Survivor Profile: Dale Parks

Dale Parks was a Jonestown survivor merely by accident. He and his family were planning to leave with the party of Representative Leo J Ryan (D-Calif.). Dale managed to avoid the shots that killed the congressman and four others and escaped death when the gun that was placed against his chest misfired.

Dale’s father, Gerald, met Jim Jones when he was 21 years old, and Jim was 23 years old. Jones invited Mr. Parks to speak at the People’s Temple in Indianapolis. The family felt drawn to Jones’s charisma, and they followed him to California. Once in California, the family continued their involvement with Jones and his ministry.

The family sold their home and gave $16,000 to help the Peoples Temple move to Guyana. Soon after they arrived in Guyana, the family realized that Jones was not who they thought he was. After only a few days, Mr. Parks expressed his desire to return to the United States, and the intern was called up on stage and beaten in front of the whole community. The children were forced to go to school and then work in the fields in the afternoon.The family began to plan their escape.

When the congressional investigative party and news reporters arrived, they saw their opportunity to leave. Dale was suspicious of one of the Temple members choosing to leave with the group. After the shooting and massacre, Dale testified to a U.S. District Court jury that he knew Larry Layton was not an honest defector and was most likely a plant on the truck taking the congressional investigating party back to their plane.

Dale’s mother, Patricia, was killed in the initial shooting. Brenda, Tracy, and three other children escaped into the jungle, where they hid for three days. At the time of the massacre, the Parks family were Gerald, 45; Dale, 27; Brenda, 17; Christ, 20; Tracy, 12; and Edith, 64.

Barbash, F. (1978, November 28). Fear and suspicion split Jonestown Survivors. The Washington Post. Retrieved December 13, 2021.

Los Angeles Times. (1986, October 31). Layton was loyal to the end, ex-cult member testifies. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 13, 2021.

Stafford, T. (2013, November 18). Parks family carries on 35 years after Jonestown. Springfield News Sun. Retrieved December 13, 2021.


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