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{{short description|American civil engineer and civic leader (1923-2009)}}
{{Citation style|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Primary sources|date=March 2015}}
| name = Paul Parks
{{Infobox person
| birth_date = {{birth date|1923|05|07}}
| above = Paul Parks
| birth_place = ], ]
| name = Paul Parks
| death_date = {{death date and age|2009|08|01|1923|05|07}}
| birth_date = May 7, 1923<ref>{{cite web|title=Echos and Reflections|url=https://iwitness.usc.edu/sfi/Data/EchoesData/EchoesBios/PDF/Parks.Paul.pdf|website=Iwitness USC}}</ref>
| death_place = ], ], ], United States
| birth_place = Indianapolis, Indiana<ref>{{cite web|title=Echos and Reflections|url=https://iwitness.usc.edu/sfi/Data/EchoesData/EchoesBios/PDF/Parks.Paul.pdf|website=Iwitness USC}}</ref>
| office = Massachusetts Secretary of Education
| death_date = August 1, 2009<ref>{{cite web|title=Paul Parks, leader in city's schools, dies|url=https://secure.pqarchiver.com/boston-sub/doc/405181405.html?FMT=FT&FMTS=CITE:FT&type=current&date=Aug+1%2C+2009&author=Anonymous&pub=Boston+Globe&edition=&startpage=&desc=Paul+Parks%2C+leader+in+city%27s+schools%2C+dies|website=The Boston Globe}}</ref>
| term_start = 1975
| death_place = his Mattapan home<ref>{{cite web|title=Paul Parks, leader in city's schools, dies|url=https://secure.pqarchiver.com/boston-sub/doc/405181405.html?FMT=FT&FMTS=CITE:FT&type=current&date=Aug+1%2C+2009&author=Anonymous&pub=Boston+Globe&edition=&startpage=&desc=Paul+Parks%2C+leader+in+city%27s+schools%2C+dies|website=The Boston Globe}}</ref>
| term_end = 1979
| residence = {{Plainlist|
| predecessor = Joseph M. Cronin
*] {{Sfn|BostonTAB|loc=p.1}}
| successor = ''Position abolished''
*] {{Sfn|BostonTAB|loc=p.1}}
| governor = ]
}}
| occupation = Engineer/Secretary of Education {{Sfn|BostonTAB|loc=p.1}} | occupation = ]
| nationality = ]
| spouse = Virginia Loftman<ref>{{cite web|title=Paul Parks, state, city education official; 86 Paul Parks, state, city education official, dies at 86|url=https://secure.pqarchiver.com/boston-sub/doc/405194585.html?FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+1%2C+2009&author=Marquard%2C+Bryan&pub=Boston+Globe&edition=&startpage=&desc=Paul+Parks%2C+state%2C+city+education+official%3B+86+Paul+Parks%2C+state%2C+city+education+official%2C+dies+at+86|website=Boson Globe Archives}}</ref>
| alma_mater = ]<br>]
| parents = Cleab (father)<br>Hazel (mother)
| children = 3
| spouse = Dorothy Alexander (m. 1947)<br>Virginia Loftman (1972-2009)
| allegiance = {{flag|United States}}
| branch = {{army|United States}}
| rank = ]
| unit = 365th ]
| serviceyears = 1943-1945
}} }}


'''Paul Parks''' (May 7, 1923 – August 1, 2009) was an American ]. Parks became the first ] ] for ], and was appointed by Governor ] to serve from 1975 until 1979. Mayor ] appointed Parks to the Boston School Committee, where he was also the first African American.
<!--EDIT BELOW THIS LINE-->


Parks fought as a combat engineer for the ] and took part in the ] on ].<ref name=":100">{{Cite web|title=D-Day|url=https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day|access-date=Mar 5, 2021|website=HISTORY|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":5">Thomas Farragher, and Walter V. Robinson, Globe Staff. "A Veteran's Story of WWII Exploits Raises Questions B'nai B'rith Award Now Under Review: . ''Boston Globe'', Oct 12 2000, ProQuest. Web. 25 Feb. 2021.</ref> Following his service in ], Parks was renowned for his work and dedication to desegregating Boston public schools through his role in the execution of the Boston Model City program, a program designed to use federal funding to develop selected areas in Boston and achieve economic stability.<ref name=":102">{{cite news |title=Model Cities Funded |publisher=Bay State Banner |date=23 January 1969}}</ref> Parks was also a member of the Massachusetts State Advisory Committee to the ], in which he was involved in the development of ], a program dedicated to resolving segregation in Boston public schools through desegregated busing and increased enrollment of black students in predominantly white schools.<ref name=":103">{{cite book |title=Hearing Held in Boston, Massachusetts, October 4–5 |date=1967 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |pages=7–8}}</ref>
'''Paul Parks''' was the first African American Secretary of Education for the state of ]. {{Sfn|BostonTAB}} Parks was appointed ] in December 1974 till 1979 by Massachusetts Governor ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Paul Parks, state, city education official; 86 Paul Parks, state, city education official, dies at 86|url=https://secure.pqarchiver.com/boston-sub/doc/405194585.html?FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+1%2C+2009&author=Marquard%2C+Bryan&pub=Boston+Globe&edition=&startpage=&desc=Paul+Parks%2C+state%2C+city+education+official%3B+86+Paul+Parks%2C+state%2C+city+education+official%2C+dies+at+86|website=Boson Globe Archives}}</ref> Former Mayor of Boston ] appointed him to the first school committee in Boston.{{Sfn|BostonTAB|loc=p.1}}


== Early life and education == == Early life and education ==
Parks’s father, Cleab, was a disabled World War I veteran of ] descent.<ref name=":1">Sound recording of interview with Paul Parks, June 8, 2009, Lower Roxbury Black History Project records, 2007-2009 (M165), Archives and Special Collections Department, Northeastern University Libraries, EH 2. http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20199727 Retrieved Mar 3, 2021.</ref> His mother, Hazel, was a social worker.<ref name=":22">“Paul Parks, Noted Engineer Devoted to Good Works.” Vineyard Gazette. Aug. 6, 2009. Web. 25 Feb. 2021. https://vineyardgazette.com/obituaries/2009/08/06/paul-parks-noted-engineer-devoted-good-works Retrieved Feb. 25, 2021</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news|date=August 1, 2009|title=Paul Parks, state, city, education official, dies at 86|page=B10|work=]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=53764038&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjQ0Mzk0ODI0MywiaWF0IjoxNjE0ODk5OTAwLCJleHAiOjE2MTQ5ODYzMDB9.ZH-0LkC1-TubzaVIgiEnXaBTjZbmC2f8I95vKhEmBd4|access-date=Feb 25, 2021}}</ref> Parks grew up in ], which was characterized by its segregated education system at the time. He attended ], an all-black institution in Indianapolis.<ref name=":1" /> Parks was awarded a $4,000 scholarship for winning an oratory contest in high school, and this monetary prize contributed to his college education when he enrolled at ] in 1941.<ref name=":3" /> He was a member of the ] fraternity.<ref name=":7">Johnson, John F (1947). "Miss Dorothy L. Alexander, Paul Parks Exchange Vows In Historic Baptist Church" ''The Indianapolis Recorder,'' Feb. 8, 1947, pp. 4, https://newspapers.library.in.gov/cgi-bin/indiana?a=d&d=INR19470208-01.1.4&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN------- Retrieved Mar. 4, 2021.</ref> Before completing his Bachelor of Science in ], his education was interrupted in 1942 when he was drafted to fight in ] as a combat engineer. Afforded by the benefits of the ], he resumed formal education at Purdue to complete his civil engineering degree, and he later earned a doctorate in engineering from ] after moving to Boston.<ref name=":22"/><ref name=":3" />
Parks attended ], an all-black school, in Indianapolis. Parks was in a gang and then met Russ Parker,{{clarify}} the head of the math department at his high school. Parker saw a talent in math and helped Parks get accepted to ].{{Sfn|BostonTAB|loc=p.14}} He organized a campaign to allow African American people to live in the dormitories.{{cn}} Although he was labeled a troublemaker for his actions, his campaign did have an effect as the university began to let African American women into the dormitories.{{Sfn|BostonTAB|loc=p.14}}


== Personal life == == Career ==
Parks' wife Virginia Loftman is also from Indiana. When he moved to Boston he had three children, Paul Jr., Pamela Parks McLaurin, and Stacey Parks Townsend. He also had four grandchildren.<ref>{{cite web|title=Paul Parks, state, city education official; 86 Paul Parks, state, city education official, dies at 86|url=https://secure.pqarchiver.com/boston-sub/doc/405194585.html?FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+1%2C+2009&author=Marquard%2C+Bryan&pub=Boston+Globe&edition=&startpage=&desc=Paul+Parks%2C+state%2C+city+education+official%3B+86+Paul+Parks%2C+state%2C+city+education+official%2C+dies+at+86|website=Boson Globe Archives}}</ref>


==Military service== === Military service ===
In 1942, Parks was drafted into the ] and was subsequently sent to Europe as a ] in 1943 during ], where he served until 1945.<ref name=":4" /> Parks was a member of the 365th Engineer Regiment that sailed out of New York City on September 30, 1943 en route to Europe.<ref>Walter V. Robinson, and Thomas Farragher, Globe Staff. "Untangling Paul Parks's Tall Tales Records Contradict More Wartime Stories: ." ''Boston Globe'', Oct 22 2000, ProQuest. Web. 25 Feb. 2021.</ref> As a combat engineer, his primary role was the detonation of mines. On June 6, 1944, the ] invaded the coast of ] on ], and Parks was present on ] during this invasion.<ref name=":100"/><ref name=":5"/> Parks was also involved with the liberation of the ] in 1945 after being detached from his original engineer unit.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|title=Paul Parks Obituary - (2009) - Boston, MA - Boston Globe|url=https://www.legacy.com/amp/obituaries/bostonglobe/130708526|access-date=Mar 5, 2021|website=www.legacy.com|language=en}}</ref> At Dachau, responsibilities included identifying and burying bodies.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2007|title=Paul Parks: Visual History Biographic Profiles|url=https://iwitness.usc.edu/sfi/Data/EchoesData/EchoesBios/PDF/Parks.Paul.pdf|access-date=February 22, 2021|website=Echoes and Reflections: a Multimedia Curriculum on the Holocaust|publisher=Anti-Defamation League}}</ref> With the conclusion of his Western European military campaigns, Parks was eventually relocated to the Pacific South to assist in the liberation of the ].<ref name=":22"/>
Parks served with the 365th Engineer Regiment from 1943 to 1945.<ref>{{cite web|title=Did African American soldiers liberate Dachau?|url=http://www.scrapbookpages.com/DachauScrapbook/DachauLiberation/LiberationDay3B.html|website=scrapbook pages}}</ref>
Parks did not want to participate in the war against Germany because he wanted to finish college. After the war he went back to Purdue and graduated.


==Paul Parks and Associates== === Civil engineer ===
Upon discharge from the military, Parks's initial work experience came in the form of planning and designing the new freeway system in Indiana as part of the ] (1949-1951).<ref>{{Cite web|first=|date=March 16, 2009|title=Lower Roxbury Black History Project: Paul Parks|url=https://roxbury.library.northeastern.edu/parks/|access-date=Mar 3, 2021|website=}}</ref> He then moved to Boston to join ] (1951), where he contributed to the design of dams and hydroelectric powerhouses as a hired engineer. At ] (1951-1952), Parks helped with the design of the New Jersey Garden State Parkway. Following these experiences, he worked on the design of missiles and contributed to nuclear engineering research at Chance ] Aircraft (1952-1953) and ] Aircraft (1953-1958), respectively.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|date=Apr 22, 2009|title=Proposal submitted to the department of housing and urban development in response to rfp 265-74, reference asa 1-c, submitted by the city of Boston|url=https://archive.org/details/proposalsubmitte00bost/page/n179/mode/2up|access-date=Mar 4, 2021|website=]}}</ref><ref>Karagianis, Maria. "Paul Parks--Politically Astute Reformer in a Suit: Profile in the News." ''Boston Globe (1960-1989),'' Dec 11 1974, p. 24. ''ProQuest.'' Web. Mar 5, 2021</ref> In 1957, Parks co-founded an architectural firm called Associated Architects and Engineer with fellow African-American ].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Wilson|first=Dreck Spurlock|title=African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary 1865-1945|publisher=]|year=2005|isbn=0-203-49312-5|location=London|pages=62}}</ref> Notable commissions for the firm included the Methuen Junior High School, the Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall, and a major hospital in Philadelphia, amongst others.<ref name=":0" /><ref>"Ticker Tape U.S.A" ''Jet, Vol. XIII, No. 25,'' April 24, 1958, pp. 17. Retrieved Mar. 3, 2021</ref> The firm was eventually dissolved in 1967.
Parks childhood dream was to become an engineer. After graduating from college several companies showed interest in hiring Parks but turned him down once they found out he was African American.{{cn}} H was hired by ], an engineering firm in Boston. Parks and his wife Virginia moved to Boston that weekend. In 1957, Parks and a business partner opened their own engineering firm, Paul Parks and Associates, in Boston.{{Sfn|BostonTAB|loc=p.14}} Parks and his partner struggled to keep the business afloat in the beginning and were in a lot of debt to the U.S. department of labor from December 1993 to January 1994. He could not pay people to work for him so he did all the work with his partner. Paul and his partner do not have any assets of real estate to offer. They also have not been taking a salary for a year.{{Sfn|PPAReport}}


Parks's engineering work also led him to numerous international opportunities. While still with his architectural firm, Parks traveled to regions of ] in 1967, including ], ], ], and ], to assist in housing projects. Furthermore, he was invited by the ] in 1968 to serve as a consultant to its public systems involving education, housing, health, and justice.
'''Projects:'''
* Hazel Parks Estate {{Sfn|HazelParks}}
* Project 747/Franklin Field South Neighborhood (1989) {{Sfn|FranklinSouth}}


Parks was a member of professional organizations including the ] and the ].<ref name=":4" />
==Activism==

The greatest obstacle in Parks's life was battling racism and how overcoming it has given more meaning to his accomplishments in the private and public sectors. He decided to leave the academic committee when he was 71 years old to focus on helping troubled young people in Boston's inner city turn their lives around. Those who worked with him only have good things to say about him as an activist.{{Sfn|BostonTAB|loc=p.15}}
=== Public service ===
Parks was well known for his involvement in desegregating public schools in Boston, Massachusetts. He was appointed as Massachusetts's Secretary of Educational Affairs, succeeding Joseph M. Cronin, who was the first to ever assume that role.<ref name=":104">{{cite book |title=The Massachusetts Teacher |date=1974 |publisher=Massachusetts Teachers Association |page=5 |edition=54}}</ref> Parks was appointed by Governor-elect, in 1974, ]. Parks was the first African American to be selected as a member of Dukakis's cabinet.<ref name=":104"/> As the Secretary of Educational Affairs, Parks was also the Executive Director of the Boston Model City Program, with the overarching goal of desegregating Boston schools and busing. Parks formed a council that would frequently report back to Governor Dukakis amidst a host of issues arising from the busing programs.<ref name=":105">{{cite book |last1=McIlvaine |first1=Bonita |title=5 Squares |date=2013 |publisher=FriesenPress |isbn=978-1460228777 |page=159}}</ref> Two decades following Parks's appointment as the Secretary of Educational Affairs, Parks then became the chairman of the Boston School Committee.<ref name=":106">{{cite news |last1=Marquard |first1=Bryan |title=Paul Parks, state, city education official; 86 Paul Parks, state, city education official, dies at 86 |publisher=The Boston Globe |date=August 2009}}</ref>

As the Chairman of the NAACP Education Committee, Parks was responsible for the Boston Model City Program. Parks was able to identify the growing economic issues found within the selected areas the program was in effect, noting that the unemployment rate was four times that of metropolitan Boston.<ref name=":107">{{cite book |title=Hearings held in Boston, Mass., March 23, 24; New York, N.Y., March 26, 27; Los Angeles, Calif., March 29, and 30, 1973 |date=1974 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |pages=774–779}}</ref> Parks attributed these economic downfalls to the funding cuts to the program and advocated for it to remain in effect amidst several discussions of its termination. A statistical analysis conducted by Parks and his colleagues estimated that continued cuts to funding and termination of the program would cause more than $51 million in economic damage and a loss of 5,000 jobs.<ref name=":107"/> The program used federal funding of approximately $20 million to provide aid to 60,000 individuals in ], ], and ], the latter of which was subject to a march in 1963 to protest segregation in Boston schools prior to Parks's appointment as Chairman.<ref name=":106"/><ref name=":108">{{cite news |last1=Oyama |first1=David |title=8000 Marchers in Roxbury Protest Segregation in City's Public Schools |publisher=The Harvard Crimson |date=23 September 1963}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Paul Parks To Head Model City Program |agency=Ethnic NewsWatch |publisher=Bay State Banner |date=28 December 1967}}</ref>

Parks, in 1964, as a member of the Massachusetts State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, met with other members of the committee to revise evidence suggesting segregation in Boston public schools at that time. Parks and colleagues found that reading scores in black schools were far less than that of all-white public schools. Furthermore, they found that school administrators preached separate but equal quality of education for black and white students, despite evidence insisting on the opposite.<ref name=":103"/> The Kiernan Commission, spearheaded by Dr. Owen Kiernan in 1964, gathered exceptional individuals working in the field of education and business to assess the status and quality of education in Boston public schools. They returned with evidence to back Parks and the committee's claims of unequal quality of education and found that at least 32 schools were subject to this. Despite the condemning evidence presented to the Boston School Committee, they rejected the proof and dismissed the report.<ref name=":103"/> In 1965, Parks and the Massachusetts State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights founded Operation Exodus, a program that buses black students to white schools outside of traditionally black neighborhoods in Boston. Additionally, Parks worked on establishing the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO), a program that further supported racial desegregation in Boston schools by diversifying the student body and urged black students to enroll in predominantly white schools.<ref name=":103"/>

==Personal life==
Parks was of ], ], and ] ancestry. Parks married Dorothy Alexander on February 2, 1947 with whom he had three children: Paul Jr., Pamela, and Stacy.<ref name=":7" /> In 1972, Parks married Virginia Loftman. Parks died of ] in 2009.<ref name=":6" />


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}} {{reflist}}


==Bibliography== ==External links==
*
{{refbegin}}
* {{Citation
| ref = {{SfnRef|BostonTAB}}
| last = Blake
| first = Scott
| title = New Mission Takes Paul Parks From The Schools To The Streets
| year = 1994
| newspaper = The Boston TAB
| pages = 1,14,15
| location = Northeastern Archives and Special Collections, Box 44, folder Paul Parks certificates, newspaper clippings, and letters, Z10-026, Northeastern University Libraries, Boston, MA.}}

* {{Citation
| ref = {{SfnRef|PPAReport}}
| authors = Paul Parks and Associates
| title = Paul Parks and Associates Business Information Report
| date = 1993-06-28
| location = Northeastern Archives and Special Collections, Box 3, folder PPA, Z10-026, Northeastern University Libraries, Boston, MA.}}


{{First Michael Dukakis cabinet}}
* {{Citation
| ref = {{SfnRef|HazelParks}}
| authors = Paul Parks and Associates
| title = Paul Parks and Associates Business Information Report
| date = 1993-06-28
| location = Northeastern Archives and Special Collections, Box 2, folder Hazel Parks, Z10-026, Northeastern University Libraries, Boston, MA.}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Parks, Paul}}
* {{Citation
]
| ref = {{SfnRef|FranklinSouth}}
]
| authors = Paul Parks and Associates
]
| title = Paul Parks and Associates Business Information Report
]
| date = 1993-06-28
]
| location = Northeastern Archives and Special Collections, Box 3, folder JOB:Franklin Field South, Z10-026, Northeastern University Libraries, Boston, MA.}}
]
{{refend}}
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 09:21, 1 January 2025

American civil engineer and civic leader (1923-2009)
Paul Parks
Massachusetts Secretary of Education
In office
1975–1979
GovernorMichael Dukakis
Preceded byJoseph M. Cronin
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Personal details
Born(1923-05-07)May 7, 1923
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
DiedAugust 1, 2009(2009-08-01) (aged 86)
Mattapan, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
NationalityAmerican
Spouse(s)Dorothy Alexander (m. 1947)
Virginia Loftman (1972-2009)
Children3
Parent(s)Cleab (father)
Hazel (mother)
Alma materPurdue University
Northeastern University
OccupationCivil engineer
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1943-1945
RankCombat Engineer
Unit365th Quartermaster Corps

Paul Parks (May 7, 1923 – August 1, 2009) was an American civil engineer. Parks became the first African American Secretary of Education for Massachusetts, and was appointed by Governor Michael Dukakis to serve from 1975 until 1979. Mayor Raymond Flynn appointed Parks to the Boston School Committee, where he was also the first African American.

Parks fought as a combat engineer for the U.S. Military and took part in the Normandy landings on Omaha Beach. Following his service in World War II, Parks was renowned for his work and dedication to desegregating Boston public schools through his role in the execution of the Boston Model City program, a program designed to use federal funding to develop selected areas in Boston and achieve economic stability. Parks was also a member of the Massachusetts State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, in which he was involved in the development of METCO, a program dedicated to resolving segregation in Boston public schools through desegregated busing and increased enrollment of black students in predominantly white schools.

Early life and education

Parks’s father, Cleab, was a disabled World War I veteran of Seminole descent. His mother, Hazel, was a social worker. Parks grew up in Indianapolis, which was characterized by its segregated education system at the time. He attended Crispus Attucks High School, an all-black institution in Indianapolis. Parks was awarded a $4,000 scholarship for winning an oratory contest in high school, and this monetary prize contributed to his college education when he enrolled at Purdue University in 1941. He was a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. Before completing his Bachelor of Science in civil engineering, his education was interrupted in 1942 when he was drafted to fight in World War II as a combat engineer. Afforded by the benefits of the Serviceman's Readjustment Act, he resumed formal education at Purdue to complete his civil engineering degree, and he later earned a doctorate in engineering from Northeastern University after moving to Boston.

Career

Military service

In 1942, Parks was drafted into the United States Army and was subsequently sent to Europe as a combat engineer in 1943 during World War II, where he served until 1945. Parks was a member of the 365th Engineer Regiment that sailed out of New York City on September 30, 1943 en route to Europe. As a combat engineer, his primary role was the detonation of mines. On June 6, 1944, the Allied Forces invaded the coast of Normandy on D-Day, and Parks was present on Omaha Beach during this invasion. Parks was also involved with the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp in 1945 after being detached from his original engineer unit. At Dachau, responsibilities included identifying and burying bodies. With the conclusion of his Western European military campaigns, Parks was eventually relocated to the Pacific South to assist in the liberation of the Philippines.

Civil engineer

Upon discharge from the military, Parks's initial work experience came in the form of planning and designing the new freeway system in Indiana as part of the Indiana Department of Transportation (1949-1951). He then moved to Boston to join Stone and Webster (1951), where he contributed to the design of dams and hydroelectric powerhouses as a hired engineer. At Fay, Spofford & Thorndike (1951-1952), Parks helped with the design of the New Jersey Garden State Parkway. Following these experiences, he worked on the design of missiles and contributed to nuclear engineering research at Chance Vought Aircraft (1952-1953) and Pratt and Whitney Aircraft (1953-1958), respectively. In 1957, Parks co-founded an architectural firm called Associated Architects and Engineer with fellow African-American Henry Clifford Boles. Notable commissions for the firm included the Methuen Junior High School, the Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall, and a major hospital in Philadelphia, amongst others. The firm was eventually dissolved in 1967.

Parks's engineering work also led him to numerous international opportunities. While still with his architectural firm, Parks traveled to regions of West Africa in 1967, including Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Nigeria, to assist in housing projects. Furthermore, he was invited by the Israeli government in 1968 to serve as a consultant to its public systems involving education, housing, health, and justice.

Parks was a member of professional organizations including the American Society of Civil Engineers and the National Society of Professional Engineers.

Public service

Parks was well known for his involvement in desegregating public schools in Boston, Massachusetts. He was appointed as Massachusetts's Secretary of Educational Affairs, succeeding Joseph M. Cronin, who was the first to ever assume that role. Parks was appointed by Governor-elect, in 1974, Michael Dukakis. Parks was the first African American to be selected as a member of Dukakis's cabinet. As the Secretary of Educational Affairs, Parks was also the Executive Director of the Boston Model City Program, with the overarching goal of desegregating Boston schools and busing. Parks formed a council that would frequently report back to Governor Dukakis amidst a host of issues arising from the busing programs. Two decades following Parks's appointment as the Secretary of Educational Affairs, Parks then became the chairman of the Boston School Committee.

As the Chairman of the NAACP Education Committee, Parks was responsible for the Boston Model City Program. Parks was able to identify the growing economic issues found within the selected areas the program was in effect, noting that the unemployment rate was four times that of metropolitan Boston. Parks attributed these economic downfalls to the funding cuts to the program and advocated for it to remain in effect amidst several discussions of its termination. A statistical analysis conducted by Parks and his colleagues estimated that continued cuts to funding and termination of the program would cause more than $51 million in economic damage and a loss of 5,000 jobs. The program used federal funding of approximately $20 million to provide aid to 60,000 individuals in Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, and Roxbury, the latter of which was subject to a march in 1963 to protest segregation in Boston schools prior to Parks's appointment as Chairman.

Parks, in 1964, as a member of the Massachusetts State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, met with other members of the committee to revise evidence suggesting segregation in Boston public schools at that time. Parks and colleagues found that reading scores in black schools were far less than that of all-white public schools. Furthermore, they found that school administrators preached separate but equal quality of education for black and white students, despite evidence insisting on the opposite. The Kiernan Commission, spearheaded by Dr. Owen Kiernan in 1964, gathered exceptional individuals working in the field of education and business to assess the status and quality of education in Boston public schools. They returned with evidence to back Parks and the committee's claims of unequal quality of education and found that at least 32 schools were subject to this. Despite the condemning evidence presented to the Boston School Committee, they rejected the proof and dismissed the report. In 1965, Parks and the Massachusetts State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights founded Operation Exodus, a program that buses black students to white schools outside of traditionally black neighborhoods in Boston. Additionally, Parks worked on establishing the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO), a program that further supported racial desegregation in Boston schools by diversifying the student body and urged black students to enroll in predominantly white schools.

Personal life

Parks was of African American, Muscogee, and Seminole ancestry. Parks married Dorothy Alexander on February 2, 1947 with whom he had three children: Paul Jr., Pamela, and Stacy. In 1972, Parks married Virginia Loftman. Parks died of cancer in 2009.

References

  1. ^ "D-Day". HISTORY. Retrieved Mar 5, 2021.
  2. ^ Thomas Farragher, and Walter V. Robinson, Globe Staff. "A Veteran's Story of WWII Exploits Raises Questions B'nai B'rith Award Now Under Review: . Boston Globe, Oct 12 2000, ProQuest. Web. 25 Feb. 2021.
  3. "Model Cities Funded". Bay State Banner. 23 January 1969.
  4. ^ Hearing Held in Boston, Massachusetts, October 4–5. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1967. pp. 7–8.
  5. ^ Sound recording of interview with Paul Parks, June 8, 2009, Lower Roxbury Black History Project records, 2007-2009 (M165), Archives and Special Collections Department, Northeastern University Libraries, EH 2. http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20199727 Retrieved Mar 3, 2021.
  6. ^ “Paul Parks, Noted Engineer Devoted to Good Works.” Vineyard Gazette. Aug. 6, 2009. Web. 25 Feb. 2021. https://vineyardgazette.com/obituaries/2009/08/06/paul-parks-noted-engineer-devoted-good-works Retrieved Feb. 25, 2021
  7. ^ "Paul Parks, state, city, education official, dies at 86". The Boston Globe. August 1, 2009. p. B10. Retrieved Feb 25, 2021.
  8. ^ Johnson, John F (1947). "Miss Dorothy L. Alexander, Paul Parks Exchange Vows In Historic Baptist Church" The Indianapolis Recorder, Feb. 8, 1947, pp. 4, https://newspapers.library.in.gov/cgi-bin/indiana?a=d&d=INR19470208-01.1.4&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN------- Retrieved Mar. 4, 2021.
  9. ^ "Proposal submitted to the department of housing and urban development in response to rfp 265-74, reference asa 1-c, submitted by the city of Boston". Internet Archive. Apr 22, 2009. Retrieved Mar 4, 2021.
  10. Walter V. Robinson, and Thomas Farragher, Globe Staff. "Untangling Paul Parks's Tall Tales Records Contradict More Wartime Stories: ." Boston Globe, Oct 22 2000, ProQuest. Web. 25 Feb. 2021.
  11. ^ "Paul Parks Obituary - (2009) - Boston, MA - Boston Globe". www.legacy.com. Retrieved Mar 5, 2021.
  12. "Paul Parks: Visual History Biographic Profiles" (PDF). Echoes and Reflections: a Multimedia Curriculum on the Holocaust. Anti-Defamation League. 2007. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  13. "Lower Roxbury Black History Project: Paul Parks". March 16, 2009. Retrieved Mar 3, 2021.
  14. Karagianis, Maria. "Paul Parks--Politically Astute Reformer in a Suit: Profile in the News." Boston Globe (1960-1989), Dec 11 1974, p. 24. ProQuest. Web. Mar 5, 2021
  15. ^ Wilson, Dreck Spurlock (2005). African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary 1865-1945. London: Routledge. p. 62. ISBN 0-203-49312-5.
  16. "Ticker Tape U.S.A" Jet, Vol. XIII, No. 25, April 24, 1958, pp. 17. Retrieved Mar. 3, 2021
  17. ^ The Massachusetts Teacher (54 ed.). Massachusetts Teachers Association. 1974. p. 5.
  18. McIlvaine, Bonita (2013). 5 Squares. FriesenPress. p. 159. ISBN 978-1460228777.
  19. ^ Marquard, Bryan (August 2009). "Paul Parks, state, city education official; 86 Paul Parks, state, city education official, dies at 86". The Boston Globe.
  20. ^ Hearings held in Boston, Mass., March 23, 24; New York, N.Y., March 26, 27; Los Angeles, Calif., March 29, and 30, 1973. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1974. pp. 774–779.
  21. Oyama, David (23 September 1963). "8000 Marchers in Roxbury Protest Segregation in City's Public Schools". The Harvard Crimson.
  22. "Paul Parks To Head Model City Program". Bay State Banner. Ethnic NewsWatch. 28 December 1967.

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