BLUE ASH, Ohio — Helen Kugel knew the late Dave Parker was going to do great things back in 1968.
"When he would sit in my office, I said, 'Someday, Dave, you're going to be in the Hall of Fame,'" Kugel said. "And finally, he made it."
Kugel, 88, was Parker's high school guidance counselor at Courter Tech High School.
"Well, he had lots of friends and the girls all liked him," Kugel said.
After high school, Kugel continued to follow Parker's career as he would send her gifts over the years. She showed us collectors' items in her Blue Ash basement.
"I don't think many people have that one," Kugel said, showing us a Parker rookie card signed by him.
WCPO 9 News went to Kugel's home to learn more about their relationship and to see the treasured mementos from their decades-long friendship. The Cincinnati native and Hall of Famer died this weekend after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.
Hear more memories from Kugel about her friendship with Parker in the video below:
The two remained in contact while Parker played, but once baseball was over, the two became ever closer.
"Going out to dinner together, he ordered fish — he loved fish, I think sea bass is one of his favorites," Kugel said. "I was always part of the family. I think he considered me part of his family, and he was part of my family."
We saw Parker in several pictures in Kugel's home, including at her 80th birthday party just a few years after doctors diagnosed him with Parkinson's.
"I felt honored that he cared that much about me as a person, but he said I was always there for him," Kugel said.
Parker invited her to see him finally get into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. It's a bittersweet feeling for her since Parker isn't alive to see it. She described the last time she saw him on June 2.
"I held his hand, I rubbed his shoulder and he was just laying there, and I said, 'Dave, I love you,'" said Kugel. "I think he mumbled something like, 'I love you, too.'"
