload contract carrier in Jeffersonville, Indiana in 1987. He was born and raised in Adair County and still has deep roots in the community. More than a dozen members of his family came out to support him and his wife, Bunny, at the statue unveiling.

“What a surprise,” Parnell said after the unveiling. “I had other plans for today and my daughter Cindy (Collier) told me that I needed to be here. I’m just so overwhelmed and glad I didn’t have to make a speech today because my emotions wouldn’t have let me do it. It’s just amazing and it even looks like me. I had no idea.”

The sculpture, standing at over seven feet tall, is the creation of world-renowned sculptor Russ Faxon from Bell Buckle, Tennessee. The statue of Parnell was commissioned more than a year ago, and initially, Parnell's likeness was sculpted in clay. A mold was created and filled with molten bronze heated to a temperature of two thousand degrees. After a cooling and cleaning process, an acid patina was applied creating a beautiful finish to the masterpiece.

Parnell’s sculpture is mounted on a granite base created by former LWC student-athlete Trent Mueller ’18 at Hunt Memorial Inc., in Nashville Tennessee.