Felix L. Sparks

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Felix L. Sparks
District Attorney of Colorado's 7th Judicial District
In office
1949–1953
Preceded byA. Allen Brown
Succeeded byTheodore L. Brooks
Personal details
Born(1917-08-02)August 2, 1917
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
DiedSeptember 25, 2007(2007-09-25) (aged 90)
Lakewood, Colorado, U.S.
Resting placeCrown Hill Cemetery, Wheat Ridge, Colorado, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Mary Blair
​
(m. 1941)​
Children4
Education
157th Infantry Regiment

3rd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment
1st Battalion, 157th Regimental Combat Team
169th Field Artillery Group
Colorado Army National Guard
Battles/wars
AwardsSilver Star (2)
Purple Heart (2)
Croix de Guerre (France)

Felix Laurence Sparks (August 2, 1917 – September 25, 2007) was an American attorney, government official, and military officer from

District Attorney of Colorado's 7th Judicial District, an Associate Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, and the longtime director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board
.

A native of

157th Infantry Regiment throughout the war, from its arrival in North Africa through combat in Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany. Near the end of the war, Sparks was commander of the 157th Infantry's 3rd Battalion, which he led during its participation in the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. For his wartime service, Sparks was twice awarded both the Silver Star and the Purple Heart, as well as the French Croix de Guerre
.

After the war, Sparks graduated from the

District Attorney of Colorado's 7th Judicial District (1949–1953), and briefly filled a vacancy as an Associate Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court (1956). In 1957, Sparks was appointed attorney for the Colorado Water Conservation Board
. In 1958, he became the board's director, and he served in this position until retiring in 1979.

In addition to pursuing careers in law and government, Sparks continued to serve in the military. Assigned as executive officer of the 157th Regimental Combat Team (RCT), a unit of the Colorado Army National Guard, Sparks subsequently commanded the RCT's 1st Battalion. He commanded the 169th Field Artillery Group as a colonel in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including recall to active duty for several months during the Berlin Crisis of 1961. Sparks was promoted to brigadier general in 1968 and assigned as the Colorado National Guard's assistant adjutant general for army and commander of the Colorado Army National Guard. Sparks served in the National Guard until reaching the mandatory retirement age in 1977.

Sparks died in Lakewood, Colorado, on September 25, 2007. He was buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

Early life

Felix L. "Larry" Sparks was born in San Antonio, Texas, on August 2, 1917, the oldest of five children born to Felix Franklin Sparks and Martha Estelle (Ray) Sparks.[1][2] When he was four, his family moved to Miami, Arizona, where his father worked in a copper mine.[1] Sparks was raised and educated in Arizona, and in 1935, he took part in one of the Citizens' Military Training Camps (C.M.T.C.) operated by the United States Army, which offered young men the opportunity to obtain military training and possibly earn a commission in the National Guard or Army Reserve.[3]

In March 1936 he joined the United States Army.[4] Assigned to a coast artillery regiment, he served in Hawaii for two years.[4] After his March 1938 discharge, Sparks returned to Arizona, where he attended the University of Arizona.[4] In 1939, he participated in another C.M.T.C., at which he won several awards and was recommended for a commission.[4] While attending college, Sparks also participated in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps.[4]

World War II

Sparks served in the

first lieutenant in February 1942, captain in October 1942, major in August 1944, and lieutenant colonel in November 1944.[6]

During the war, Sparks's assignments included adjutant of 2nd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment and commander of the battalion's Company E.[7] As a major and lieutenant colonel, he commanded the 45th Division's 3rd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment during 1944 and 1945.[8]

Post-World War II

District attorney

After the war, Sparks attended the

District Attorney of the 7th Judicial District, and he served one term, 1949 to 1953.[13][14] Sparks also served as chairman of the Democratic Party in Delta County.[14]

Following his term as district attorney, Sparks resumed practicing law in Delta.[15] In addition, he served as county attorney for Delta County and town attorney for the town of Hotchkiss.[15] Sparks was a leader of the Delta County bar, and was a member of the Phi Delta Phi fraternity, American Bar Association, and Colorado Bar Association.[15]

Colorado Water Conservation Board

In May 1956, Governor Edwin C. Johnson appointed Sparks to fill a vacancy as an Associate Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court.[15] He served until November 1956 and was an unsuccessful candidate for a full term.[16] In January 1957, Sparks was appointed attorney for the Colorado Water Conservation Board.[17] In June 1958, Sparks was appointed as the board's director.[18] Sparks served as the board's director until retiring in April 1979.[19] After his retirement, Sparks was a consultant on issues of water resource management and served as a member of the Upper Colorado River Commission.[20][21]

Continued military career

In addition to his career in politics and government, Sparks remained in the military after World War II. In 1946, he was appointed as executive officer the Colorado Army National Guard's 157th Regimental Combat Team (RCT) with the rank of lieutenant colonel.[22][23] As reorganized units were assigned to the RCT, Sparks was assigned to command of its 1st Battalion.[24] In May 1950, Sparks completed the course at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.[25]

After completing his tour as commander of 1st Battalion, Sparks served for several years on the staff at the Colorado National Guard's state headquarters.[26] In August 1959 he was assigned to command the 169th Field Artillery Group.[27] Sparks was a colonel in October 1961 when his command was called to active duty as part of the U.S. response to the Berlin Crisis of 1961.[28] Sparks served on active duty at Fort Sill, Oklahoma until August 1962, then returned to his position with the state water conservation board.[29][30]

In August 1968, Sparks completed the updated Command and General Staff College course at Fort Leavenworth.[31] He was then promoted to brigadier general and assigned as Colorado's assistant adjutant general for army and commander of the Colorado Army National Guard.[31] Sparks held this position until retiring upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60 in 1977.[32]

Awards

Sparks was a recipient of two awards of the Silver Star for heroism, as well as two awards of the Purple Heart.[6] In addition, Sparks received the Croix de Guerre from the government of France.[33] He received the Silver Star for heroism during combat in Italy in February 1944 while he was commander of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 157th Infantry.[34] The citation for his first Silver Star read:

While Capt. Sparks' Infantry company was subjected to a series of enemy attacks near Carroceto, Italy, on February 16, he repeatedly exposed himself in order to advise his officers and men of the situation. During one attack two Mark IV tanks reached a point within 25 yards of his command post and fired on the position until repelled by bazooka and artillery fire. He remained at his post under artillery, machinegun and mortar fire, controlling his men and relaying valuable information to his battalion headquarters. When orders came to move the company, he successfully disengaged the enemy and organized a new defensive position, preventing a break-through.[35]

Dachau liberation

Main article: Dachau concentration camp § Liberation

In September 1956, news of a planned reunion of 3rd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment scheduled for Denver in October included details of Sparks's role in the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp.[36]

On April 29, 1945, units of 3rd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment, commanded by Sparks, were ordered to secure the Dachau camp;

Brigadier General Henning Linden led soldiers of the 222nd Infantry Regiment of the 42nd (Rainbow) Infantry Division[38] to accept the formal surrender of the camp from German Lieutenant Heinrich Wicker.[39] Linden was traveling with Marguerite Higgins and other reporters, and as a result, Linden's detachment generated international headlines by accepting the surrender of the camp.[40] More than 30,000 Jews and political prisoners were freed. Since 1945, adherents of the 42nd and 45th Division versions of events have argued over which unit was the first to liberate Dachau.[41][42][43]

Death and burial

Sparks died of pneumonia at St. Anthony Central Hospital in

Denver, Colorado, on September 25, 2007.[44] He was buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.[44]

Family

In 1941, Sparks married Mary Blair.[1] They were the parents of four children.[15]

Legacy

Sparks' wartime experiences were the subject of a 2020 Netflix miniseries, The Liberator.[45] Sparks's role in the Dachau liberation is also the subject of Alex Kershaw's book The Liberator, upon which the miniseries is based.[46] In 2008, the United States Post Office at 10799 West Alameda Avenue in Lakewood, Colorado was named in Sparks' honor.[47]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Felix L. Sparks: Visual History Biographical Profile" (PDF). Echoes and Reflections. New York, NY: Anti-Defamation League, USC Shoah Foundation, Yad Vashem. 2013.
  2. ^ "Texas Birth Certificates, 1903–1932, Entry for Felix Laurence Sparks". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  3. Newspapers.com
    .
  4. ^
    Newspapers.com
    .
  5. ^ National Guard Bureau (1952). Official National Guard Register for 1951. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 994 – via Ancestry.com.
  6. ^ a b c d National Guard Register for 1951, p. 994.
  7. Newspapers.com
    .
  8. ^ American Folk Life Center. "Felix L. Sparks Collection, Biographical Information". Veterans History Project. Washington, DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  9. ^ University of Colorado Law School (May 11, 2007). "Commencement 2007: First Class to Graduate from Wolf Law Building". University of Colorado Boulder. Boulder, CO. Professor Paul Campos recognized the members of the Order of the Coif and introduced the Honorary Order of the Coif Recipient, Felix L. Sparks '48.
  10. ^
    Newspapers.com
    .
  11. ^
    Newspapers.com
    .
  12. ^ Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. Vol. 1. Summit, NJ: Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, Inc. 1961. pp. 339, 359 – via Google Books.
  13. Newspapers.com
    .
  14. ^
    Newspapers.com
    .
  15. ^
    Newspapers.com
    .
  16. Newspapers.com
    .
  17. Newspapers.com
    .
  18. Newspapers.com
    .
  19. Newspapers.com
    .
  20. Newspapers.com
    .
  21. Newspapers.com
    .
  22. Newspapers.com
    .
  23. Newspapers.com
    .
  24. Newspapers.com
    .
  25. Newspapers.com
    .
  26. Newspapers.com
    .
  27. Newspapers.com
    .
  28. Newspapers.com
    .
  29. Newspapers.com
    .
  30. Newspapers.com
    .
  31. ^
    Newspapers.com
    .
  32. Newspapers.com
    .
  33. Newspapers.com
    .
  34. ISBN 978-1596980242 – via Google Books
    .
  35. ^ U.S. War Department (July 29, 1944). "Press Releases and Related Records, 1942–1945, Entry for Felix L. Sparks". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT. p. 430. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  36. Newspapers.com
    .
  37. ^ a b "45th Infantry Division.com". Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2007.
  38. Newspapers.com
    .
  39. ^ Goldenberg, Richard (April 27, 2020). "NY's 42nd Infantry Division liberated Dachau 75 years ago". Army.mil. Washington, DC.
  40. ^ Jensen, Ron (April 2013). "First Through the Gates of Hell". National Guard. Washington, DC: National Guard Association of the United States. p. 74.
  41. ^ James Stuart Olson, Historical Dictionary of the 1950s, 2000, page 125
  42. ^ Joe Wilson, The 761st "Black Panther" Tank Battalion in World War II, 1999, page 185
  43. ^ Sam Dann, Dachau 29 April 1945: the Rainbow Liberation Memoirs, 1998, page 6
  44. ^
    Denver Post
    .
  45. ^ South, Todd (November 13, 2020). "The story behind Netflix's WWII series 'The Liberator' — 500 days of combat from Sicily to Dachau". Military Times. Mcleans, VA.
  46. ISBN 978-0307888006 – via Google Books
    .
  47. ^ United States House of Representatives (May 7, 2008). "Flix Sparks Post Office Building". Congressional Record, Volume 154 (2008), Part 1. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 954–955. Retrieved January 25, 2022.

Additional reading

  • Beuchner, Emajean Jordan (1991). Sparks. Metairie, LA: Thunderbird Press, Inc.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Felix_L._Sparks&oldid=1210850648"