George N. Parks - Death and Legacy

Death and Legacy

Parks died of a heart attack on the evening of September 16, 2010 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio after a performance with the UMass Marching Band at Cuyahoga Falls High School. He was traveling to Ann Arbor, Michigan with the band for a football game on September 18 between UMass and the University of Michigan. Before the performance, Parks had been complaining about neck pain and paramedics were called, said Gary Guenther, chief investigator for the Summit County Medical Examiner. "When they got there, they checked him out," he said. "Mr. Parks apparently said he was feeling better and refused to go to the hospital." Later, after the band was finished playing, he agreed to go to the hospital, Guenther said, but as Parks was getting into a private vehicle he collapsed. Paramedics were called again, and they transported him to Summa Western Reserve Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:02 p.m. He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Jeanne, and his two children, Michael and Kathryn. On September 18, he was the 8th on the Google trends list.

On Homecoming Day at UMass, on October 16, 2010, Parks was honored by current and former band members and staff. The annual alumni band made up of previous band members who have since graduated from UMass returned to participate in the event, which was the largest the university had ever seen, with approximately 1,300 participants.