In Memoriam
Frank H. “Bert” Parke Jr.
Frank H. “Bert” Parke Jr., Chairman
of the Board of Democrat Printing &
Lithographing Co., died August 12,
2015. Bert was born February 6, 1930
in Little Rock, Arkansas, the son of the
late Frank H. Parke and Emily Crawford Parke. He graduated from Little
Rock High School in 1948 and Vanderbilt University in 1952. He served in
the U.S. Air Force for two years before
returning to Little Rock in 1954 to join
the family business, Democrat Printing
& Lithographing Company.
Where he served as Executive Vice
President, Corporate Secretary, and
President before becoming Chairman
of the Board, a position he held until
his death.
Bert also served on the boards of a
number of organizations and was the
president of The National School Supply and Equipment Association in 1986,
retaining Honorary Member status the
remainder of his life. He was a member of both The Printing Industries
of America and The Printing Industry
Association of the South, with the latter
honoring him with its “Man of the Year”
award.
Beyond business, he served as the
President of the Country Club of Little
Rock, co-chaired the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra’s first Opus Ball with
his wife, and was named an Honorary
Lifetime Commissioner of the MacArthur Museum of Military History.
Bert was a life-long member of Christ
Episcopal Church providing dedicated
service to the church and the Episcopal
Diocese of Arkansas.
Despite these numerous accomplishments and interests, Bert may be
most recognized for his contributions
to baseball in Central Arkansas fighting
to keep baseball in Little Rock in the
1960’s by turning the Travelers into
the nation’s only community-owned
professional baseball team. He served
as Treasurer through the 1970’s before
being elected President of the club,
a role he held for 30 years until he
became President Emeritus in 2010. In
the summer of 2015, he was honored
for this work by being elected into the
Texas League Hall of Fame.
He is survived by his wife, Ann Blair
Adams Parke, his children and their
spouses, Frank H. Parke III and Paula,
Emily Parke Stevens and Tim, and
John Blair Parke and Susan; and their
children and grandchildren.
Dennis Berger
Dennis Berger, co-owner of Allied
Plastics Co., Inc. passed away in late
October, 2015. The company was
founded by his father in 1945. Along
with his brother Greg Berger, Allied
grew and prospered under their vision
and leadership. Greg, and now Dennis’
nephew Larry Berger, carry on the
great traditions of honesty and integrity
that have become Allied hallmarks.
Dennis will be remembered by all who
met and loved him for his gregarious
and generous personality, his great
interest in the well-being of his friends,
family and employees, and for his dedication to educational furniture industry.
He enjoyed and loved life to the fullest,
and he wanted all around him to enjoy
life with him. He will be missed.
Sue Cornish
Sue Cornish, 66, co-owner of The
School House, Peoria School Equipment, passed away on April 20, 2015,
at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center
in Peoria. She was born Jan. 12, 1949,
in Peoria, IL., to Eileen (Blackmore)
and James Heinz. Sue married her
high school sweetheart, Phil Cornish,
on July 4, 1969, at St. Mary’s Catholic
Church in Kickapoo. Survivors include
her husband of 46 years, Phil; her
daughter, Tracey (Simon Harries) Cornish of Chicago; her son, Toby (Andrea
Brown) Cornish of Baltimore, Md.;
her mother, Eileen Heinz; and her
sister, Linda (Ken) Lusk of Dunlap.
Her father, James L. Heinz, and her
brother, Steven R. Heinz, preceded
her in death, along with her beloved
canine companion, Zoe. Sue graduated from Wilder-Waite Grade School
and Dunlap High School. She later
served as a member of the Dunlap
Unit School District Board of Education for 12 years. She was a graduate
of the St. Francis School of Nursing
and received her BS from the College
of St. Francis in Joliet. Sue and Phil
operated The School House in Peoria
and their family farm in Dunlap.
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