Kathryn O'Rourke Parker facts for kids

Kathryn "Kathy" O'Rourke Parker is a talented writer and producer of children's educational television. She is best known for helping to create the very popular show Barney & Friends. She worked on this show with Sheryl Leach and Dennis DeShazer.

Kathy studied Special Education at Eastern Michigan University, earning her first degree in 1976 and a master's degree in 1979. She taught special education in Michigan from 1976 to 1981. After that, she moved to Texas. From 1981 to 1987, she worked at a company called DLM, Inc. There, she helped market educational products for young children. In 1987, Kathy Parker and her friend Sheryl Leach started working on the idea that would become Barney & Friends.

Creating a TV Star

Sheryl Leach first thought of a talking teddy bear. But her young son loved dinosaurs, so the idea changed to a friendly dinosaur. Sheryl's father-in-law owned a company that published educational materials. He helped fund the first steps of the Barney idea. He also brought in Dennis DeShazer, who was a video writer and producer.

This team of three – Kathy, Sheryl, and Dennis – made a series of home videos. They were called Barney and the Backyard Gang. These videos featured actress Sandy Duncan and were sold directly to families.

Barney Comes to PBS

In 1991, a TV executive named Larry Rifkin from Connecticut Public Television rented a Barney video for his 4-year-old daughter. He was very impressed! He quickly contacted Sheryl Leach's company, the Lyons Group. They decided to work together to make 26 new episodes for PBS.

Later that year, production began on the new TV show, Barney & Friends. Each episode was 30 minutes long. It showed a group of children imagining a situation where they could learn something. Barney would then help them understand it through songs, dances, and stories.

PBS thought about canceling the show in 1992, after only six weeks. But the ratings showed that Barney & Friends was the most watched children's program on the network. So, it stayed on the air and continued to be made. The show was produced by Lyrick Studios, which was later bought by HIT Entertainment.

Kathy's Role in Barney's Success

Kathy Parker became a co-executive producer for the Barney & Friends TV series. This meant she helped manage the show's production. She also worked as the publisher for Barney Books from 1992 to 1994. Kathy helped create many Barney toys and games with other companies.

Her husband, Phil Parker, wrote more than 100 songs for the Barney & Friends TV series. Some of his songs sold so many copies that they earned Gold or Platinum awards! His work was even nominated for a Grammy award for Best Children's Album.

Helping the Community

Kathy and Phil Parker have given their time and money to many charities in North Texas that help children. In 2002, the Collin County Children's Advocacy Center gave Kathy Parker their Hero Of Hope Volunteer Award. This award recognized her amazing volunteer work.

She has also served on the advisory board for the National Children's Alliance. She was also on the board of the National Children's Cancer Society. From 2011 to 2012, she was the president of the McKinney Education Foundation.

What's Next for Kathy?

Kathy is currently working on creating a new children's program.