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 Geor-
gia, 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 Govern-
ment 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 photo-
graphic style by working with the Farm Security Admin-
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•HRES 720 IH 
istration’s photography project, best known for its De-
pression era photographs chronicling the despair and dev-
astation of America’s farmers; 
Whereas Gordon Parks worked as a photography cor-
respondent in 1943 through the Office of War Informa-
tion (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 African- 
American 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, ‘‘Shan-
non’’, 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, photo-
graphic, 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 hon-
orary doctorates from colleges and universities in the 
United States and England: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes and honors Gordon Roger Alex-
ander Buchanan Parks as a preeminent artist who 
made history, recognized the beauty and potential 
within all of us, and devoted his life to producing 
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