Bob Parsons, B.S. '75, D.H.L. '08, a Baltimore native, founder of a string of globally successful companies and now a billionaire philanthropist,  returned to his alma mater on Monday, May 6 for his literary debut, a memoir called Fire in the Hole!

Parsons engaged in a conversation about his many insights (including his experience as a U.S. Marine fighting in Vietnam) The University of Baltimore President Kurt L. Schmoke moderated audience questions.

UBalt last hosted Parsons as its Fall 2021 Commencement speaker. Parsons, who co-leads The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation, has been a strong supporter of the University for well over a decade. The Bob Parsons Scholarship Fund is the single largest donation to a scholarship program in the history of The University of Baltimore, and UBalt's Veterans Center and the Veterans Advocacy Clinic in the School of Law both bear his name. All told, his support of the institution exceeds $10 million. He continues to inspire and challenge UBalt students and alumni, encouraging them to lead full, active lives and be of service to others along the way.

"Do something that you love to do," he told the audience at the 2021 Commencement ceremony. "Remember: When you love something, it tells you all its secrets, and you're always willing to work harder at it."

Fire in the Hole!: The Untold Story of My Traumatic Life and Explosive Success is the result of Parsons's decades of hard work, persistence and self-assessment. As the founder of a groundbreaking technology company as well as the creator of the legendary do-it-yourself website developer, GoDaddy, plus the highly successful sports equipment maker, PXG Golf, Parsons turned personal adversity on its head, time and again.

From the Fire in the Hole! web page:

"Born in the tough town of East Baltimore to parents who were inveterate gamblers, billionaire philanthropist Bob Parsons' early years were marked by hardship and financial struggle. While he vowed his family (if he ever had one) would never lack for anything, he never imagined the wealth he would earn as the founder of Parsons Technology, GoDaddy, PXG Golf, and YAM Worldwide.

"Fire in the Hole! ... recounts the exploits of his youth, his hellish and hilarious days at the mercy of Catholic school nuns, his harrowing tour of combat duty in Vietnam as a US Marine, his pioneering contributions to the software and Internet industries, and his latest ventures in powersports, golf, real estate, and marketing.

"Along the way, Bob copes with his mother's mental illness and his father's struggles, battles PTSD resulting from both his childhood and war traumas, and mounts a quest to find new and effective treatments for himself and others who suffer from this affliction. He strongly supports veterans organizations and awarded grants to more than ninety-six charities and organizations worldwide through The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation.

"Perhaps the only thing that has come easy to Parsons is his gift for storytelling. His reflections are at turns heartbreaking, heartwarming, hilarious, and inspiring. If ever there was a story about a self-made man whose wealth can be measured more by the contents of his heart than by the contents of his bank account, this is it."