Meet Robert V Parker
The Vision Behind the Story
Robert V. Parker has spent his life chasing waves, sunsets, and adventure across the Seven Seas. A surfer, world traveler, and former golf instructor for the United States Army, he’s explored coastlines from Barbados to Bali and built a life shaped by saltwater and sunshine. Now rooted on the coast of North Carolina and inspired by his Grandson, Jack, Parker continues to discover more about the deserted barrier islands of North Carolina and swims with his Grandson and loyal “Seadog”. Suns of Beaches is his tribute to a lifetime of wanderlust and the oceans that shaped him.
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The story
A life shaped by saltwater and sunsets.
In Suns of Beaches, Robert Parker traces an extraordinary American life shaped as much by saltwater and sunlight as by resilience, loss, and second chances. From his childhood on the quiet sands of Wrightsville Beach to the gritty realities of the Vietnam-era Army, Parker invites readers into a vivid, emotionally charged journey that spans decades, continents, and cultures. His story is both intimate and sweeping, a memoir of survival, discovery, and the relentless pull of the ocean that raised him.
Across these pages, Parker revisits the ghosts of family secrets, the innocence of golden Carolina summers, and the electric pulse of the 1960s surf revolution. He drops readers into barracks where fear and camaraderie lived side by side, then transports them to the jungles, snowfields, and foreign coastlines that shaped the man he became. From wild road trips and unexpected mentors to moments of heartbreak, humor, and pure transcendence, his life unfolds with the candor of someone who has lived boldly and paid the price for it.
With storytelling as warm and unfiltered as a beach bonfire at dusk, Suns of Beaches is a tribute to adventure, forgiveness, and the unpredictable currents that carry us toward who we’re meant to be. This is more than a memoir, it’s a testament to the power of memory, the joy of movement, and the enduring call of home.
1945
BORN INTO A CHANGING WORLD
Born on the day of FDR’s final inauguration, into a family shaped by war and silence.
1946
THE HEALING SHORE
Our move to Wrightsville Beach began a new life shaped by saltwater and sunlight.
1963
DISCOVERING SURFING
A single surfboard in a garage opened the door to freedom, travel, and identity.
1967
BAPTISM IN OD GREEN
Drafted into the U.S. Army, leaving the waves for war and uncertainty.
1970
THAILAND AND RETURN
Serving overseas and coming home changed how I saw the world—and myself.
1975
LIFE IN THE SURF INDUSTRY
From bartender to surf rep, a new chapter began that carried me around the globe.