The Park’s and Ithaca

During my exploration of Ithaca throughout this semester, I noticed that Roy and Dorothy Park have their name on more than just the School of Communications I attend at Ithaca College. The couple also has their name on the Ithaca Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the new Center for Sustainable Enterprise at Ithaca College. There’s also a building downtown in the Commons named after Roy.

It’s odd that the Parks have their names on so many buildings in Ithaca considering neither of them pursued higher education here. Following his collegiate career at North Carolina State, Roy arrived in 1942 when he was offered a position at an advertising agency. Using his entrepreneurial skills, he teamed up with Duncan Hines to created Hines-Park foods, which produced cake mixes and icing. The company was eventually bought out by Proctor and Gamble, so Roy returned south and acquired more radio stations, television stations, newspapers and other print publications in his native North Carolina.

While Roy passed away in 1993, Dorothy lives on as his widow. She is in charge of the Park Foundation, which benefits Ithaca and NC State. The Alumni Center at NC State is also named after them. I’d love to meet her someday and give her my Dean’s Host sweatshirt with the Park logo on it.