PV Tribune Article about Warren
The following article about Warren ran in the Tuesday, September 4th issue of the Prescott Valley Tribune. I have pasted the article here (from the paper's website):
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Kinetic sculpture race trophy to honor Warren Parkes' zest for life
By Sam Lifshutz, for PVtrib.com
Last year, Warren Parkes presided as a judge at the First Annual Prescott Valley Kinetic Sculpture Race. A mere month later, Parkes tragically lost his life in a plane crash which also claimed the lives of four others. The small prop plane crashed just north of the Prescott Airport during a mission to photograph a MiG-21.
At this year's Kinetic Sculpture Race, officials will present to the grand champion a trophy honoring Parkes. It's a fitting tribute, as Parkes' positive attitude and zeal for life perfectly mesh with the ideals of the race.
"I immediately was taken by his wit, humor and wonderful way of looking at things," said KSR Commissioner and Committee Chair Cynthia Jones. "I really didn't know him well, but as the organizer of the PV Kinetic Sculpture Race, I knew his type of personality was perfect to be a judge in this event that's all about having a good time."
Unsurprisingly, Parkes was eager to oblige. "Even though he was up to his eyeballs in getting the Skyfest event together, he took a morning out to be a part of the race and he added a lot to it," Jones said. This sort of community spirit and desire to volunteer was no mere fluke for Parkes. Rather, it was the story of his life.
"I think the whole community really misses Warren," said Dave Newman, owner of Newman Gallery in Downtown Prescott. "He was so well-liked it was incredible."
Parkes' memorial service last year was in an airplane hangar.
"I don't know how many people were there, but there were 500 seats, and there were people standing," said Tom Parkes, Warren's father. "He touched people's lives in so many ways that we never even realized. People just came out of the woodwork and told us how he enriched their lives."
Although Parkes was known around town for his towering intellect, it wasn't until seventh grade that he really took an interest in academics.
"He came home one day and told his mother 'I know what I want to be when I grow up, an Astrophysicist'." By 9th grade he built his own telescope during industrial arts class , a five-foot-long, ten-inch diameter reflective telescope. "The teacher couldn't even help him because he was beyond the teacher," Tom recalled. "We'd go on hikes together and he'd give me my astronomy lessons, as we lay in sleeping bags under the clear night skies. He used to show me the constellations with his flashlight."
Astronomy became a great passion of Parkes', one which he would pursue throughout his life.
It was through his father that Parkes became interested in another of his great passions: flying. Tom, a retired Air Force pilot, has been flying planes for decades. He often took Warren flying with him. "At six years of age I remember he could keep an airplane level. I had him sitting on an attache case and a cushion and his feet were on the seat." It was Tom, an instructor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, who administered all of Warren's flying lessons.
Parkes had always been involved in photography, and it was through photography that he earned a living for most of his adult life. He owned two photography studios, PhotoGraphix, which he opened in 1996, and later sold to open Wild Blue Studios. It was at the intersection of airplanes and photography that Parkes really found his niche.
"He just lived for flying and shooting (photos of) other planes, and his portfolio is just full of absolutely monster pieces of aviation photography," said Joe Robertson, a classmate who attended high school and college with Parkes.
Robertson also sang with Parkes in both the high school and college choir, just another one of his many talents. Parkes even had the chance to sing in Westminster Abbey. "Warren was way into choral singing and solo singing - he had a heck of a voice," Robertson said.
On top of running a full-time business, Parkes found time to write for a local magazine and teach two courses - Astronomy and The History of Western Civilization, at Yavapai College. "Warren's intellectual pursuits took him into so many areas, there was hardly anything you could bring up from an academic standpoint that he hadn't either thought about, researched, studied or contemplated one way or another," said Robertson. More than anything, Parkes enjoyed sharing his knowledge. "When his twin nephews were four years old, he was teaching them to say 'a most prodigious undertaking,'" Tom said, laughing.
In addition to his academic pursuits, Parkes had a spirit of adventure. He and wife Betsy enjoyed traveling and often took active holidays to kayak or hike the Grand Canyon. Robertson remembers an occasion when Parkes flew him to Salt Lake City on a whim, just to have lunch.
It wasn't until 2005 that Warren faced one of his biggest undertakings. He became Executive Director of the Arizona Skyfest, a massive project which utilized his arsenal of skills and talent. As expected, Parkes surpassed expectations, winning the International Conference of Air Shows Marketing Award for his eye-popping programs and marketing materials. No easy feat, considering the ICAS comprises literally hundreds of air shows from around the world.
Today, nearly one year after his tragic accident, it's not Parkes' accomplishments, but his personality and his heart which continue to burn strong in all who knew him.
"He was one of the smartest people I've ever met, and humble. Sometimes just talking it about it, even now, makes me cry. He just was such a great person. He was one of a kind, really," said Newman.
Perhaps no one will miss Warren Parkes as much as his wife, Betsy.
"Warren was a gift in my life and I miss everything about him," she said. "I think he will be remembered for all of his many close friendships. Because he genuinely did like everyone, he had this magical way of making people feel great about themselves in his presence. People loved to be near Warren.
At times it would be hard to get through the grocery store, as we would run into so many people who were clearly thrilled to see their good friend Warren Parkes.
"Warren was very present with people. He would never look beyond someone or be eager to end a conversation. He gave whoever he was with his undivided attention, and I think that made people feel special. He truly felt that every person was important, and I think people could sense that when they were around him. Everyone felt like they were one of Warren's close friends because that is how he treated them. He also had a contagious enthusiasm for whatever he was doing, so people naturally gathered around projects he was involved in just to be a part of that excitement," she said.
"I have to be actively engaged in other things to keep my mind off of him. We have his photography around the house, the car I'm driving is his car. Everything reminds me of him," said Warren's father, a soft, bittersweet smile crossing his face.
Officials will present the trophy honoring Parkes at the conclusion of the Kinetic Sculpture Race, which begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, at the Prescott Valley Civic Center.
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Kinetic sculpture race trophy to honor Warren Parkes' zest for life
By Sam Lifshutz, for PVtrib.com
Last year, Warren Parkes presided as a judge at the First Annual Prescott Valley Kinetic Sculpture Race. A mere month later, Parkes tragically lost his life in a plane crash which also claimed the lives of four others. The small prop plane crashed just north of the Prescott Airport during a mission to photograph a MiG-21. At this year's Kinetic Sculpture Race, officials will present to the grand champion a trophy honoring Parkes. It's a fitting tribute, as Parkes' positive attitude and zeal for life perfectly mesh with the ideals of the race.
"I immediately was taken by his wit, humor and wonderful way of looking at things," said KSR Commissioner and Committee Chair Cynthia Jones. "I really didn't know him well, but as the organizer of the PV Kinetic Sculpture Race, I knew his type of personality was perfect to be a judge in this event that's all about having a good time."
Unsurprisingly, Parkes was eager to oblige. "Even though he was up to his eyeballs in getting the Skyfest event together, he took a morning out to be a part of the race and he added a lot to it," Jones said. This sort of community spirit and desire to volunteer was no mere fluke for Parkes. Rather, it was the story of his life.
"I think the whole community really misses Warren," said Dave Newman, owner of Newman Gallery in Downtown Prescott. "He was so well-liked it was incredible."
Parkes' memorial service last year was in an airplane hangar.
"I don't know how many people were there, but there were 500 seats, and there were people standing," said Tom Parkes, Warren's father. "He touched people's lives in so many ways that we never even realized. People just came out of the woodwork and told us how he enriched their lives."
Although Parkes was known around town for his towering intellect, it wasn't until seventh grade that he really took an interest in academics.
"He came home one day and told his mother 'I know what I want to be when I grow up, an Astrophysicist'." By 9th grade he built his own telescope during industrial arts class , a five-foot-long, ten-inch diameter reflective telescope. "The teacher couldn't even help him because he was beyond the teacher," Tom recalled. "We'd go on hikes together and he'd give me my astronomy lessons, as we lay in sleeping bags under the clear night skies. He used to show me the constellations with his flashlight."
Astronomy became a great passion of Parkes', one which he would pursue throughout his life.
It was through his father that Parkes became interested in another of his great passions: flying. Tom, a retired Air Force pilot, has been flying planes for decades. He often took Warren flying with him. "At six years of age I remember he could keep an airplane level. I had him sitting on an attache case and a cushion and his feet were on the seat." It was Tom, an instructor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, who administered all of Warren's flying lessons.
Parkes had always been involved in photography, and it was through photography that he earned a living for most of his adult life. He owned two photography studios, PhotoGraphix, which he opened in 1996, and later sold to open Wild Blue Studios. It was at the intersection of airplanes and photography that Parkes really found his niche.
"He just lived for flying and shooting (photos of) other planes, and his portfolio is just full of absolutely monster pieces of aviation photography," said Joe Robertson, a classmate who attended high school and college with Parkes.
Robertson also sang with Parkes in both the high school and college choir, just another one of his many talents. Parkes even had the chance to sing in Westminster Abbey. "Warren was way into choral singing and solo singing - he had a heck of a voice," Robertson said.
On top of running a full-time business, Parkes found time to write for a local magazine and teach two courses - Astronomy and The History of Western Civilization, at Yavapai College. "Warren's intellectual pursuits took him into so many areas, there was hardly anything you could bring up from an academic standpoint that he hadn't either thought about, researched, studied or contemplated one way or another," said Robertson. More than anything, Parkes enjoyed sharing his knowledge. "When his twin nephews were four years old, he was teaching them to say 'a most prodigious undertaking,'" Tom said, laughing.
In addition to his academic pursuits, Parkes had a spirit of adventure. He and wife Betsy enjoyed traveling and often took active holidays to kayak or hike the Grand Canyon. Robertson remembers an occasion when Parkes flew him to Salt Lake City on a whim, just to have lunch.
It wasn't until 2005 that Warren faced one of his biggest undertakings. He became Executive Director of the Arizona Skyfest, a massive project which utilized his arsenal of skills and talent. As expected, Parkes surpassed expectations, winning the International Conference of Air Shows Marketing Award for his eye-popping programs and marketing materials. No easy feat, considering the ICAS comprises literally hundreds of air shows from around the world.
Today, nearly one year after his tragic accident, it's not Parkes' accomplishments, but his personality and his heart which continue to burn strong in all who knew him.
"He was one of the smartest people I've ever met, and humble. Sometimes just talking it about it, even now, makes me cry. He just was such a great person. He was one of a kind, really," said Newman.
Perhaps no one will miss Warren Parkes as much as his wife, Betsy.
"Warren was a gift in my life and I miss everything about him," she said. "I think he will be remembered for all of his many close friendships. Because he genuinely did like everyone, he had this magical way of making people feel great about themselves in his presence. People loved to be near Warren.
At times it would be hard to get through the grocery store, as we would run into so many people who were clearly thrilled to see their good friend Warren Parkes.
"Warren was very present with people. He would never look beyond someone or be eager to end a conversation. He gave whoever he was with his undivided attention, and I think that made people feel special. He truly felt that every person was important, and I think people could sense that when they were around him. Everyone felt like they were one of Warren's close friends because that is how he treated them. He also had a contagious enthusiasm for whatever he was doing, so people naturally gathered around projects he was involved in just to be a part of that excitement," she said.
"I have to be actively engaged in other things to keep my mind off of him. We have his photography around the house, the car I'm driving is his car. Everything reminds me of him," said Warren's father, a soft, bittersweet smile crossing his face.
Officials will present the trophy honoring Parkes at the conclusion of the Kinetic Sculpture Race, which begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, at the Prescott Valley Civic Center.