IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 720 

Honoring the life of Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 9, 2006 

Mr. RYUN of Kansas (for himself, Mr. MOORE of Kansas, Mr. SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. TIAHRT, Mr. MORAN of Kansas, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mrs. 

CHRISTENSEN, Mr. OWENS, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mrs. JONES of 

Ohio, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. FORD, and Ms. WATSON) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Government Reform 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life of Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan 

Parks. 

Whereas Gordon Parks, a respected Kansan and American, 

passed away March 7, 2006; 

Whereas Gordon Parks was born the youngest of 15 children 

in Fort Scott, Kansas, on November 30, 1912; 

Whereas Gordon Parks was an accomplished artist, the first 

African American producer and director of a major film, 

a groundbreaking photo-journalist, and an award-winning 

photographer, author, and poet; 

Whereas in 1942 Gordon Parks began developing his photographic style by working with the Farm Security AdminVerDate Aug 31 2005 00:35 Mar 10, 2006 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR720.IH HR720

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istration’s photography project, best known for its Depression era photographs chronicling the despair and devastation of America’s farmers; 

Whereas Gordon Parks worked as a photography correspondent in 1943 through the Office of War Information (O.W.I.) and photographed the 332d Fighter group 

that later became known as the Tuskegee Airmen; 

Whereas Gordon Parks worked as a staff photographer for 

Life magazine from 1948 to 1972, creating a body of 

beautiful yet powerful images that provoked public 

awareness and social change; 

Whereas Gordon Parks wrote a childhood memoir titled ‘‘The 

Learning Tree’’ in 1963 and directed the movie version 

in 1969, thereby being credited as the first AfricanAmerican to direct a major Hollywood film; 

Whereas Gordon Parks won an Emmy for the documentary 

‘‘Diary of a Harlem Family’’ in 1968; 

Whereas Gordon Parks helped found Essence Magazine, the 

first publication of its kind, targeted to the full array of 

issues related to African American women, in 1970, and 

steered its editorial direction from 1970 to 1973; 

Whereas Gordon Parks published his second memoir, ‘‘To 

Smile in Autumn’’, in 1979 and a second novel, ‘‘Shannon’’, in 1981; 

Whereas Gordon Parks was honored for his contributions to 

civil rights and inducted into the NAACP Hall of Fame 

in 1984; 

Whereas Gordon Parks was named Kansan of the Year in 

1986; 


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Whereas the New York Public Library recognized the seminal 

work of Gordon Parks with the first retrospective of his 

work in 1987, and a second important retrospective of 

his work was completed by the Corcoran Museum of Art 

in Washington, D.C., in 1997; 

Whereas Gordon Parks received the National Medal of Arts 

from President Reagan in 1988; 

Whereas in 1995, Gordon Parks donated the personal archive 

of his life’s artistic works to the Library of Congress to 

preserve its entirety into perpetuity; 

Whereas Gordon Parks was inducted into the International 

Photography Hall of Fame in 2002; 

Whereas Gordon Parks received the University of Kansas’ 

William Allen White Foundation National Citation for 

journalistic merit in 2006; 

Whereas Gordon Parks made significant contributions to 

20th Century art, and without formal musical, photographic, or literary training, he changed the history of 

art and filmmaking and inspired generations of artists; 

and 

Whereas throughout his life Gordon Parks received 40 honorary doctorates from colleges and universities in the 

United States and England: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes and honors Gordon Roger Alex3 ander Buchanan Parks as a preeminent artist who 

4 made history, recognized the beauty and potential 

5 within all of us, and devoted his life to producing 


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1 images that provoked America to reexamine its 

2 ideals; and 

3 (2) urges the President to take appropriate 

4 measure to encourage the celebration and remem5 brance of Gordon Parks many significant achieve6 ments. 

Æ 


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