Capt. Cecil Dilworth, Parker Towing Company

Faith and family are everything to Capt. Cecil Dilworth of Parker Towing.

Dilworth, 51, of Tupelo, Miss., has worked for the company for 17 years, making his way into the industry after a successful career as a self-employed electrician. He worked his way up from deckhand to third, second and chief engineer and then into the wheelhouse as pilot, relief pilot and finally captain.

Dilworth came to the mv. Megan Parker, a twin-screw, 4,600-hp. vessel, more than a decade ago as pilot. He is now on the third issue of his license.

Dilworth learned about career opportunities in the river industry while talking to his cousin, who mentioned a man who ran a “river tech” school in Pontotoc, Miss., and gave him the phone number. Once he graduated from the program, the director suggested he might look to Parker Towing for employment.

While initially attracted to the river by a generous benefits package and flexible work schedule, Dilworth said he also enjoys other aspects of his job.

“There is a lot of opportunity out there,” he said. “You get to see a lot of things and go a lot of places.”

Additionally, he said, “Parker is a family-owned company, and they treat me like family, and that’s important to me.”

Dilworth said he tries to treat his crew the same way he treats those he encounters in his time off the boat, where he serves as a deacon at Johnson Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Shannon, Miss., and as a father to four and grandfather to seven.

“I try to lead my crew with Christian values, and I try to treat everybody like I want to be treated,” he said. “I wouldn’t tell them to do anything I wouldn’t do.”

He maintains an open-door policy and is always willing to talk with his crew about any problems they may be facing and, if they so desire, to pray with them, too. Dilworth has pride that some of the crewmen he trained are now in the wheelhouse of other vessels.

When Dilworth is at home, he likes to take Debbie, his wife of nearly 32 years, on trips. They have been to Branson, Mo., and the beaches of Gulf Shores, Ala., and Florida, the mountains in Gatlinburg, Tenn., and all the way to Mexico.

If he’s at home, Dilworth may be working on one of his adult children’s cars, doing a little electrician work on the side or riding his tractor. One of his recent ventures is cutting a go-kart track for his grandchildren.

While the family of 15 is now spread across the country, they also like to get together for a barbecue or fish fry now and then as well.

Whether he’s on or off the boat, Dilworth maintains his gratitude to God, something he thinks helps him approach each day with the right attitude.

“An old captain told me one time that every day that you wake up, God paints a new picture for you to see,” he said. “When you wake up and see the trees change color from season to season, you can see God working.”

Parker Towing senior port captain Zebulon Duco-Moore said the company appreciates Dilworth.

“It has been an incredible privilege to witness the journey of Capt. Cecil, from a green deckhand to the captain of the most powerful vessel in Parker Towing Company’s fleet,” he said. “His dedication, skill and leadership on the water are matched only by his integrity, faith and unwavering kindness. More than just a colleague, he is a true friend and a man of character who leads by example. I could not be prouder of him as a mariner, a Christian and a genuinely good man. The river is lucky to have him, and so are we.”