Early Life
Parsons was the only child of a rich but dysfunctional family. When he was a teenager his father walked out on his mother and him. Parsons landed a job with the Hercules Powder Company while still a senior in high school. The following year, he entered Pasadena Junior College and spent two years at the University of Southern California, although he did not graduate.
Read more about this topic: John Whiteside Parsons
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