PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A veteran working at the Bay Pines VA recently discovered a book in the archives that details the life of the first African American woman to work there in the 1940s.  

It’s a piece of history that he was hoping to share with the woman’s family if he ever found them.

Spectrum Bay News 9 first reported on the late Deotha Parsons story earlier this month. Parson’s rich history of being the first female African American employee to work at Bay Pines VA in the 1940s is all laid out in a book.

The book is housed in the archives at the Bay Pines VA. That’s where hospital coordinator for the Disabled American Veterans, John Makas, first discovered it six months ago.

He said he knew then, he had to find and connect Parsons’ family with the book.

After the story aired and appeared online, the community connected Spectrum Bay News 9 with Monica Hunt and her brother Erik Butler, Parsons’ grandchildren who live in Washington D.C.

Makas joined the video call to formally meet them and get their reaction to the story.

“I thought it was amazing,” Butler said.

Hunt says she was surprised.

“Yeah, it was great. I had chills. I was like, ‘Oh wow’ and all of those pictures. But to see all of the rest of the stuff in the book, it was nice to see,” she said.

Deotha Parsons, the history maker, was just a grandmother to them. She had already retired from VA by the time they were old enough to understand her accomplishments.

“She wasn’t too much affiliated by the time I got to know her,” Butler said.

After working for Bay Pines VA, for more than 30 years and retiring in the 1970s the book was created for her retirement. It’s something Makas wants the family to have a piece of.

“I didn’t want that photo album to get lost. So, my DAV here in the Florida Area, we’re going to get together and we’re going to have that book digitally done for you and I want to give that to your family so that you guys have it,” he said. “That’s something you should have to teach to your grandchildren.”

Once completed, Makas said he will coordinate with the family to hand them over the new digitized copy of the book.