Mike Parker: Giving the gift of family history
During spring semester of 1992, Rachel, my daughter, was enrolled in a folklore class at East Carolina. She decided that for her required folklore collection she would do a video recording of my dad and me singing songs and sharing history of both the songs and of Dad’s life.
So while many students headed to the beach for Spring Break that year, Rachel and I headed north to my mom and dad’s home outside the Columbus, Ohio. On March 11, she used the then state-of-the-art video camera we had borrowed to do the recording. Of course, cell phones today have greater capacity to record audio and video than that early camera had.
Rachel analyzed the recording and wrote her folklore paper. Then we imposed upon a friend to make a number of copies of the tape for me, her siblings, and my aunt Judy. As happens with most items of this nature, my copy was eventually misplaced in the clutter.
Henry Parker, my dad, and son Michael take a moment for a photo in June 1995 at my parents' home near Columbus, Ohio.
Just a few weeks ago, I discovered the videotape. I had no idea if this recording would even play, so I took the videotape to my friend and tech guru Alan Wallace. I wanted him to check the tape and, if the tape still played, to make a DVD from it. To my surprise and relief, the tape did play. Alan made me a DVD to review. He had done the best he could with a recording that was nowhere near HD quality. Instead of 1080, the tape was probably closer to 80.
Still, as I watched the DVD, I saw my dad and a younger me playing and singing. I was only 42 at the time, and Dad was 64. Dad passed away in September of 2000, but on that recording, he was alive, full of spirit and enthusiasm. My children and grandchildren need a copy, I decided.
As most regular readers know, a number of years ago my family created a new holiday – Thanksmas. We rolled the Christmas celebration into Thanksgiving Day. On this Thanksmas, I presented each of my children and grandchildren a copy of the DVD. In all, Alan has made 20 copies for me.
At the center of this DVD is my dad, Henry Parker. Dad was born one year, one month and one week before The Great Depression struck our country on Oct. 29, 1929. The Great Depression had a profound impact on his family – and all families.
“During the course of this DVD, you will hear his first-hand account of growing up during the Depression,” I wrote in a letter I gave them with the DVD.
I played guitar during the session, and Dad played a mandolin and guitar. Dad was my source for many of the songs I know, and when I sing them even now, I generally do the versions I learned from him.
“Although I like the songs on this recording,” my letter said, “the stories are what I really want to share with you. You will have insight into my dad and into me, as well. The DVD is more than an hour long. I hope you will take the time to watch it all. Then I hope that sometimes you will go back and watch some of it again.”
Dad was wise and hard-working. He was compassionate, loved to laugh, yet was unafraid to share his tears. At times he could be demanding, even stern. At other times, he was gracious to a fault. Outside of the Lord and His Word, my Dad was the single greatest influence on my life.
“When you look around at how many of us gather for Thanksmas this year, never forget that an even larger part of our family has already gathered in Heaven,” I said in the letter. “I look forward to the time when all of us will be together in Heaven and enjoy an eternal reunion and time of Thanksgiving.
“I love you all more than you can understand.”
Mike Parker is a columnist for Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.
