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Paul Parks an engineer who owned his own business Paul Parks and Associates, was the first African American Secretary of Education for the state of Massachusetts. Parks was appointed Secretary of Education in December 1974 till 1979 by Massachusetts Governor Michael S. Dukakis. Former Mayor of Boston Raymond Flynn appointed him to the first school committee in Boston.

Early life and education

Parks attended Crispus Attucks High, an all-black school, in Indianapolis that was known for being able to send most of their students to college. Parks was in a gang and then met Russ Parker, the head of the math department at his high school. Parker had a great influence on Parks that he got him out of the streets and into academics. Parks became aware that he was outstanding in math and with the help of his mentor, he was able to go to Purdue University. During his time at Purdue, Parks recognized his fondness for activism. He organized a campaign to allow African American people to live in the dormitories. 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.

Personal life

Parks grew up in Indiana where he also met and married his wife Virginia Loftman. When he moved to Boston he had three children, Paul Jr., Pamela Parks McLaurin, and Stacey Parks Townsend. He also had four grandchildren.

Military service

Parks served with the 365th Engineer Regiment from 1943 to 1945. Parks did not want to participate in the war against Germany because he wanted to finish college. He asked the dean to declare him ineligible, but the dean who was still irritated by Park’s campaign to let African American's into the dorms so he drafted him immediately. Parks's job in the military was to set up mine fields and boobie traps. He went back to Purdue but before graduating he had one more act of activism, where he wanted to desegregate a movie theatre by sitting in the section where African American's aren’t allowed. He got arrested for his actions.

Paul Parks and Associates

Parks childhood dream was to become an engineer and he was able to get a degree in that field. After graduating from college several companies showed interest in hiring Parks but turned him down once they found out he was African American. After extensively searching for a job he finally got one with Stone and Webster, 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. 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. The report by his company clearly explains the situation his company is in and that they will be receiving money when they close two projects one in June and August of 1994. Therefore, they will be able to pay back their debts then and they are asking if they could pay it back by mid August. The report lays out all the other bills they are struggling to pay and also that 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.

Projects:

• Hazel Parks Estate
• Project 747/Franklin Field South Neighborhood (1989)

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 school 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.

References

1. "Echos and Reflections" (PDF). Iwitness USC.
2. "Echos and Reflections" (PDF). Iwitness USC.
3. "Paul Parks, leader in city's schools, dies". The Boston Globe.
4. "Paul Parks, leader in city's schools, dies". The Boston Globe.
5. ^ BostonTAB, p.1.
6. "Paul Parks, state, city education official; 86 Paul Parks, state, city education official, dies at 86". Boson Globe Archives.
7. BostonTAB.
8. "Paul Parks, state, city education official; 86 Paul Parks, state, city education official, dies at 86". Boson Globe Archives.
9. ^ BostonTAB, p.14.
10. "Paul Parks, state, city education official; 86 Paul Parks, state, city education official, dies at 86". Boson Globe Archives.
11. "Did African American soldiers liberate Dachau?". scrapbook pages.
12. PPAReport.
13. HazelParks.
14. FranklinSouth.
15. BostonTAB, p.15.

Bibliography

• Blake, Scott (1994), "New Mission Takes Paul Parks From The Schools To The Streets", The Boston TAB, Northeastern Archives and Special Collections, Box 44, folder Paul Parks certificates, newspaper clippings, and letters, Z10-026, Northeastern University Libraries, Boston, MA., pp. 1, 14, 15{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location (link)

• Paul Parks and Associates Business Information Report, Northeastern Archives and Special Collections, Box 3, folder PPA, Z10-026, Northeastern University Libraries, Boston, MA., 1993-06-28 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location (link) CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

• Paul Parks and Associates Business Information Report, Northeastern Archives and Special Collections, Box 2, folder Hazel Parks, Z10-026, Northeastern University Libraries, Boston, MA., 1993-06-28 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location (link) CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

• Paul Parks and Associates Business Information Report, Northeastern Archives and Special Collections, Box 3, folder JOB:Franklin Field South, Z10-026, Northeastern University Libraries, Boston, MA., 1993-06-28 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location (link) CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)