How do we express in words all that Wally Parks has meant to so many of us? Ready or not, we knew that the wonderful person who got his start in Goltry, Oklahoma, 'way back in 1913 and became a friend and mentor to so many would have to leave us. We now have only memories-ah, but what memories they are and will continue to be. All the things we remember about Wally will never be totally forgotten. How could they? His hopes, his plans, his ambitions, and visions: all were values he passed on to so many of us.
Wally will be praised for years to come for his enterprisingly clever resourcefulness that provided a playing field for countless thousands of dedicated drag racing enthusiasts. As the patriarch of all that is hot rodding and drag racing, on and off the track, including a thriving multibillion-dollar industry. he shall always be deserving of only the highest praise.
But it was the person, the individual, the personality, the charisma of Wally Parks that made him the man-the respected leader and mentor-we knew him to be. He was an innovator to be immortalized not for what he bought, but for what he built; not for what he got, but for what he gave. Wally will be revered for his every act of integrity and compassion, as he empowered and encouraged so many others.
I shall be counted among the more fortunate, because I had a very special friendship with Wally that endured for nearly 50 years. I have always treasured our moments together, and perhaps most indelibly an episode at the Winternationals earlier this year. We went out in a golf cart and toured the pits, both Pro and Sportsman. Several times we stopped along the way so Wally could get a good, close look at the cars. His comments were many and varied, from "Just look at the craftsmanship and ingenuity in these cars!" to "We have the greatest fans and participants in all of motorsports, don't we?" But the comment I will treasure the most was when we completed our tour. Before he exited the golf cart, he shook my hand and said, "Thank you. That was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life." For it was then when Wally was at his best: he was able to spend time among the legions of fans who admired and idolized him, and whose faithfulness and unrelenting support he treasured.