By Beverly Clinkingbeard

“Who is that gentleman over there?” a voice asked. The setting was the bloodmobile site on their regular visit to Tarkio.
The man in question was lying on a cot while his blood flowed from his arm, through a tube, to the waiting bag hanging on a frame.
“That’s Gene Sparks,” was the reply. “We can always count on him to give blood every time the bloodmobile comes to town.”
Gene is the son of the late Pauline [Perry] and Harrison Sparks, Jr. He made his appearance July 14, 1940. He has two younger sisters, Barbara (deceased) and Charlotte, and a brother, Marvin.  His mother remarried Howard “Hap” Bartlett and there were five more siblings added to the family.
The United States Army called on Gene Sparks in September of 1963. He was doing farm work for Don Fast at the time. Like many others from the area he was bound for Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, and from that time on it was “life in the Army” doing things the Army way.
Following basic training Gene was sent to Ft. Hood, Texas. When their plane landed at Ft. Hood they knew immediately something unusual had happened. The base personnel seemed stunned, and the soldier learned, what the rest of the nation had just heard. The date was November 22, 1963, and President John F. Kennedy had been shot, in Texas.
At Ft. Hood, Gene received advanced basic training. He passed the Army’s driving test and drove the many different vehicles the Army used. He chauffeured higher ranked soldiers to their destinations and drove armored personnel carriers for the endless training the soldiers experienced. The unit he served with would set up equipment for gunnery practices. He recalls the mortar rounds “sounding like dynamite going off.” They were proficient with the M11 and machine guns. There was also guard duty and patrols.
Following two years at Ft. Hood, Gene was offered an opportunity to extend his service time. He elected to return to Atchison County and married Janice Gust, the daughter of Otto and Pauline Gust of Blanchard, Iowa. Before being drafted Gene and Janice had been an item and during his Army time they corresponded and talked on the telephone. To this union there are two sons: Garold and Ryan. Garold is a Tarkio graduate who attended Tarkio College and Denver School of Art and is sign designer living in Omaha. Ryan lives in a group home in Stanberry, Missouri, and is employed in a workshop. Janice is from a family that enjoyed music and she has shared her love and ability to play music with her family, friends and area churches. Gene has worked for area farmers, Missouri Beef Packers and other jobs.  He also spends time reading the Bible and has read it from cover to cover several times.
Though now unable to give blood, Gene says he has received several award pins and thinks perhaps he has given 60 pints. His blood is type O negative, and a nurse once told him that babies could use his type of blood. He liked the thought that his gift of blood could make a difference for the small and fragile. Gene is a resident of Tarkio Rehabilitation and Health Care. He hopes to return home soon. Thank you, Gene, for your service.