Benjamin F. Parks ‘42

Benjamin F. Parks ‘42 and Daniel Eugene Thompson, Jr. ‘42, each officers in the UGA ROTC Infantry Regiment were killed in action in World War II. Parks and Thompson were outstanding students and soldiers – two heroes of UGA’s Greatest Generation.

Born in Maysville, Banks County, Georgia, Parks was named for his forefather who is associated with the discovery of gold near Dahlonega. He attended public school and was the first honor graduate of Maysville High School in 1939. He graduated first in his class in 1941 from North Georgia Junior College. Although he was awarded a scholarship to the University of Chicago, he decided to attend the University of Georgia where he graduated with honors in 1942 with a B.B.A. degree. He was lieutenant colonel in the ROTC, member of the Officers Club, Dramatic Club, the YMCA, and Prince Avenue Baptist Church. Parks entered the U.S. Army in January 1943.

He graduated from Officer’s Candidate School at Fort Benning in April 1943 and trained at Camp Wheeler, Ga., Camp Swift, Texas and Camp Breckinridge, Ky., On July 30, 1944 he married the former Janice Hatcher of Macon, Ga. Janice was also a UGA alumna, class of 1942.

Parks was sent overseas on Oct. 6, 1944 and killed in his first combat mission in the Battle of the Bulge in Belle Haie, Belgium on Dec. 24, 1944. He was listed as MIA (missing in action) until late April 1945 when his family received official word of his death. His body was returned to Maysville in 1948 where he is buried in Sun Rise Cemetery.