Dr. Jesse Parks Jr. was an accomplished figure in physical education and civil rights, being involved in outreach programs for P.E. (physical education) abroad, research regarding inner city physical education, and numerous memberships surrounding P.E., civil rights, and the city of Springfield community. Dr. Parks was born on May 1, 1923 in Cleveland, Ohio to Rev. Jesse and Annie Parks Sr. He attended Bedford High School, graduating in 1941. He served in the army from 1943 to 1945, before earning his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Oberlin College in 1949. He earned his Master’s degree and Ph.D. at the University of Michigan in 1950 and 1959 respectively, beginning his employment at Springfield College in the fall of 1961 as an Associate Professor of Physical Education. Before starting at Springfield, Dr. Parks was the Head of the Department of Health and Physical Education at Dillard University from 1950 to 1955, a Research Associate and Teaching Fellow at the University of Michigan from 1956 to 1959, and the Director of Physical Education and Athletics at South Carolina State College from 1959 to 1961.

He was a member of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD), the Eastern District Association for HPERD, the Massachusetts Association for HPERD, and the National College Physical Education Association for Men. He was also the Director for the Phi Epsilon Kappa Fraternity at Springfield College, and the President of the American Association of University Professors, among other professional memberships. Dr. Parks was also civically involved, as he was a member of the Board of Directors for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Pioneer Valley Community Council, a delegate for the National Democratic Convention in 1972, a Democratic National Committeeman from 1972-1976, and was a board member for both the Springfield Cancer Cooperative, and the Springfield American Red Cross.

Dr. Parks was heavily involved on campus and abroad. He led a team of six that worked with Egyptian athletes in Cairo, Egypt in the summer of 1962, which was part of the Operation Crossroads Africa program. The program looked to spread physical education to the African continent. He was also a visiting professor at Ibadan University in Ibadan, Nigeria in 1980, and Kenyatta University College in Nairobi, Kenya in 1981. He was a Physical Education Specialist for the Ministry of Education in the former Somalia Democratic Republic in Mogadishu, Somalia during the summer of 1981 as well. On the Springfield College campus, Dr. Parks was the advisor for the Afro-American Society for 4 years, a member of the Academic Affairs Commission for 5 years, and a member of the Equal Opportunity Committee from 1977 to 1982.