Frank Grant Parks
Category: Family Photos
Winter Haven Boys Booked for Leaders
Bernice Parks 1942
Bill Horseback Riding
In a couple of letters my dad mentions loving to go horseback riding … here is an early photo of him doing just that. Too bad the horse’s nose is cut off … but those were the days when you could not immediately see your photo on either your phone screen or the back of your camera display … you had to wait days, weeks or even months until your roll of 12 or 24 or 36 photos was all exposed and you took it in to the drug store to be developed and then finally got to see what you captured.
Parks Family Photo
I have been asked to provide some family history as in who’s who. I will begin to deal with this as it relates to my mother, who after all is the main focus of the blog. This family photo was the first of four Parks Family photos taken between 1947 and 1965. The photo was taken in the living room of 1352 South 4th Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania which was the family home at the time.
Huntley Family Tree
This is my father’s family … sadly, I have less photos and less details overall about his side of my family tree. You can see that my father falls towards the end of his generation of siblings.
Parks Family Tree
For those who wanted a bit of family information here is a piece of my family tree. My mother was one of 11 … technically there were 13, but two never made it past the first week of life. There was a 22 year span from Frank to Donald (Donnie). The older four sons were fighting in WW II while the younger four were just starting elementary school. Except for the 5 year break between Louise and Robert (Bobby) because of the little ones who did not make it … most of the siblings were on average 15 months apart … with the one other exception … the five years between Edwin (Eddie) and Donald … I will let you fill in that blank.
Sweet Sixteen
As I mentioned, my future parents, Bernice Parks and William (Bill) Huntley met 76 years ago this month in July 1940.
Bernice – 1939
In February of 1939, my mother-to-be was 14. Here she is on the left … on the right is her big sister, Lucille.
Bernice & Lucille
Bill and Frank
As I mentioned, my father and uncle joined the Marines on the same day in February of 1939. They obviously became buddies and shared stories about their respective families. Both came from rather large families – my mom being one of 11 and my dad one of 8.
They were stationed in Quantico, Virginia. Being located only 4 or 5 hours away from my grandparent’s, Harry and Mabel Parks, home in Allentown, Pennsylvania I guess they discussed a visit by my dad. And after a reasonable amount of time … or about two years … my dad and another Marine buddy, Charley Daniels, planned a visit in July with plans to have a double date with my mom and Aunt Lucy.
Bill & Frank – 1939
In 1939, my father left the University of Pennsylvania and joined the Marine Corps. He was 22 when on the 13th of February, he enlisted in the US Marines.
