parents: Barbara Richardson and Winfield Irving Parks
lived at: 52 Church Street, Barrington, RI
wife3: Deborah Kenny Parks
wife2: Sabina
wife1: Mitzi Harrington
daughter: Elissa (mother - Mitzi)
photo - courtesy of National Geographic
Win apparently had mentioned he would want people to celebrate his life upon his passing. Win had a "wake" celebration at his favorite eating/drinking establishment, The Zebra Room, in Georgetown.
Win was buried in Little Neck Cemetery,
East Providence, RI - near his mother.
* obituary from the Providence Journal-Bulletin
- Saturday, August 13, 1977
Winfield Parks, the award-winning National Geographic photographer who began his career at the Journal-Bulletin, died at his home in Georgetown, Washington DC, after suffering a heart attack.
The West Barrington, RI, native's work at the Journal-Bulletin won awards for both feature and news photography. When he went to National Geographic in 1961, he continued to shoot award-winning pictures. His color photographs from throughout the world won many awards, including first place in the feature category from the White House News Photographers Association in 1976. He was also cited in 1976 by the National Press Photographers Association for his Middle East photographs that helped National Geographic receive the NPPA award for "best use of photographs by a magazine."
"The modern photographer, free at last from the technical shackles, must be more than a camera operator," Win wrote in 1961 as chairman of the photography committee of the Rhode Island Arts Festival. "He must comprehend, evaluate, and interpret his subject matter, leaving the observer with a lasting impression of a fleeting moment."
Win combined that reflective attitude toward his art with the quick eye and reflexes that mark the traditional ace new photographer.
One winter day in 1956, Win rushed to a police stake-out in North Providence with a borrowed Speed Graphic and only one photographic plate holder (two exposures). He was nearly run down by the getaway car before police blew out its tires, and he finally led 15 policemen in the pursuing the holdup suspect to a frozen pond nearby.
The two photographs he took - one of the car swerving from its collision course with him while three policemen fired shots at its tires, and the other, the capture of the suspect - won first and second price, respectively, in the National Associated Press contest.
Win sold his first picture to the Journal when he was a junior at the Barrington High School.
Winfield Irving Parks was born April 24, 1932, son of the late Winfield Irving and Barbara (Richardson) Parks. When he was 7, he found an 1891 "Premo" box camera in the attic of his parents' home on Chapel Road and began his love affair with cameras. He kept the camera - made of cherrywood with brass and copper fittings - as a prized memento at his home at 1733 Corcoran Street, NW in Washington.
While a high school student, he pitched for the school's baseball team. But when his team came to bat, he dropped his glove and picked up his camera to cover the game for the local paper.
Win worked part-time for the Journal while attending the Rhode Island School of Design for a year. He took a full-time job with the paper in 1950, and remained until June of 1961, except for two years in the Navy as a photographer in Korea. He went from the Journal to the National Geographic.
Win's photographs appeared in Life, Look, Time, Fortune, The Saturday Evening Post and other national magazines. For the National Geographic, he logged nearly a quarter of a million miles, covering some 40 countries and surviving occasional close calls in search for the best picture to illustrate his subject.
"Every photographer I knew hoped that he could be as good as Win Parks," National Geographic's director of photography, Robert Gilka, said.
Win was nicked in the back by the bayonet of an Egyptian soldier who found him lying face-down in the sand, camera poised, waiting for the precise moment for a sunrise photograph. The soldier arrested him as a spy.
Win narrowly avoided being washed overboard while taking pictures of a ship in a squall, and emerged unhurt from the crash landing of a light plane in the West Indies. With difficulty, he persuaded an official in Singapore to let him hang upside-down from a helicopter 2,000 feet in the air to take pictures with a "fish-eye lens."
When a killer earthquake struck Anchorage, Alaska, in 1963, Win was on one of the first military planes to reach the disaster site. In 1967, he went to Vietnam to record the war from the air and the ground.
"It may sound corny, but every time I get into a jet, I get as excited as the first time," Win said in an interview in 1967. "i want to see what's around the corner..." "My business is seeing, and to see, you must feel, so I am more susceptible to misery than most people are," Win said of a trip to Calcutta that left his physically and emotionally ill. "If you don't do it," he continued, "it's your downfall. If you become blasé or hardened toward your surroundings, then you can't do the job."
Win is survived by [his daughter, Elissa] and his wife, Deborah A. (Kenny) Parks, a native of Keene, NH, who works in the National Geographic travel office making travel arrangements for the magazine's staff.
___________________________________________________________
* obituary from the Washington Post
- Saturday, August 13, 1977
Winfield Parks, 45, a prize-winning National Geographic photographer who had taken pictures around the world, died at his home in Georgetown, Washington DC, after a heart attack.
Win joined National Geographic in 1961 and since then had traveled nearly a quarter of a million miles through 40 countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and in North and South America.
Win's color photographs won many awards, including first place in the feature category from the White House News Photographers Association in 1976.
He was also cited in 1976 by the National Press Photographers Association for his photographs from the Middle East. The pictures helped National Geographic win the NPPA award for the "best use of photographs by a magazine."
In 1963, Win was on one of the first military planes to reach Anchorage, Alaska, after it was devastated by an earthquake. In 1967, he went to Vietnam to photograph the war from the ground and the air.
Born in West Barrington, RI, Win began taking pictures at the age of 7. He used an 1891 "Premo" box camera that he found in the attic of the family home. Later, the big cherrywood camera with its brass and copper fittings was a prized memento at his home in Washington.
Win worked part-time for the Providence Journal-Bulletin while attending the Rhode Island School of Design and took a full-time job with the newspaper in 1950. Except for the two years as a Navy photographer in Korea, he remained with the paper until joining National Geographic.
In 1956, Win rushed to a police stakeout carrying a borrowed press camera with one plate enabling him to make only two photographs. Both won prizes. One picture, showing the suspect's car trying to run the photographer down as the police fired at it, took first place in the annual Associated Press competition. The other, of police cornering the gunman, took second place.
Win's works won both him and the Journal-Bulletin other awards including the National Headliner award. His photographs were published in Life, Look, Time, Fortune, the Saturday Evening Post and other national magazines.
There were many other adventures for Win during his long career. An Egyptian soldier arrested him as a spy after finding him lying in the sand, camera poised, waiting for the right moment for a sunrise photograph.
Win narrowly escaped being washed overboard while taking pictures of a ship in a squall and emerged unhurt from the crash landing of a plane in the West Indies. He once hung upside down from a helicopter, 2,000 feet in the air to get the pictures he wanted in Singapore.
Win is survived by [his daughter, Elissa] and his wife, Deborah Kenney Parks.
- photo accompanying the obituary -
"on assignment in Singapore for his magazine [NG], Mr. Parks pauses to give aid to a boy who injured his foot."
lived at: 52 Church Street, Barrington, RI
wife3: Deborah Kenny Parks
wife2: Sabina
wife1: Mitzi Harrington
daughter: Elissa (mother - Mitzi)
photo - courtesy of National Geographic
Win apparently had mentioned he would want people to celebrate his life upon his passing. Win had a "wake" celebration at his favorite eating/drinking establishment, The Zebra Room, in Georgetown.
Win was buried in Little Neck Cemetery,
East Providence, RI - near his mother.
* obituary from the Providence Journal-Bulletin
- Saturday, August 13, 1977
Winfield Parks, the award-winning National Geographic photographer who began his career at the Journal-Bulletin, died at his home in Georgetown, Washington DC, after suffering a heart attack.
The West Barrington, RI, native's work at the Journal-Bulletin won awards for both feature and news photography. When he went to National Geographic in 1961, he continued to shoot award-winning pictures. His color photographs from throughout the world won many awards, including first place in the feature category from the White House News Photographers Association in 1976. He was also cited in 1976 by the National Press Photographers Association for his Middle East photographs that helped National Geographic receive the NPPA award for "best use of photographs by a magazine."
"The modern photographer, free at last from the technical shackles, must be more than a camera operator," Win wrote in 1961 as chairman of the photography committee of the Rhode Island Arts Festival. "He must comprehend, evaluate, and interpret his subject matter, leaving the observer with a lasting impression of a fleeting moment."
Win combined that reflective attitude toward his art with the quick eye and reflexes that mark the traditional ace new photographer.
One winter day in 1956, Win rushed to a police stake-out in North Providence with a borrowed Speed Graphic and only one photographic plate holder (two exposures). He was nearly run down by the getaway car before police blew out its tires, and he finally led 15 policemen in the pursuing the holdup suspect to a frozen pond nearby.
The two photographs he took - one of the car swerving from its collision course with him while three policemen fired shots at its tires, and the other, the capture of the suspect - won first and second price, respectively, in the National Associated Press contest.
Win sold his first picture to the Journal when he was a junior at the Barrington High School.
Winfield Irving Parks was born April 24, 1932, son of the late Winfield Irving and Barbara (Richardson) Parks. When he was 7, he found an 1891 "Premo" box camera in the attic of his parents' home on Chapel Road and began his love affair with cameras. He kept the camera - made of cherrywood with brass and copper fittings - as a prized memento at his home at 1733 Corcoran Street, NW in Washington.
While a high school student, he pitched for the school's baseball team. But when his team came to bat, he dropped his glove and picked up his camera to cover the game for the local paper.
Win worked part-time for the Journal while attending the Rhode Island School of Design for a year. He took a full-time job with the paper in 1950, and remained until June of 1961, except for two years in the Navy as a photographer in Korea. He went from the Journal to the National Geographic.
Win's photographs appeared in Life, Look, Time, Fortune, The Saturday Evening Post and other national magazines. For the National Geographic, he logged nearly a quarter of a million miles, covering some 40 countries and surviving occasional close calls in search for the best picture to illustrate his subject.
"Every photographer I knew hoped that he could be as good as Win Parks," National Geographic's director of photography, Robert Gilka, said.
Win was nicked in the back by the bayonet of an Egyptian soldier who found him lying face-down in the sand, camera poised, waiting for the precise moment for a sunrise photograph. The soldier arrested him as a spy.
Win narrowly avoided being washed overboard while taking pictures of a ship in a squall, and emerged unhurt from the crash landing of a light plane in the West Indies. With difficulty, he persuaded an official in Singapore to let him hang upside-down from a helicopter 2,000 feet in the air to take pictures with a "fish-eye lens."
When a killer earthquake struck Anchorage, Alaska, in 1963, Win was on one of the first military planes to reach the disaster site. In 1967, he went to Vietnam to record the war from the air and the ground.
"It may sound corny, but every time I get into a jet, I get as excited as the first time," Win said in an interview in 1967. "i want to see what's around the corner..." "My business is seeing, and to see, you must feel, so I am more susceptible to misery than most people are," Win said of a trip to Calcutta that left his physically and emotionally ill. "If you don't do it," he continued, "it's your downfall. If you become blasé or hardened toward your surroundings, then you can't do the job."
Win is survived by [his daughter, Elissa] and his wife, Deborah A. (Kenny) Parks, a native of Keene, NH, who works in the National Geographic travel office making travel arrangements for the magazine's staff.
___________________________________________________________
* obituary from the Washington Post
- Saturday, August 13, 1977
Winfield Parks, 45, a prize-winning National Geographic photographer who had taken pictures around the world, died at his home in Georgetown, Washington DC, after a heart attack.
Win joined National Geographic in 1961 and since then had traveled nearly a quarter of a million miles through 40 countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and in North and South America.
Win's color photographs won many awards, including first place in the feature category from the White House News Photographers Association in 1976.
He was also cited in 1976 by the National Press Photographers Association for his photographs from the Middle East. The pictures helped National Geographic win the NPPA award for the "best use of photographs by a magazine."
In 1963, Win was on one of the first military planes to reach Anchorage, Alaska, after it was devastated by an earthquake. In 1967, he went to Vietnam to photograph the war from the ground and the air.
Born in West Barrington, RI, Win began taking pictures at the age of 7. He used an 1891 "Premo" box camera that he found in the attic of the family home. Later, the big cherrywood camera with its brass and copper fittings was a prized memento at his home in Washington.
Win worked part-time for the Providence Journal-Bulletin while attending the Rhode Island School of Design and took a full-time job with the newspaper in 1950. Except for the two years as a Navy photographer in Korea, he remained with the paper until joining National Geographic.
In 1956, Win rushed to a police stakeout carrying a borrowed press camera with one plate enabling him to make only two photographs. Both won prizes. One picture, showing the suspect's car trying to run the photographer down as the police fired at it, took first place in the annual Associated Press competition. The other, of police cornering the gunman, took second place.
Win's works won both him and the Journal-Bulletin other awards including the National Headliner award. His photographs were published in Life, Look, Time, Fortune, the Saturday Evening Post and other national magazines.
There were many other adventures for Win during his long career. An Egyptian soldier arrested him as a spy after finding him lying in the sand, camera poised, waiting for the right moment for a sunrise photograph.
Win narrowly escaped being washed overboard while taking pictures of a ship in a squall and emerged unhurt from the crash landing of a plane in the West Indies. He once hung upside down from a helicopter, 2,000 feet in the air to get the pictures he wanted in Singapore.
Win is survived by [his daughter, Elissa] and his wife, Deborah Kenney Parks.
- photo accompanying the obituary -
"on assignment in Singapore for his magazine [NG], Mr. Parks pauses to give aid to a boy who injured his foot."
parents: Barbara Richardson and Winfield Irving Parks
lived at: 52 Church Street, Barrington, RI
wife3: Deborah Kenny Parks
wife2: Sabina
wife1: Mitzi Harrington
daughter: Elissa (mother - Mitzi)
photo - courtesy of National Geographic
Win apparently had mentioned he would want people to celebrate his life upon his passing. Win had a "wake" celebration at his favorite eating/drinking establishment, The Zebra Room, in Georgetown.
Win was buried in Little Neck Cemetery,
East Providence, RI - near his mother.
* obituary from the Providence Journal-Bulletin
- Saturday, August 13, 1977
Winfield Parks, the award-winning National Geographic photographer who began his career at the Journal-Bulletin, died at his home in Georgetown, Washington DC, after suffering a heart attack.
The West Barrington, RI, native's work at the Journal-Bulletin won awards for both feature and news photography. When he went to National Geographic in 1961, he continued to shoot award-winning pictures. His color photographs from throughout the world won many awards, including first place in the feature category from the White House News Photographers Association in 1976. He was also cited in 1976 by the National Press Photographers Association for his Middle East photographs that helped National Geographic receive the NPPA award for "best use of photographs by a magazine."
"The modern photographer, free at last from the technical shackles, must be more than a camera operator," Win wrote in 1961 as chairman of the photography committee of the Rhode Island Arts Festival. "He must comprehend, evaluate, and interpret his subject matter, leaving the observer with a lasting impression of a fleeting moment."
Win combined that reflective attitude toward his art with the quick eye and reflexes that mark the traditional ace new photographer.
One winter day in 1956, Win rushed to a police stake-out in North Providence with a borrowed Speed Graphic and only one photographic plate holder (two exposures). He was nearly run down by the getaway car before police blew out its tires, and he finally led 15 policemen in the pursuing the holdup suspect to a frozen pond nearby.
The two photographs he took - one of the car swerving from its collision course with him while three policemen fired shots at its tires, and the other, the capture of the suspect - won first and second price, respectively, in the National Associated Press contest.
Win sold his first picture to the Journal when he was a junior at the Barrington High School.
Winfield Irving Parks was born April 24, 1932, son of the late Winfield Irving and Barbara (Richardson) Parks. When he was 7, he found an 1891 "Premo" box camera in the attic of his parents' home on Chapel Road and began his love affair with cameras. He kept the camera - made of cherrywood with brass and copper fittings - as a prized memento at his home at 1733 Corcoran Street, NW in Washington.
While a high school student, he pitched for the school's baseball team. But when his team came to bat, he dropped his glove and picked up his camera to cover the game for the local paper.
Win worked part-time for the Journal while attending the Rhode Island School of Design for a year. He took a full-time job with the paper in 1950, and remained until June of 1961, except for two years in the Navy as a photographer in Korea. He went from the Journal to the National Geographic.
Win's photographs appeared in Life, Look, Time, Fortune, The Saturday Evening Post and other national magazines. For the National Geographic, he logged nearly a quarter of a million miles, covering some 40 countries and surviving occasional close calls in search for the best picture to illustrate his subject.
"Every photographer I knew hoped that he could be as good as Win Parks," National Geographic's director of photography, Robert Gilka, said.
Win was nicked in the back by the bayonet of an Egyptian soldier who found him lying face-down in the sand, camera poised, waiting for the precise moment for a sunrise photograph. The soldier arrested him as a spy.
Win narrowly avoided being washed overboard while taking pictures of a ship in a squall, and emerged unhurt from the crash landing of a light plane in the West Indies. With difficulty, he persuaded an official in Singapore to let him hang upside-down from a helicopter 2,000 feet in the air to take pictures with a "fish-eye lens."
When a killer earthquake struck Anchorage, Alaska, in 1963, Win was on one of the first military planes to reach the disaster site. In 1967, he went to Vietnam to record the war from the air and the ground.
"It may sound corny, but every time I get into a jet, I get as excited as the first time," Win said in an interview in 1967. "i want to see what's around the corner..." "My business is seeing, and to see, you must feel, so I am more susceptible to misery than most people are," Win said of a trip to Calcutta that left his physically and emotionally ill. "If you don't do it," he continued, "it's your downfall. If you become blasé or hardened toward your surroundings, then you can't do the job."
Win is survived by [his daughter, Elissa] and his wife, Deborah A. (Kenny) Parks, a native of Keene, NH, who works in the National Geographic travel office making travel arrangements for the magazine's staff.
___________________________________________________________
* obituary from the Washington Post
- Saturday, August 13, 1977
Winfield Parks, 45, a prize-winning National Geographic photographer who had taken pictures around the world, died at his home in Georgetown, Washington DC, after a heart attack.
Win joined National Geographic in 1961 and since then had traveled nearly a quarter of a million miles through 40 countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and in North and South America.
Win's color photographs won many awards, including first place in the feature category from the White House News Photographers Association in 1976.
He was also cited in 1976 by the National Press Photographers Association for his photographs from the Middle East. The pictures helped National Geographic win the NPPA award for the "best use of photographs by a magazine."
In 1963, Win was on one of the first military planes to reach Anchorage, Alaska, after it was devastated by an earthquake. In 1967, he went to Vietnam to photograph the war from the ground and the air.
Born in West Barrington, RI, Win began taking pictures at the age of 7. He used an 1891 "Premo" box camera that he found in the attic of the family home. Later, the big cherrywood camera with its brass and copper fittings was a prized memento at his home in Washington.
Win worked part-time for the Providence Journal-Bulletin while attending the Rhode Island School of Design and took a full-time job with the newspaper in 1950. Except for the two years as a Navy photographer in Korea, he remained with the paper until joining National Geographic.
In 1956, Win rushed to a police stakeout carrying a borrowed press camera with one plate enabling him to make only two photographs. Both won prizes. One picture, showing the suspect's car trying to run the photographer down as the police fired at it, took first place in the annual Associated Press competition. The other, of police cornering the gunman, took second place.
Win's works won both him and the Journal-Bulletin other awards including the National Headliner award. His photographs were published in Life, Look, Time, Fortune, the Saturday Evening Post and other national magazines.
There were many other adventures for Win during his long career. An Egyptian soldier arrested him as a spy after finding him lying in the sand, camera poised, waiting for the right moment for a sunrise photograph.
Win narrowly escaped being washed overboard while taking pictures of a ship in a squall and emerged unhurt from the crash landing of a plane in the West Indies. He once hung upside down from a helicopter, 2,000 feet in the air to get the pictures he wanted in Singapore.
Win is survived by [his daughter, Elissa] and his wife, Deborah Kenney Parks.
- photo accompanying the obituary -
"on assignment in Singapore for his magazine [NG], Mr. Parks pauses to give aid to a boy who injured his foot."
lived at: 52 Church Street, Barrington, RI
wife3: Deborah Kenny Parks
wife2: Sabina
wife1: Mitzi Harrington
daughter: Elissa (mother - Mitzi)
photo - courtesy of National Geographic
Win apparently had mentioned he would want people to celebrate his life upon his passing. Win had a "wake" celebration at his favorite eating/drinking establishment, The Zebra Room, in Georgetown.
Win was buried in Little Neck Cemetery,
East Providence, RI - near his mother.
* obituary from the Providence Journal-Bulletin
- Saturday, August 13, 1977
Winfield Parks, the award-winning National Geographic photographer who began his career at the Journal-Bulletin, died at his home in Georgetown, Washington DC, after suffering a heart attack.
The West Barrington, RI, native's work at the Journal-Bulletin won awards for both feature and news photography. When he went to National Geographic in 1961, he continued to shoot award-winning pictures. His color photographs from throughout the world won many awards, including first place in the feature category from the White House News Photographers Association in 1976. He was also cited in 1976 by the National Press Photographers Association for his Middle East photographs that helped National Geographic receive the NPPA award for "best use of photographs by a magazine."
"The modern photographer, free at last from the technical shackles, must be more than a camera operator," Win wrote in 1961 as chairman of the photography committee of the Rhode Island Arts Festival. "He must comprehend, evaluate, and interpret his subject matter, leaving the observer with a lasting impression of a fleeting moment."
Win combined that reflective attitude toward his art with the quick eye and reflexes that mark the traditional ace new photographer.
One winter day in 1956, Win rushed to a police stake-out in North Providence with a borrowed Speed Graphic and only one photographic plate holder (two exposures). He was nearly run down by the getaway car before police blew out its tires, and he finally led 15 policemen in the pursuing the holdup suspect to a frozen pond nearby.
The two photographs he took - one of the car swerving from its collision course with him while three policemen fired shots at its tires, and the other, the capture of the suspect - won first and second price, respectively, in the National Associated Press contest.
Win sold his first picture to the Journal when he was a junior at the Barrington High School.
Winfield Irving Parks was born April 24, 1932, son of the late Winfield Irving and Barbara (Richardson) Parks. When he was 7, he found an 1891 "Premo" box camera in the attic of his parents' home on Chapel Road and began his love affair with cameras. He kept the camera - made of cherrywood with brass and copper fittings - as a prized memento at his home at 1733 Corcoran Street, NW in Washington.
While a high school student, he pitched for the school's baseball team. But when his team came to bat, he dropped his glove and picked up his camera to cover the game for the local paper.
Win worked part-time for the Journal while attending the Rhode Island School of Design for a year. He took a full-time job with the paper in 1950, and remained until June of 1961, except for two years in the Navy as a photographer in Korea. He went from the Journal to the National Geographic.
Win's photographs appeared in Life, Look, Time, Fortune, The Saturday Evening Post and other national magazines. For the National Geographic, he logged nearly a quarter of a million miles, covering some 40 countries and surviving occasional close calls in search for the best picture to illustrate his subject.
"Every photographer I knew hoped that he could be as good as Win Parks," National Geographic's director of photography, Robert Gilka, said.
Win was nicked in the back by the bayonet of an Egyptian soldier who found him lying face-down in the sand, camera poised, waiting for the precise moment for a sunrise photograph. The soldier arrested him as a spy.
Win narrowly avoided being washed overboard while taking pictures of a ship in a squall, and emerged unhurt from the crash landing of a light plane in the West Indies. With difficulty, he persuaded an official in Singapore to let him hang upside-down from a helicopter 2,000 feet in the air to take pictures with a "fish-eye lens."
When a killer earthquake struck Anchorage, Alaska, in 1963, Win was on one of the first military planes to reach the disaster site. In 1967, he went to Vietnam to record the war from the air and the ground.
"It may sound corny, but every time I get into a jet, I get as excited as the first time," Win said in an interview in 1967. "i want to see what's around the corner..." "My business is seeing, and to see, you must feel, so I am more susceptible to misery than most people are," Win said of a trip to Calcutta that left his physically and emotionally ill. "If you don't do it," he continued, "it's your downfall. If you become blasé or hardened toward your surroundings, then you can't do the job."
Win is survived by [his daughter, Elissa] and his wife, Deborah A. (Kenny) Parks, a native of Keene, NH, who works in the National Geographic travel office making travel arrangements for the magazine's staff.
___________________________________________________________
* obituary from the Washington Post
- Saturday, August 13, 1977
Winfield Parks, 45, a prize-winning National Geographic photographer who had taken pictures around the world, died at his home in Georgetown, Washington DC, after a heart attack.
Win joined National Geographic in 1961 and since then had traveled nearly a quarter of a million miles through 40 countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and in North and South America.
Win's color photographs won many awards, including first place in the feature category from the White House News Photographers Association in 1976.
He was also cited in 1976 by the National Press Photographers Association for his photographs from the Middle East. The pictures helped National Geographic win the NPPA award for the "best use of photographs by a magazine."
In 1963, Win was on one of the first military planes to reach Anchorage, Alaska, after it was devastated by an earthquake. In 1967, he went to Vietnam to photograph the war from the ground and the air.
Born in West Barrington, RI, Win began taking pictures at the age of 7. He used an 1891 "Premo" box camera that he found in the attic of the family home. Later, the big cherrywood camera with its brass and copper fittings was a prized memento at his home in Washington.
Win worked part-time for the Providence Journal-Bulletin while attending the Rhode Island School of Design and took a full-time job with the newspaper in 1950. Except for the two years as a Navy photographer in Korea, he remained with the paper until joining National Geographic.
In 1956, Win rushed to a police stakeout carrying a borrowed press camera with one plate enabling him to make only two photographs. Both won prizes. One picture, showing the suspect's car trying to run the photographer down as the police fired at it, took first place in the annual Associated Press competition. The other, of police cornering the gunman, took second place.
Win's works won both him and the Journal-Bulletin other awards including the National Headliner award. His photographs were published in Life, Look, Time, Fortune, the Saturday Evening Post and other national magazines.
There were many other adventures for Win during his long career. An Egyptian soldier arrested him as a spy after finding him lying in the sand, camera poised, waiting for the right moment for a sunrise photograph.
Win narrowly escaped being washed overboard while taking pictures of a ship in a squall and emerged unhurt from the crash landing of a plane in the West Indies. He once hung upside down from a helicopter, 2,000 feet in the air to get the pictures he wanted in Singapore.
Win is survived by [his daughter, Elissa] and his wife, Deborah Kenney Parks.
- photo accompanying the obituary -
"on assignment in Singapore for his magazine [NG], Mr. Parks pauses to give aid to a boy who injured his foot."
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