User:Novelrod/sandbox

Sandbox Draft for Paul Parks Article Contributions

Some side notes:

• The Wikipedia article on Paul Parks is an existing "stub-class" article. Possible areas of improvement include the need for expanded structure, more information, and reliable sourcing. I reworded most of the current content.
• This topic is in collaboration with User:Teog0627; their sources primarily cover Parks' public service in Boston.
• The original article has unclear references and one line sentences with no development. These will either be expanded on or removed due to inadequate citations.

Early Life and Education

Parks’ father, Cleab, was a disabled World War I veteran of Seminole descent. His mother, Hazel, was a social worker who served as an early influence for Parks to understand the importance of politics and education. Parks grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, which was characterized by its segregated education system at the time. He attended Crispus Attucks High School, an all-black institution in Indianapolis. 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 also a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity during his time at the university. 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 degree in engineering from Northeastern University after moving to Boston.

Career

Military Service Career

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.

Civil Engineering Career

Upon discharge from the military, Parks' 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 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' 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 also a member of professional organizations including the American Society of Civil Engineers and the National Society of Professional Engineers.

Public Service Career

(This will be primarily covered by User:Teog0627, but here are some talking points that I believe could be covered if they do not touch upon these topics).

• His role as the head of the Model City Program in Boston
• His leadership as the Secretary of Education under Gov. Dukakis
• His position as the Chairman of the Boston School Committee
• His role in founding the Metropolitan Educational Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO)
• His position as the Vice President of the NAACP Boston branch

Most valuable information will most likely be about his civil rights activism and community/political involvement.

Films

Parks was featured in documentary films including Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II and The Last Days. In these films along with other interview, Parks described his experiences on the front lines. The stories focused on his eyewitness accounts of American and European tragedies at Omaha Beach and the Dachau concentration camp. His wartime stories sparked controversy after receiving an honorary award in 2000. See "Controversy" section.

Controversy

Parks was honored by B'nai B'irth International in 2000 with the Raoul Wallenberg award, named after an individual who rescued tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust. This award stirred controversy due to the conflicting records between Parks' anecdotes and military documentation regarding his role in both the D-Day invasion and the liberation of Dachau. Several military veterans came forward to object the seemingly inconsistent stories told by Parks, including Hugh F. Foster, Felix L. Sparks, and Cranston Rogers. According to these military veterans, Parks' unit had no direct interaction with Omaha Beach or Dachau as seen from archived military files.

After further investigation and consideration by B'nai B'irth, Parks was allowed to retain the award. The organization announced that, "Although there is no eyewitness support for Parks' claims, neither is there any eyewitness refutation, and his US military records are not inconsistent with his account," the organization said in August 2002. As Parks said, he was detached from his original engineering regiment during the liberation of Dachau. In addition, the National Personnel Records Center fire of 1973 resulted in the loss of approximately 16-18 million military personnel records prior to 1960.

(Self-assessment for Class)

• There was very limited information in the "Career" section of his page. In my proposed edits, I created two subsections of his career (military and engineering), that expand on his life in more detail while also expanding on the current information that is on the page.
• I created a separate "Early Life and Education" section that takes the limited information from the original article and adds more detail.
• I created an "Other" section that briefly discusses slight controversy that came from his stories regarding World War II.
• Despite needing more development in the "Other" section, more contributions to the "Public Service Career" subsection, and an updated "Lead" section once the article is more cohesive, I believe that the increase in both quality and quantity of information warrants a bump in the article's class (currently Stub-class).

Annotated Bibliography for Paul Parks

Note: These are only some of the references I plan on consulting when drafting sections about Paul Parks.

Pinsker, Beth. "The Quarrel: Hero G.I. Who Shot German Sees an Error in 'Last Days'; Berenbaum Will Review just Where that Enemy Soldier was Slain." Forward, Feb 26 1999, p. 1. ProQuest. Web. 25 Feb. 2021. Originally from the Jewish Forward, an independent newspaper, this article addresses part of the controversy around Parks’ World War II claims of liberating the Dachau concentration camp. It also provides a little more insight into his roles in his features in two documentaries. While this source may seem biased considering the religious undertones, the article itself recounts quotes/interviews from Parks and others involved in the making of the films. Additional evidence is probably needed for the “controversy” surrounding Parks.

Walter V. Robinson, and Thomas Farragher, Globe Staff. "UNTANGLING PAUL PARKS'S TALL TALES RECORDS CONTRADICT MORE WARTIME STORIES: [THIRD EDITION]." Boston Globe, Oct 22 2000, ProQuest. Web. 25 Feb. 2021. Originally from the Boston Globe, this newspaper article supplements the source above regarding the seemingly contradictory wartime stories that Parks tells of himself. The Boston Globe is a reliable source, and another article written by the same authors on this topic can also complement this one.

Thomas Farragher, and Walter V. Robinson, Globe Staff. "A VETERAN'S STORY OF WWII EXPLOITS RAISES QUESTIONS B'NAI B'RITH AWARD NOW UNDER REVIEW: [THIRD EDITION]." Boston Globe, Oct 12 2000, ProQuest. Web. 25 Feb. 2021. This will be the third referenced article regarding the wartime stories of Parks. It explains how Parks was given an award for his role in World War II, and it contains quotes from different parties that either argue for or against Parks receiving the honorary award. This is a reliable source, and more articles will help.

AP. "B'nai B'rith Award-Winner Gets to Keep it, Despite Doubts: [Daily Edition]." Jerusalem Post, Sep 03 2002, p. 0. ProQuest. Web. 25 Feb. 2021. Originally from the Jerusalem Post, this newspaper article explains how B’nai B’rith, the organization that honored Parks for his heroics, decided not to retract their decision. This is a reliable source, and a comprehensive story for this section of the Wikipedia article can be written with these sources.

Manly, Howard. "Parks, Engineer of Hub School Equity, Dies at 86." The Boston Banner, Aug 06 2009, p. 1. ProQuest. Web. 25 Feb. 2021. Originally from the Bay State Banner, this an obituary written about Parks. It offers a great summary of his life as a whole, and it can be used a citation for material already written in the current Paul Parks Wikipedia article. It also adds a few more details in different areas. This is a reliable source, and other obituaries can also be used to supplement this source.

"Paul Parks Elected to Nat'l Academy of Administration." Bay State Banner (1965-1979), Oct 12 1972, p. 11. ProQuest. Web. 25 Feb. 2021. Originally from the Bay State Banner, this article offers information regarding Parks’ memberships in various organizations and his leadership positions. This can be used to add to the current information on his Wikipedia article. This is a reliable source since it is a local newspaper that chronicles the positions of a public official. Similar sources can also add more details about these various positions.

Karagianis, Maria. "Paul Parks--Politically Astute Reformer in a Suit: Profile in the News." Boston Globe (1960-1989), Dec 11 1974, p. 24. ProQuest. Web. 25 Feb. 2021. Originally from the Boston Globe, this newspaper article features Parks as a model-citizen profile in the local Boston area. It confirms information from previous sources, and also touches upon his personality. This is a reliable source, and more sources like this can be very useful.

“Paul Parks, Noted Engineer Devoted to Good Works.” Vineyard Gazette. Aug. 6, 2009. Web. 25 Feb. 2021. https://vineyardgazette.com/obituaries/2009/08/06/paul-parks-noted-engineer-devoted-good-works Originally from the Vineyard Gazette, this obituary offers more insight into his earlier life with some comments about his upbringing and his mother. It also supports the other sources by confirming information. This is a reliable source, and more sources like this can be very useful.