Just Browsin’
by Bill Sterling

If David Steelman was “The Band Man,” then surely Penny Parks was “The Flag Lady.”

In December News writer Ted Shockley captured the spirit of Steelman with a superb portrait of a man driven to bring back the glory days of the Accomack County Recreation Band. The story sparked letters from former students who recalled the heyday of a band that bedazzled crowds all over the East Coast. Then Steelman announced he was coming out of an eight-year retirement to teach band in Accomack. Meanwhile, the number of adults and students attending the Tuesday night band sessions at Mary N. Smith began to swell, raising hopes that the old Accomack County Recreation Band could be revived. A fund was established for the effort with contributions at first streaming in but now down to a trickle.

Steelman never claimed he was a one-man band and knows he again needs plenty of help this time around — both monetary and otherwise. There were several key individuals who were instrumental in the success of the “rec band' in the 1970s. But the partner he may miss the most is Penny Parks, who with a few others was largely responsible for obtaining 50 flags of the United States and then organizing a flag corps that complemented the musical section of the band.

Mrs. Parks succumbed to cancer in August of 1999, but one recent Tuesday night her legacy was quite evident at a band practice. Five of her nine children were at the practice. (See photograph on A3). There were Matthew, Tom and David on the trombone and daughters Kathy and Carol Ann on the flute and trumpet, respectively. There was also granddaughter Alexandra playing the flute.

All but Matthew, the youngest of the Parks children, played in the original Accomack County Band, and he tagged along as a toddler. The band folded before he was of an age to join the band. Matthew is now 29 and finally a member of the band, as is the eldest Parks child, Tom, 43.

“That was a big part of our life growing up,” said Tom. “No one forced us to be in the band, it was just something we wanted to do.”

So when the current band began forming, it didn't take long for the Parks children to pull out their instruments and begin practicing. The remaining four Parks kids would probably be there as well if they didn't live off the Shore. Pat lives in Wyoming, Sean is in New Jersey, Paul is in Chesapeake and Chris is in Charlottesville.

The Parks kids remember their mother making the covers for the flags of the 50 states. The flags were obtained when Accomack County teacher Dot Key had students write the capitols of each state and ask for a state flag. But only two states, Idaho and Kansas, sent flags.

Not to be deterred, Steelman sought donations to purchase individual flags and soon collected funds to buy all 50 flags of the United States. Jessie Gillispie and Jeanie Thornes were key individuals who helped the effort, recalls Steelman, but then senator Bill Fears played a major role in soliciting funds for the band. Bill Hall, a shop teacher at Onancock, had his students make and stain the flag poles.

And there was a whole host of women who produced by hand the uniforms for the flag corps and the band.

But once the flag corps was marching, it was primarily Penny Parks who kept the corps on the move.

Kathy recalls the time the entire band, more than 200 kids, attended a dinner-theatre performance in Virginia Beach following a performance in the Oyster Bowl Parade. “It was more than just performing, it was about making friends and having new experiences on those trips,” she said. For the Parkses, it was a family affair. Thomas Ray Parks, father of the Parks clan, was always along as a chaperone with little Matthew in tow.

The flag corps was even invited for the opening of EuroDisney World in France but couldn’t attend because of the prohibitive cost.

On a personal note, one of the neat things about being in the newspaper business is that you get to meet the “givers” in a community. Mrs. Parks’ husband, known to me as “Coach,” was an important individual in my youth, but it was only after I worked at the News that I got to know Mrs. Parks. I admire anyone who can raise nine children, all seemingly solid citizens, but I soon realized how much she gave of herself to the community, particularly to the fire and rescue efforts through her work as an EMT. She never sought attention or cared for the spotlight, but she was widely respected and beloved for her dedication and her generosity.

Knowing she had terminal cancer, I mentioned Mrs. Parks in a column I wrote shortly before her death, citing her public service record and a recent award she had been presented. Making a mistake, I said Mrs. Parks was a mother of seven children.

She called me after the column appeared and said it had sparked a debate in her house concerning which two of her nine children she and Coach were not claiming. All were sure it had to be them.

That was the type of great lady she was. Facing death, she chose humor rather than despair. She would be proud her legacy lives on through her children and the integral part they are paying in reviving a band that once was a tremendous source of pride for Accomack County. With a little help, it can be again.

Contributions to the Accomack County Band can be made to Accomack County Band, c/o David Steelman, 24051 Drummondtown Road, Accomac, Va. 23301.