Felix L. Sparks

Felix Laurence Sparks (August 2, 1917 – September 25, 2007) was an American attorney, government official, and military officer from Colorado.

A veteran of World War II, he attained the rank of brigadier general in the Colorado Army National Guard and received the Silver Star and the Purple Heart.

Sparks also served as District Attorney of Colorado's 7th Judicial District, an Associate Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, and the longtime director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board.

Felix L. "Larry" Sparks was born in San Antonio, Texas, on August 2, 1917, the oldest of five children born to Felix Franklin Sparks and Martha Estelle (Ray) Sparks.

When he was four, his family moved to Miami, Arizona, where his father worked in a copper mine.

Sparks was raised and educated in Arizona, and in 1935, he took part in one of the Citizens' Military Training Camps (C.M.T.C.) operated by the United States Army, which offered young men the opportunity to obtain military training and possibly earn a commission in the National Guard or Army Reserve.

A native of San Antonio, Sparks was raised and educated in Arizona and served as an enlisted soldier in the United States Army from 1936 to 1938.

He then attended the University of Arizona, where he maintained his military interest by taking part in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and several Citizens' Military Training Camps while also serving in the Army Reserve.

In March 1936 he joined the United States Army.

Assigned to a coast artillery regiment, he served in Hawaii for two years.

After his March 1938 discharge, Sparks returned to Arizona, where he attended the University of Arizona.

In 1939, he was called to active duty for World War II, and in 1940 he received his commission as a second lieutenant.

In 1939, he participated in another C.M.T.C., at which he won several awards and was recommended for a commission.

While attending college, Sparks also participated in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps.

Sparks served in the Army Reserve from 1939 to 1940, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of Infantry in January 1940.

He was called to active duty in February 1941 and assigned to the 45th Infantry Division.

Sparks took part in the Italian campaign, Southern France campaign, and Central European campaign.

He was promoted to first lieutenant in February 1942, captain in October 1942, major in August 1944, and lieutenant colonel in November 1944.

During the war, Sparks's assignments included adjutant of 2nd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment and commander of the battalion's Company E. As a major and lieutenant colonel, he commanded the 45th Division's 3rd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment during 1944 and 1945.

Assigned to the 45th Infantry Division, Sparks served with the division's 157th Infantry Regiment throughout the war, from its arrival in North Africa through combat in Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany.

After the war, Sparks attended the University of Colorado Law School, graduating in 1948.

After receiving his LL.B. degree, Sparks was admitted to the bar and began a practice in Delta, Colorado.

Sparks was also active in civic and veterans organizations, including the Lions, Elks, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and American Legion.

In 1948, he was the successful Democratic candidate for District Attorney of the 7th Judicial District, and he served one term, 1949 to 1953.

Sparks also served as chairman of the Democratic Party in Delta County.

Following his term as district attorney, Sparks resumed practicing law in Delta.

In addition, he served as county attorney for Delta County and town attorney for the town of Hotchkiss.

A leader of the local Democratic Party, Sparks served a term as District Attorney of Colorado's 7th Judicial District (1949–1953), and briefly filled a vacancy as an Associate Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court (1956).

He commanded the 169th Field Artillery Group as a colonel in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including recall to active duty for several months during the Berlin Crisis of 1961.

In 1957, Sparks was appointed attorney for the Colorado Water Conservation Board.

In 1958, he became the board's director, and he served in this position until retiring in 1979.

In addition to pursuing careers in law and government, Sparks continued to serve in the military.

Sparks was promoted to brigadier general in 1968 and assigned as the Colorado National Guard's assistant adjutant general for army and commander of the Colorado Army National Guard.

Sparks served in the National Guard until reaching the mandatory retirement age in 1977.

Sparks died in Lakewood, Colorado, on September 25, 2007.

He was buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

Near the end of the war, Sparks was commander of the 157th Infantry's 3rd Battalion, which he led during its participation in the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp.

For his wartime service, Sparks was twice awarded both the Silver Star and the Purple Heart, as well as the French Croix de Guerre.

After the war, Sparks graduated from the University of Colorado Law School, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in Delta, Colorado.

Assigned as executive officer of the 157th Regimental Combat Team (RCT), a unit of the Colorado Army National Guard, Sparks subsequently commanded the RCT's 1st Battalion.