Dr. Walter Parker, ninth president of Southeast Missouri State University, increased the number of campus buildings by 43 percent and tripling student enrollment during his 23 years of service. Parker led the way from Sept. 1, 1933, until he retired due to illness in the later months of 1956. During his administration, Parker was responsible for the construction of the new Kent Library, Cheney Hall, Myers Hall, the Memorial Building, and the (Parker) Physical Education Building. Parker's other accomplishments include: Pushing to raise the school's academic standing until it ranked in the top three percent in all the colleges in the nation; heading community service groups such as the Missouri State Teachers Association, the Southeast Missouri Boy Scout Council, and the county Red Cross; and establishing two scholarship systems.