The following comments were made at the Feb. 10, 2006, William Allen White Day National Citation ceremony honoring Gordon Parks. Rich Clarkson is a J-School alumnus, renowned photojournalist and owner of Rich Clarkson and Associates in Denver. Mr. Clarkson introduced the CBS-produced video interview of Gordon Parks by Byron Pitts, award-winning news correspondent.

In a moment, you are going to experience the closest thing we can bring you to -- a visit with Gordon Parks. The video was made in Gordon’s New York apartment in December for Gordon doesn’t travel well these days. You will get a measure of this unique man today.

I began nominating Gordon Parks for this citation long before I was even on the William Allen White board. Then, I would put his name in nomination every year. The citations kept going to great editors like Gene Roberts, great reporters like Rick Smith, great Kansans like Stu Aubrey.

Photographers seemed of another ilk, despite the fact this state has been the home of some of the greatest. W. Eugene Smith, father of the picture story, photographed for the Wichita Eagle -- until he was fired for trying to say how his pictures were to be used.

David Douglas Duncan worked in his early years as an industrial photographer for TWA in Kansas City. And then, there was Gordon Parks, once of Fort Scott.

But now and finally -- in his 93rd year, Gordon Parks is the cite. Photojournalism has finally arrived. But we can understand that photography was only one part of this hugely creative man who has done exceptional works in the many disciplines – yes, including journalism.

I remember the first time I met Gordon for I just graduated from KU at the time. Now to understand the circumstances, let me take you back to an earlier day when the grassroots of photojournalism were being fashioned by the most unlikely of professors – at, sorry about this, the University of Missouri. Cliff Edom couldn’t take a good picture himself, was not a great lecturer, never made it to the “big time” – but became the greatest catalyst in the history of American photojournalism.

For some reason, he sought me out early in my career and invited me to come to Columbia, Mo. Later, to participate in many of their activities over some 25 years. And one of those activities was his creation in the late 50s of a photojournalism fraternity along the lines of Sigma Delta Chi – it called Kappa Alpha Mu. KAM for camera. Cliff pulled together students and faculty of the many American universities teaching photojournalism at the time in an annual convention of the KAM students. Thus, one of those early conventions was at Missouri– and I attended. Gordon Parks was the principal speaker at the final banquet.

That was when I first met Gordon and began to see in addition to his genius, intelligence and taste – a sometimes-playful individual with a great sense of mirth. Then there was his intrigue with beauty – and he could always (and still does) find the must beautiful woman in the room. Gordon was a huge hit with the some 300 students who attended the convention.

But in talking with Cliff, he told me how he pulled off getting Gordon for the program. The problem wasn’t convincing Gordon. It lay in the fact that Gordon was the first American Negro to ever be part of an official school program on the Missouri campus. But with the help of Earl English, the dean, they got it past the MU administration, mostly by presenting it as a fact accompli.

When it came time for the speech at the concluding dinner in the ballroom of the old Tiger Hotel in downtown Columbia, even the school’s president was in attendance and seated next to Gordon at the head table. Understand that Gordon brought all the sophistication, social graces and impeccable dress and appearance of the elite to the occasion. And after dinner, it was time for Gordon’s lecture – which consisted of showing work from his just-finished Life magazine story on “Hemmingway’s Paris” – a beautiful set of pictures from the streets, parks and bars of Paris that were the favorites of Hemmingway. The pictures were poetic works of interpretive art.

But in the middle of the show in the darkened room, the Carousel projector jammed – as they are prone to do. As various people made their way through the darkness to get to the Carousel stand – and the audience sat in the dark, Gordon finally commented from the podium.

Understand that everyone knew all the circumstances – a black man lecturing an all-white audience in a historic moment of that school.

What Gordon said was almost under his breath, but discernable in the furthest corner of the room, “We’ll resume the show in a minute – as soon as we get this mother --- fixed.”

Only that wasn’t exactly what he said. And I’ll never forget looking across the room when you could barely see the silhouetted heads of the audience – all-bouncing in quenched laughter. Gordon in the midst of stunning beauty reminded us of our prejudices and preconceptions.

It was years later that I convinced Gordon to come to Atlanta – in the south – to address the annual convention of the National Press Photographers Association. It was Liberty Weekend in New York where the tall ships passed by the Statue of Liberty and America celebrated its 200th birthday.

Gordon mesmerized the audience, first in what seemed a conversation –- later in a serious message. We all remember great moments of oratory – the Martin Luther King “I have a dream” speech, General McArthur’s farewell to the cadets of West Point – and for me, that Gordon Parks moment is the equal of any. Gordon told of his early career and how a black man from Fort Scott forged his way into a white world of high accomplishment and respect. All the while, never forgetting his heritage as a black American.

Gordon was as much a leader in the years of the Civil Rights Movement as Andrew Young or the Reverend Ralph Abernathy or even Dr. King himself. Only Gordon used the persuasion of a magazine page, a motion picture screen and a music hall.

But most of all, Gordon used the lens of his camera, the artistry and passion of a mind – and a memory of early years in Kansas against a tableau of a whole world to which he later traveled.

Gordon was a true journalist for he told stories. He made us think. He made us feel. And he made some of us act.

At the conclusion of that talk in Atlanta, he offered a few words of advise to those assembled journalists. This in a divided America. Today, thirty years later, those words are as true as when he spoke them in 1976 at the height of his career.

Advice to journalists.

I would like you to hear a small and concluding part of that talk today.

(An audio recording of Parks' talk played.)

Gordon Parks is an American treasure. And today, he is finally one of our treasures too.

(Introduction of video--video coming soon)