Charles Cropper Parks (1922 - October 25, 2012) was an American sculptor who donated almost 300 of his works to the

State of Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

in 2011.

Biography

Charles Parks was born in

Onancock Onancock ( ) is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,263 at the 2010 census. History According to a nearby Virginia state highway marker, Onancock was founded in 1680. A courthouse was established some years ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

in 1922. He served in the air force during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, before getting an education at

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 ma ...

and the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

. Parks and his wife, Inge, created the Charles Parks foundation in 2003. In 2011 the Parks family donated approximately 290 sculptures from Charles Parks' private collection to the State of Delaware, in the hope they would be displayed to the public. Parks died in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

on October 25, 2012 age 90. Delaware governor,

Jack Markell Jack Alan Markell (born November 26, 1960) is an American politician who currently serves as the United States ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. He previously served as the 73rd governor of Delaware from 2 ...

, described Parks as "an extraordinarily talented artist and sculptor whose life work made an impact on so many". In April 2013 thirteen of Parks' sculptures were exhibited at the

First State Heritage Park First State Heritage Park is Delaware, Delaware's first urban "park without boundaries" linking historic and cultural sites in Dover, Delaware, Dover, Kent County, Delaware, Kent County, Delaware, the city that has been the seat of state governm ...

Welcome Centre and Galleries, organised by the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs.

References

1922 births 2012 deaths 20th-century American sculptors People from Onancock, Virginia United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Sculptors from Delaware 21st-century American sculptors {{US-sculptor-stub