Parks Groover Visited Me at Boot Camp With a Swig of Whiskey

 

Parks Groover and Jackie Gaskin, about 2006, at my first Bell Reunion. As I type this I just it me that I think Parks and Jakie lived next door to each other on Roswell Street, near the Coke Company. Parks owned part of Maietta Lights, after it was Sears, and before it was Glover Park Brewing. Jackie owned a big chunk of land the giant sport complex near Adairsville. .

True Story: I joined the Naval Reserves in 1962. We had a two week book camp at NAS ATLANTA in Marietta in December, 1962. One night in the barracks while I was sleeping the watchguard woke me up by shining a light in my face. “You Ed Hunter?”

“Yeah.”

“An officer in the head wants to talk to you. I think you have a death in the family.”

I hopped up and went to the head (s.k.a. bathroom) and there stood Parks Groover, with sunglasses on, a dark blue raincoat and officer silver bars on his shoulders. He made sure the guard had left and reached into his raincoat and handed me a bottle of booze. He said, “I figure you might need this Rock.” Which I turned it up and had a nice swig.

Parks was in the Air Force, at one time a surveyor near Australia and another time stationed in Orlando. I don’t recall if this was during or after is Air Force time.

This week I found out Parks had died recently.

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