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On Homecoming Day at UMass, on October 16, 2010, Parks was honored by current and former band members and staff. The annual alumni band made up of previous band members who have since graduated from UMass returned to participate in the event, which was the largest the university had ever seen, with approximately 1,300 participants.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQaxwA0mS5Q</ref>
On Homecoming Day at UMass, on October 16, 2010, Parks was honored by current and former band members and staff. The annual alumni band made up of previous band members who have since graduated from UMass returned to participate in the event, which was the largest the university had ever seen, with approximately 1,300 participants.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQaxwA0mS5Q</ref>

Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick also named October 16th, 2010 "George N. Parks Day" instructing state Sen. Stanley C. Rosenberg to deliver the proclamation and instructed University of Massachusetts President Jack M. Wilson that the state flags be lowered to half-staff in Parks' honor.<ref name="gnp-day">Mass Live, [http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/10/speakers_lined_up_for_late_uma.html Speakers lined up for late UMass band leader George Parks memorial service] 2010-10-14. Retrieved 2012-10-16.</ref>


==Published works==
==Published works==

Revision as of 16:00, 16 October 2012

George Nathan Parks
George Parks
Parks conducting the UMass Marching Band
Born
George Nathan Parks

(1953-05-23)May 23, 1953
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
DiedSeptember 16, 2010(2010-09-16) (aged 57)
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, U.S.
Resting placeSt. Brigid's Cemetery (Hadley, Massachusetts)
42°22′21.80″N 72°32′57.91″W / 42.3727222°N 72.5494194°W / 42.3727222; -72.5494194
EducationChristiana High School
University of Delaware
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Northwestern University
Occupation(s)Band director
Music teacher
Years active1977–2010
EmployerUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst
OrganizationGeorge N. Parks Drum Major Academy
Known forDrum major instruction, Tuba performance, Director of the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band
SpouseJeanne Parks
ChildrenMichael, Kathryn
Parent(s)Norman and Vesta Parks
AwardsWorld Drum Corps Hall of Fame
Bands of America Hall of Fame

George Nathan Parks (May 23, 1953[1] – September 16, 2010) was the director of the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 1977 until his sudden death in 2010. Considered a national authority on drum majoring, he led the George N. Parks Drum Major Academy, a summer workshop program for high school drum majors.

Early life and education

Parks was born in Buffalo, New York and grew up in Newark, Delaware graduating from Christiana High School in 1971. He earned a bachelor's degree at West Chester University where he was the drum major in the West Chester University Golden Rams Marching Band. At West Chester, Parks was initiated into the Rho Sigma chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. After college he earned a master's degree in tuba performance at Northwestern University.

Career

Drum corps

Parks made his first appearance on the national scene as Drum Major of the award-winning Reading Buccaneers Senior Drum and Bugle Corps. He helped lead the Buccaneers to two DCA Championships, in 1979 and 1980 and received numerous individual honors, including eight DCA Championship Drum Major Awards and induction into the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame. In 1976, while working as a graduate assistant under John P. Paynter at Northwestern University, he was instrumental in bringing the first colorguard/flag corp to the Big Ten. His creative routines quickly impressed other bands in the Big Ten which in turn added their own color guards.

University of Massachusetts

Parks became the director of the Minuteman Marching Band in 1977 at the age of 24 and remained there for 33 years until his death in 2010. Building upon a strong program that had been headed by John Jenkins since the early 1960s, Parks' approach to the marching band resulted in instant success with the football fans. He was a recipient of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Distinguished Teachers Award, the Chancellor's Medal for Distinguished Service. Parks was a professor in the Department of Music and was the recipient of the university's Distinguished Teacher Award and the Chancellor's Medal for Distinguished Service. The University's Alumni Association named him an honorary alumnus in 1997.[2][3]

George N. Parks Drum Major Academy

Parks founded the George N. Parks Drum Major Academy, a summer program to train high school drum majors. Each summer, over 3,000 students attend his Band Leadership Training Seminar and Drum Major Academy.[4][5]

Other work

In addition to his work at UMass Amherst and with his Drum Major Academy, Parks worked regularly with Bowl Games of America (BGA), where he assisted in the production of massed band halftime shows. He conducted BGA halftime shows at the Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Gator Bowl, and the BCS National Championship Game. In 2005 and 2009[6] he was the director of the Bands of America Honor Band in the Tournament of Roses Parade.

Awards and honors

Parks was inducted into the Massachusetts Instrumental Conductor's Association Hall of Fame, the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame, The Bands of America Hall of Fame, and the Buccaneers Hall of Fame. He received the Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity Distinguished Service to Music Medal, in the field of marching band, in October 2008.[7] Parks was initiated into the Epsilon Nu chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity as an Honorary Brother and the Delta Delta chapter of Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority as an Honorary Sister.[7]

The George N. Parks Minuteman Marching Band Building at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, scheduled to officially open on Homecoming Weekend in November, 2011, was named in Parks' honor. The name was chosen a year before his death and announced in Parks' presence at the groundbreaking in October 2009.[8]

Personal life

Parks married his wife, Jeanne, in 1979 in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. They had two children, Michael and Kathryn.

Death and legacy

Parks died of a heart attack on the evening of September 16, 2010 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio after a performance with the UMass Marching Band at Cuyahoga Falls High School. He was traveling to Ann Arbor, Michigan with the band for a football game on September 18 between UMass and the University of Michigan.[9][10] Before the performance, Parks had been complaining about neck pain and paramedics were called, said Gary Guenther, chief investigator for the Summit County Medical Examiner. "When they got there, they checked him out," he said. "Mr. Parks apparently said he was feeling better and refused to go to the hospital." Later, after the band was finished playing, he agreed to go to the hospital, Guenther said, but as Parks was getting into a private vehicle he collapsed. Paramedics were called again, and they transported him to Summa Western Reserve Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:02 p.m.[1] He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Jeanne, and his two children, Michael and Kathryn.[1] On September 18, he was the 8th on the Google trends list.[11]

On Homecoming Day at UMass, on October 16, 2010, Parks was honored by current and former band members and staff. The annual alumni band made up of previous band members who have since graduated from UMass returned to participate in the event, which was the largest the university had ever seen, with approximately 1,300 participants.[12]

Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick also named October 16th, 2010 "George N. Parks Day" instructing state Sen. Stanley C. Rosenberg to deliver the proclamation and instructed University of Massachusetts President Jack M. Wilson that the state flags be lowered to half-staff in Parks' honor.[13]

Published works

The Dynamic Drum Major (1984, Grove Weidenfeld; ISBN 978-9996508240 Cl Barnhouse Co/Music Pubs)

References

  1. ^ a b Douglass Funeral Service, George N. Parks May 23, 1953 - September 16, 2010 Retrieved 2010-09-19
  2. ^ UMass Amherst Alumni Association, Distinguished Alumni Awards Recipients Retrieved 2010-09-18.
  3. ^ University of Massachusetts Amherst, George N. Parks, Longtime Marching Band Director, Dead at 57 2010-09-17. Retrieved 2010-09-18.
  4. ^ Newark Post, UD band director remembers mentor and friend George Parks 2010-09-20. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  5. ^ "History". George N. Parks Drum Major Academy. 2005. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  6. ^ "NAMM, Sesame Street, and Music For All Create Float for 2009 Rose Parade." School Band & Orchestra Magazine. 08 August 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  7. ^ a b University of Massachusetts Amherst, Remembering George Parks Retrieved 2010-9-19.
  8. ^ YouTube, George Parks Speech, Minuteman Marching Band Groundbreaking 2009-10-17. Retrieved 2010-9-23.
  9. ^ Masslive.com, George N. Parks, UMass band director, dies after performance in Ohio 2010-09-17. Retrieved 2010-09-18.
  10. ^ Akron Beacon Journal, University band director dies after Falls game 2010-09-17. Retrieved 2010-09-18.
  11. ^ "Hot Searches (USA) Sep 17, 2010". Google. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  12. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQaxwA0mS5Q
  13. ^ Mass Live, Speakers lined up for late UMass band leader George Parks memorial service 2010-10-14. Retrieved 2012-10-16.

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