Terrence George “Terry” Parks, 73, of California, MD passed away on June 4, 2021 at Calvert Health Medical Center. Born November 28, 1947 in San Diego, CA, he was the son of the late Clarence George Parks and Peggy Marie (White) Parks. Terry graduated from Fremont High School, Sunnyvale, CA in 1966 and from San Jose State University, San Jose, CA in 1974. Terry is a member of the Lenape Tribe, also known as the Delaware Tribe of Indians in Bartlesville, OK. His Lenape name is Nishakexen, Two Paths.
In 1966 Terry was recruited and signed with the Mets as a left-handed pitcher. He was a “Bonus Baby”. In 1967 he received a gold watch for being the MVP. In 1968 he was traded to the Oakland A’s where he played until he started having difficulty with his pitching arm due to a previous injury. 1969 was the last year Terry played professional baseball, but he continued with sports. He was a bull dogger in the Rodeo with his horse Shad. Terry owned a boarding stable until 1973 and then became a Finance Manager in the Auto Industry. He returned to Oklahoma in 1983 to help his parents. Terry met Andrea in 1987 and they were wed on March 29, 1988 in Las Vegas, NV. In 1993 Terry had a career change. He began working as the Director of Education for the Osage Nation. In 1997 Terry’s only son, Terrence George Dakota Parks, his pride and joy, was born. In 1998 Terry went to work for the Federal Government as the Division Chief of Self Determination for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He retired from his position on December 31, 2020. For twenty two years Terry fought for the rights of the American Indian. He and his family moved to Calvert…