Oral History Interview with Zakir Parpia

DESCRIPTION
Born in India in 1948, Zakir Parpia grew up and went to school in the areas surrounding Bombay. After completing his bachelor's degree in engineering and working in the construction industry in India, Mr. Parpia came to Pullman, Washington to pursue his Master's degree in Civil Engineering from Washington State University where he graduted magna cum laude. After starting his own company in Spokane, he and his wife Chitra and their children moved to Western Washington in 1989. Today he is the founder and president of the successful Himalaya Homes, Inc. In his time as a builder, Mr. Parpia has earned the respect of his peers in the building trade as evidenced by the numerous awards received such as being named Builder of the Year for Washington State in 1986, Builder of the Year for King & Snohomish Counties in 1992, and most recently was honored for his years of service by being inducted into the first class of the Master Builder's Hall of Fame. Mr. Parpia’s long record of community involvement includes numerous offices held in State and national building organizations. Among those was to serve as President of the Master Builders Association for King and Snohomish Counties in 1997. He currently lives in Kirkland, WA with his wife Chitra and has three children, Zarina, Aliza, and Raheem.

ADDITIONAL METADATA
Date: November 15, 2007
Subject(s): Zakir Parpia
Type: Oral History
Language: English
Creator: Amy Bhatt
Location: Washington

PROVENANCE
Holding Institution: University of Washington
Collection: South Asian Oral History Project at the University of Washington
Additional Information: Phase 2
Item History: 2017-01-22 (created); 2017-01-22 (modified)

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