Parks, W. Robert (William Robert), 1915-

W. Robert Parks (1915-2003), a native of Tennessee, received his B.A. (1937) from Berea College, an M.A. (1938) from the University of Kentucky, and a Ph. D (1948) from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, all in political science. After service in the Navy, in the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, and the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Parks was a professor of government (1948-1956), Dean of Instruction (1958-1961), and Vice President of Academic Affairs (1961-1965) at Iowa State College (University). In 1965, he was named the President of Iowa State, and served until his retirement in 1986. During his time as President, Iowa State greatly increased its student enrollment, established its Colleges of Business and Design, and constructed numerous buildings on campus.

Dr. Parks married Dr. Ellen Sorge Parks (1914-1999) in 1940, the first woman to graduate with a Ph. D (1940) in political science from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. They had two daughters, Andrea (Van Houweling) and Cynthia (Hamilton). In 1986, the Iowa State University Library was named in honor of W. Robert and Ellen Sorge Parks. Dr. Parks died in 2003.