John R. Park
| John R. Park | |
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Parks, ca. 1896
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| President of the University of Deseret (now the University of Utah) |
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In office 1869–1892 |
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| Preceded by | David O. Calder |
| Succeeded by | Joseph T. Kingsbury |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 7, 1833 Tiffin, Ohio |
| Died | September 29, 1900 (aged 67) |
| Alma mater |
Ohio Wesleyan University New York University |
| Religion | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
John Rockey Park (May 7, 1833 – September 29, 1900) was a prominent educator in the Territory and State of Utah in the late 19th century, and in many ways was the intellectual father of the University of Utah.
There is a statue of John Rockey Park in an alcove just to the left of the west (front) entrance to the University of Utah main administration building which bears his name. There is a plaque fixed to the base of the statue. The plaque lists biographical dates and statistics from Park’s life and career, and then repeats the following quote from an 1885 speech he gave to future teachers:
I would have you remember that the best intellectual ability . . . will result in worse than failure, unless it has underlying it a stratum of moral culture.
... Always remember in your teaching that the grand purpose of your labors is to make citizens - active, thinking, intelligent, industrious and moral men and women. This you cannot do by any narrow routine of school forms.
- Address to Normal Graduates, Class of 1885
Park was born in Tiffin, Ohio. As a young man he worked on his family's farm just outside town and attended Tiffin's public school.
From 1848 to 1850, Park was a student at the Seneca County Academy in the nearby town of Republic, Ohio. While Park studied at the Academy, he was fortunate to associate with and learn from Thomas W. Harvey, the Academy's principal. Harvey went on to write a number of grammar books, and he became a rather well-known figure in Ohio education history. He was one of several gifted teachers who would have an influence on Park, and by extension, on all of the students Park would teach in his own career as a teacher and teacher trainer.
After completing his preparatory studies, Park went on to graduate from Ohio Wesleyan University.
From 1853 to 1855, Park was employed as a teacher for the first time; he taught at the Academy in Republic where he had attended classes as a student.
In 1855, Park entered medical school at New York University where he was a student of the chemist, historian and philosopher, John William Draper. In later life, Park would "gratefully acknowledge" the positive influence that Draper's teaching and friendship had on his life. In 1857, Park received his MD, and he began practicing medicine that same year.
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Wikipedia