He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Purdue University in agricultural education, where he was named the outstanding male student in the graduating class. Dr. Park subsequently taught high school agriculture for five years in Wolcott, Indiana, where his agriculture program was recognized as one of the top six programs in the nation. He earned his doctoral degree at the University of Florida, and then was hired as an assistant and associate professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University. Dr. Park directed the teacher education program at Cornell and coordinated the Agricultural Outreach and Education program.