| George N. Parks | |
|---|---|
Parks conducting the UMass Marching Band |
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| Born | George Nathan Parks May 23, 1953 Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 16, 2010 (aged 57) Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, U.S. |
| Resting place | St. Brigid's Cemetery (Hadley, Massachusetts) |
| Residence | Amherst, Massachusetts |
| Education | Christiana High School University of Delaware West Chester University of Pennsylvania Northwestern University |
| Occupation | Band director Music teacher |
| Years active | 1977–2010 |
| Employer | University of Massachusetts Amherst |
| Organization | George N. Parks Drum Major Academy |
| Known for | Drum major instruction, Tuba performance, Director of the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band |
| Spouse | Jeanne Parks |
| Children | Michael, Kathryn |
| Parents | Norman and Vesta Parks |
| Awards | World Drum Corps Hall of Fame Bands of America Hall of Fame |
George N. 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.
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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. After college he earned a master's degree in tuba performance at Northwestern University.
Parks made his first appearance on the national scene as Drum Major of the award-winning Reading Buccaneers Senior Drum and Bugle Corps. 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.
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 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]
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.
In addition to his work at UMass Amherst and with his Drum Major Academy, Park 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[4] he was the director of the Bands of America Honor Band in the Tournament of Roses Parade.
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.[5]
The George N. Parks Minuteman Marching Band Building at the University of Massachusetts 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.[6]
Parks married his wife, Jeanne, in 1979 in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. They had two children, Michael and Kathryn.
Parks died suddenly 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.[7][8] He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Jeanne, and his two children, Michael and Kathryn.[1]
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.
The Dynamic Drum Major (1984, Grove Weidenfeld; ISBN 978-9996508240 Cl Barnhouse Co/Music Pubs)