|
If you find any errors please send them to the
Department Signals
Officer
| |
Ed Parks, PDC, US Army ret,
Ex-POW
1924-2007
 Noted
Middleboro World War II veteran, 83, dies
By Alice C. Elwell, Enterprise Correspondent
MIDDLEBORO— A decorated World War II veteran who was later known for helping
to protect 800 acres of land around his home died Saturday at Morton Hospital in
Taunton.
Edward W. Parks, 83, died within days of the death of his wife, Christine M.
(West) Parks.
The decorated veteran was awarded three Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star and
was a prisoner of war in the Nazi camp Stalag IV after he was captured during
the Battle of the Bulge.
Many of his men were lost, and Parks never forgot them.
In 2003, Parks said, “Some of them died in my arms. I live with this all the
time.”
Parks almost lost both legs to frostbite while he was a prisoner and was
troubled with the after-affects later in life.
During an interview, he told The Enterprise that he had to wrap his legs every
night because of the pain, but that didn't stop him from regularly volunteering
at the veterans hospital in Brockton.
The outspoken patriot threatened to return his French medal, the Croix de
Guerre, in a fit of anger after the French response to Sept. 11, 2001, and the
war on terrorism.
But he made amends with the French government; this spring, he was nominated
for the Legion d' Honneur.
After World War II, Parks moved to the Black Brook Farm in south Middleboro, a
homestead that is considered one of the oldest in town.
“Ed was always involved in historical preservation,” Historical Commission
Chairwoman Jane Lopes said about her fellow member. “He attended every on site
meeting, even with a bad heart.”
She said his desire to preserve local antiquities and landmarks meshed with his
passion for conservation.
“He was a conservationist as well as a preservationist,” Lopes said, noting
his recent agreement with the town to preserve his homestead.
Parks' legacy was to protect the 800 acres of pristine land around his home.
This fall, after working with Town Planner Ruth M. Geoffroy for more than seven
years, a conservation restriction was placed on a major portion of the Black
Brook Corridor through a combination of several grants. Although the land can be
sold, it will never be developed.
Selectman Wayne C. Perkins said the town bought the development rights for a
fraction of what the land is worth.
“He did everything he could possibly do to enhance this town,” Perkins said.
“The town lost a very, very, valuable citizen.”
“He was everywhere; you'd turn around and there's Ed Parks,” Perkins said.
As well as serving on the Historical Commission, Parks was elected to the
Middleboro Gas & Electric Commission, appointed to the Agricultural Commission
and the Weston Park Committee and was greatly involved in veterans affairs. He
also served on the Century Association, a group that started the Middleboro
Century Fund in 1969 to raise and invest funds for 100 years, to benefit future
Middleboro residents.
On Monday night, selectmen unanimously voted to dedicate the annual town report
to Parks.
Parks will be buried at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne on Nov.
27. Relatives and friends are invited to a visitation on Nov. 26 at the Ashley
Funeral Home in Middleboro.
| |
|
