Blog no. 53

Homer Hill Parks was born on July 15, 1893, in Spring Hill, Maury County, TN, to William Parks and Maury Mai McCormick. He had two siblings whose names were Will Ruth Parks and Infant Parks. His family lived in a home in the Blanton Chapel area of Spring Hill, TN, which no longer stands.

Ever since World War I started, Homer tried twice to join the army, but he was turned down both times. He was given a draft notice and was inducted on June 28, 1918, in Columbia, TN, but troubles were soon to come. In his bare feet, Homer’s height was 6’7.5” and 6’9” with shoes on, which meant during battle, he never felt safe in a trench, but felt as if he was standing on a stump. The army didn’t even have the correct size clothes for him to wear. Homer was told to wear the pants they gave him and wrap his remaining parts of his legs with leggings. He was never wounded by a bullet but was a victim of a chlorine gas attack. He spent the next few months in the hospital recovering and later, once recovered, was assigned to the same battalion that the famous Lost Battalion came from. Since he was the tallest soldier to serve overseas in World War I, Homer became a member of the Argonne Players Group, a group that traveled and entertained the troops waiting to go home. That was not all Homer did for the army though. He was also a basketball player for an army team and even after the war was chosen many times to be a color bearer in parades, also being included in the Christmas Day 1918 soldier review of President Woodrow Wilson. Homer was sent home March 23, 1919, and was discharged on April 30, 1919. During his time in the army, he became a good friend of Sgt. Alvin Cullum York. When it came time for Alvin’s wedding, Homer was the best man.

After returning from the war, Homer worked for the circus industry, starting with the Keith Vaudeville entertainment circuit. Later, Homer would work with the Ringley Brothers, Pallisades Amusement Park in New Jersey, and the Hagenback & Wallace Circus, one trying to make him look taller by having him wear 6” elevator shoes and a 10-gallon hat with a 10” peak, calling him the tallest man in the world. During the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, he was the guard of the Midget Village. In 1938, Homer retired and moved back to his hometown of Spring Hill, TN. Along with being a circus performer, Homer was a worker for General Motors in Flint, Genesee County, Michigan, a guard for the U.S. Corps of Engineers, and a farmer for the remainder of his life.

On June 8, 1920, in Memphis, Shelby County, TN, Homer married Lelia Moore. They divorced two years later and had no children together. A little over three years later, in Williamson County, TN, he married Amanda Ruth (Rawls) Hughes. They had three children, and their names were Rebecca Sue “Betty” (Parks) Quirk, Dorothy Mae (Parks) Giardina Blankner, and William Porter Parks.

Sadly, on March 6, 1966, at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Nashville, Davidson County, TN, Homer died of pulmonary edema from being gassed in the war. He was buried in the Woodlawn Memorial Park cemetery in Nashville, Davidson County, TN. Homer was an active member of the American Legion Post 5 out of Nashville, TN for his service in World War I.