1. Jerry S Parr was a United States Secret Service agent who is best known for defending President Ronald Reagan during the attempt on the president's life on March 30,1981, in Washington, DC Parr pushed Reagan into the presidential limousine and made the critical decision to divert the presidential motorcade to George Washington University Hospital instead of returning to the White House.
Jerry Parr was honored for his actions that day with US Congress commendations, and is widely credited with helping to save the president's life.
Jerry Studstill Parr was born in Montgomery, Alabama, on September 16,1930, and he grew up in the Miami area.
An ordained minister, in 1987, Parr was awarded an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from Eureka College.
Jerry Parr was working as a lineman for Florida Power and Light in 1962 when he was interviewed by a visiting recruiter for the Secret Service.
Jerry Parr joined the Secret Service at age 32, the oldest rookie in his class.
In 1979, Jerry Parr moved to the Presidential Protective Division, where he was Special Agent in Charge and Head of the White House Detail.
In 1982, he became Assistant Director of Protective Research, and in 1985, Jerry Parr retired from the Secret Service.
Jerry Parr's story is told in his autobiography, In the Secret Service: The True Story Of The Man who Saved President Reagan, co-authored by his wife Carolyn Jerry Parr.
Jerry Parr quickly pushed Reagan into the limousine, and as a result, one of the bullets overshot the president.
Jerry Parr's prompt reaction had saved Reagan from being hit in the head.
Carolyn, Jerry Parr's wife, had been standing directly across the street when the shooting occurred.
Jerry Parr had called to invite her to come watch the president's exit and get a fun glimpse of her husband in action.
Reagan was in great pain from the bullet that struck his rib, and he believed that the rib had cracked when Jerry Parr pushed him into the limousine.
Jerry Parr received congressional commendations for his actions, and was named one of four "Top Cops" in the US by Parade magazine.
Jerry Parr later wrote about the assassination attempt in his autobiography, calling it both the best and the worst day of his life.
Jerry Parr came to believe that God had directed his life so that he could one day save the president's life, and became a pastor after retiring from the Secret Service in 1985.
Jerry Parr was very active in his church in Washington, DC, where he was a former co-pastor, retreat leader and spiritual director.
Jerry Parr served on the board of directors at Joseph's House, an organization for men with AIDS and co-founded Servant Leadership School.
Jerry Parr died of congestive heart failure at a hospice in Washington, DC, on October 9,2015, aged 85.
Jerry Parr was survived by Carolyn, his wife of nearly 56 years, three daughters and four granddaughters.
Jerry Parr was a member of the Association for Conflict Resolution and American Association of Pastoral Counsellors.
Jerry Parr was a film advisor for the feature film dramas In the Line of Fire and Contact, and for the documentaries In the Line of Fire: Behind the Scenes with the Secret Service, and Inside the US Secret Service.
Jerry Parr served as a commentator on C-SPAN, Larry King Live, Meet the Press, Discovery Channel, History Channel, PBS, and Travel Channel.
Jerry Parr was portrayed by John Robinson in the 2003 film The Reagans and by Joe Chrest in the 2016 television film Killing Reagan.