Daryl Parker, a longtime steward in the Midwest who was the first Black steward in U.S. racing, died on Thursday night, according to a social-media post from his son, Deshawn. Daryl Parker, 69, died after “a long battle with cancer that took his life,” said Deshawn, a leading rider, on his social-media account. “My idol, my best friend, and a great father,” Deshawn posted. “He meant so much to my life and my career. I can only hope to be as great as he was.” Daryl Parker worked most recently as a steward at Thistledown and Mahoning Valley racetracks in Ohio, though he recently took time off for treatment of his cancer. He was first hired as a steward in 1986 at Thistledown. He worked as a steward at all of the Ohio racetracks and in Michigan. As a young man, Parker worked as an exercise rider for his uncle, the trainer Oscar Dishman, at River Downs, and as a jockey’s agent. His uncle encouraged him to get an education before seeking a professional position on the front side. He got his first racing official positions at Fairmount Park and Cahokia Downs in Illinois. In a 2011 radio interview with longtime Ohio racing publicist John Engelhardt, Parker said that he had to “work his way up” to his position as a steward and that Mervin Muniz, the longtime racing secretary at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans who would travel to Thistledown in the summer, encouraged him to keep working hard. “Mervin just always told me, ‘Daryl, keep it up and stay true to your convictions, speak up as you go, and be honest and fair,’ ” Parker said. Parker said in the radio interview that he consistently communicated to riders and horsemen that as a steward, he would have an open-door policy. “Make sure everyone knows you are there, and that you have an open mind,” Parker said. “You’re not intimidating people. You’re saying, ‘Come see us, come talk to us.’ " According to an article from 2004 in Daily Racing Form, Parker credited Thistledown’s management for breaking norms in the racing industry by being the first racetrack to hire a Black racing secretary, Charles Reed, in 1964, and the first Black starter, Rick Walker, in 2004. “Thistledown management has proven that there still are opportunities, and hopefully other tracks will follow suit,” Parker said at the time. In a recent profile of Deshawn Parker posted on Thoroughbred Daily News, Deshawn said that he used to spend long mornings on the backstretch with his father. Despite a rough start to his career, Deshawn Parker led the nation in wins in 2010, the first national riding title for a Black rider since 1895. With over 5,800 victories Parker is the 22nd leading North American jockey of all time by wins. “I idolized him and always tried to learn from the way he did things,’ Deshawn said.