Half Past Autumn

1. On the day Gordon Parks was born, how did the doctor save Gordon's life?
1. The doctor put Gordon in cold ice water and rubbed his back w/ ice.
2. Where was Gordon born? (what state?)
1. Fort Scott, Kansas
3. What did Gordon's class adviser, Ms. McClintock, tell him about college?
1. She told him not to waste his parents' money going to college, especially since going to college was rare for a black student.
4. How old was Gordon when his mother died?
1. Gordon was 15.
5. Where did Gordon move after his mother died?
1. St. Paul, Minnesota
6. Did Gordon graduate from college?
1. He didn't graduate from college; He got an honorary doctorate
7. How did Gordon begin his fashion photography career?
1. He photographed for a woman's clothing store owned by Frank Murphy.
8. What is a "double exposure?"
1. It is when the photographer layers one exposure on top of another to create a single image. (For Gordon, it was a mistake)
9. Who was boxer Joe Louis?
1. He was the husband of Marva Louis who told him to move to Chicago.
10. What instrument did Gordon play?
1. He played piano.
11. What was the purpose of the Farm Security Administration?
1. The FSA educated the public especially about poverty.
12. When Roy Stryker hired Gordon for the FSA, what was Stryker's first assignment for Gordon in Washington, D.C.?
1. Stryker told him to get himself a topcoat, go to a restaurant for food, and watch a film, which came out to be impossible because Gordon was a Negro.
13. Who was Ella Watson?
1. She was the African American maid whom Gordon photographed. She had glasses and posed in front of the American flag with a mop and broom.
14. What was the inspiration for Grant Wood's American Gothic?
1. "Maid in America" by Gordon was the inspiration for Grant Wood's American Gothic.
15. What did Gordon learn from Stryker about photography?
1. He learned to approach people. Also, the people who were being photographed were more important than the photographer.