Monday, February 13, 2006
Just Mr. Gordon Parks from Ft. Scott, Kansas, that’s how he wanted to be introduced. Throughout his accomplished life, he proved to be much more.
Unable to attend Friday’s William Allen White day festivities in his honor for health reasons, Parks, 93, accepted the William Allen White Foundation’s 2006 National Citation from Ann Brill, dean of journalism, in a taped presentation in December 2005. The citation is presented annually for achievement in journalism.
The footage of the presentation, along with an interview Parks did with Byron Pitts, an award-winning CBS correspondent, was shown at Friday’s ceremony.
Parks said once that he found two weapons to fight off the oppression of his youth – the camera and the pen. Throughout his lifetime he has utilized both extensively, working as poet, author, director and photojournalist.
In the interview Parks spoke about civil rights and his career and gave advice to students who were just starting out.
“Don’t give up. That’s what I’ve always felt about myself, no matter how difficult, do not give up,” said Parks.
He said a lot of his drive came from his mother’s attitude toward race and duty.
“If a white boy can do it, you can do it, and you better do it better or don’t come home,” he recalled her saying.
Parks broke boundaries by becoming the first African-American photographer to shoot for Life and Vogue magazines and the first African-American to speak at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
The ceremony also included remarks from Rich Clarkson, a well-known photojournalist and KU alumnus. Clarkson talked about Parks’ photographs and shared personal anecdotes about Parks, including his flirtatious personality.
“He could always, and still does, find the most beautiful woman in any room,” said Clarkson.
Brill agreed with that statement, saying Parks was still “a little bit of a flirt” at 93. Brill called him a “night-owl,” who stayed up late into the night to talk with her after the presentation and interview.
At the end of the tape Parks’ said that he wanted to be buried in Ft. Scott.
“It’s just a blessing that things have happened for him the way they have. He’s been around the world and for him to end up back in Kansas is all our family could want for him,” said Charles Parks, Parks’ great-nephew.
Some of Parks’ photographs are on display through March at the KU Spencer Museum of Art. Video footage of the ceremony will be available on the School of Journalism’s Web site this week.
— Edited by Timon Veach
Famous photojournalist wins prestigious award
Award recipient dies at 93
Golden Moment
Win or lose, Rich Clarkson enjoys every Final Four, and he hasn’t ...
Photographer’s book charts history of Kansas basketball
Rich Clarkson has photographed 53 Final Fours, including three KU national championships
Shroyer: Major league baseball fails to inspire ...
Decades after Jackie Robinson, the MLB abandons its populist roots, racial integration
Professor hopes students connect with history
Black Student Union celebrates and discusses 100th year of black history month
Renowned journalist visits campus
Hersh, who exposed the torture at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq with ...
‘Jewish Jordan’ talks faith, basketball
Jewish Division 1 player who never played on holy days speaks tonight ...
School of Journalism receives Hearst Awards
Students received a combined $5,000 in awards.
Students work with and for migrant workers
The Lawrence Fair Food prepares for this week’s events in improving conditions ...
Q & A: CNN anchor and William ...
Candy Crowley talks about the Republican Primary with a KU student.
Journalism School awards 63rd annual William Allen ...
John Carroll, former Pulitzer-Prize winning editor, was this year's award recipient.
Black History Month acknowledges contribution to society
Photojournalist shows work at Spencer Art
Stephen Williams encourages students to bring their own photos to share.
Students find ways to watch inauguration
Some professors, university centers and local groups had ingauguration TV access for ...
Kansas foundation honors AP president
Tom Curley to receive William Allen White Foundation award in ceremony tomorrow ...
Downtown residents and employees face parking woes
In March, the city began re-enforcing a $50 fine for habitual parking ...
Caught on tape
Duct tape works as a useful tool and a creative craft in ...
Occupy Lawrence optimistic after citations
With threat of citations realized, demonstrators were eager to refocus on their ...
Award named after English professor
Paul Stephen Lim is also a playwright and the award will honor ...
Campus mourns husband of dean
Larry J. Schmitz died yesterday from complications of a lung disease.
Conference turns Lawrence to Science-fiction city
The Science Fiction Research Association’s annual conference, running from Thursday to Saturday, ...
Weekend parking at Union won't cost
$1.4 million grant adds Amharic language to ...
Amharic is the official working language of Ethiopia but is offered by ...
Police identify suspect in McCollum Hall incident
Officials have identified the suspect as Samuel Lennell Moore.
The Great Divide
Two men wanted to play sports at Kansas in the 1950s. One ...
Mangino's University parking history
Mangino has a rough past with the University's parking department that includes ...
Journalist shares experiences from South Africa
Journalist Tom Baxter spoke to students at Pizza and Politics on Tuesday ...
Leaving a lasting legacy
As Hemenway prepares to retire, he and others look back at how ...
Hemenway spends days researching
After retiring, the former chancellor works in the Hall Center working on ...
Taking on the color barrier, twice
Thirty years after becoming the first black KU athletes, three brothers fought ...
Culture extends beyond February
Physics professor’s life honored
Raymond Ammar was remembered by family and friends for his love of ...
Guest speaker discusses safety in Nigeria
Parts of Nigeria are perfectly safe to travel to, says Mukhtar Shehu ...
CITIZEN DOLPH: A rare look at the ...
You may not recognize his name, but Dolph Simons Jr., chairman of ...
KU professor fights speeding ticket
Student to spin ‘Wheel’
Award-winning journalist featured speaker for Editors Day
Dotson tells the story of ordinary people with extraordinary experiences.
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
1 comment
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID