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Gordon Parks, the noted
photojournalist, author and filmmaker, was honored at a public
ceremony on Feb. 10 as the recipient of the William Allen
White Foundation 2006 National Citation.
The Fort Scott, Kan., native, now 93,
was unable to attend the ceremony. However, John Frazee, senior
vice president of CBS News, an alumnus and trustee of the
White Foundation, arranged for Byron Pitts, an award-winning
correspondent, to interview Mr. Parks. CBS prepared a video
including the interview and footage from CBS Sunday Morning
shows about Mr. Parks. In addition to the video, the William
Allen White Day program included remarks
from Rich Clarkson, alumnus, renowned photojournalist
and owner of Rich Clarkson and Associates in Denver, and Ann
Charles, Chairman of the White Foundation.
An exhibition of Mr. Parks' photography
is currently on display at the KU Spencer Museum of Art. The
exhibit, titled "Gordon Parks At Home and Abroad: A Small
Selection," will be on display in the Study Gallery on
the fourth floor of the museum through March.
"Gordon Parks is one of the most
influential photojournalists, authors and composers of our
time,” said Brill. “The fact that he is a Kansan
makes the presentation of this award even more special. We
think William Allen White would concur with the words on the
citation that Gordon Parks is ‘An American Journalist
Who Exemplifies William Allen White Ideals In Service To His
Profession And His Community.’”
Parks has in every way become a citizen
of the world--a Renaissance man known internationally for
pursuing a wide array of interests and making art that reflects
those experiences. Parks has worked as a piano player, a busboy,
and a basketball player. He has painted, written poetry, published
books, directed movies, and composed music. Parks is also
a gifted photographer with a natural sense of composition
and an eye for simple narratives that elicit broader themes.
His stark and unblinking photographic portraits of life in
the United States have helped to shape our national identity
and have provided an uncompromising mirror for the American
public. Parks worked for Life magazine, which sent him around
the globe as he continued to tackle issues of race, class,
and status in our modern world.
Parks just released two books, Hungry
Heart, a new memoir, and Eyes with Winged Thoughts, featuring
his poetry and photographs. Gordon Parks: No Excuses, a children’s
book by Ann Parr of Lindsborg, Kan., comes out next month.
He is the author of many other works of poetry, fiction and
nonfiction, including The Learning Tree, A Choice of Weapons
and To Smile In Autumn.
Parks has received numerous prestigious
awards and was inducted into the International Photography
Hall of Fame and Museum in 2002. He was the first black photographer
to shoot for Life and Vogue. Parks is also an accomplished
movie director and composer. He directed the movie Shaft in
1971 and has composed a piano concerto, a symphony, two sonatas,
a ballet and three film scores. He is currently at work with
cellist Yo Yo Ma on another composition.
The White Foundation trustees chose Parks
to receive the citation, presented annually since 1950 to
journalists who exemplify the ideals of William Allen White.
KU's William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications
is named in White's honor. White (1868-1944) was a nationally
influential Kansas editor and publisher.
Other notable recipients of the William
Allen White Citation have included James Reston, 1950; Walter
Cronkite, 1969; Arthur O. Sulzberger, 1974; James J. Kilpatrick,
1979; Helen Thomas, 1986; Charles Kuralt, 1989; Bernard Shaw,
1994; Bob Woodward, 2000; Molly Ivins, 2001; and Cokie Roberts,
2002.
For more information, contact Jennifer
Kinnard, Communications Coordinator for the University of
Kansas William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications,
at (785) 864-7644 or jkinnard@ku.edu.
Photo Gallery
Video
of Gordon Parks' Intervie (36 MB, 18 minutes)
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