Paul Parks

Paul Parks (May 7, 1923 – August 1, 2009) was an American civil engineer.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.