Stephen H. Parry, Jr., the owner and primary artist behind Allord’s Hand Studios, has an interestingly varied background. Formally educated in Foreign Affairs and Economics, he also holds a Masters degree in Hospital Administration. Following a 30-year career that included a commission as a Ranger-qualified airborne infantry officer in the U.S. Army, holding a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for Valor, he then left the service for a lengthy stint as a corporate executive. He has worked in various parts of the world, includung 12 years in England with two Fortune 500 corporations and most recently in the U.S. with a major medical center in the Philadelphia area. Mr. Parry has been sculpting for a number of years. Entirely self taught, he has clearly demonstrated a significant talent and a remarkable eye for detail, proportion, imagination and style. Apart from sculpture, Mr. Parry’s talent extends into the full restoration of fine antiques and pianos. He doesn’t consider himself unique or special within his family and points out that written family genealogical records indicate that the “artistic genie” has been known to be hanging around the family tree since it took root in Wales in the 13th century, producing artists, writers and musicians. True up through the present generation, this trait includes his eldest son, a promising young musician and graphic artist, and son number two, a gifted writer.  A staunch and active force in Allord’s Hand Studios, Mr. Parry’s mother is a significant artist in her own right, having been associated with the Disney Studios as a young woman and involved in the creation of the first full-length animated film, the original Fantasia.