Felix L. Sparks | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sparks as a Colorado National Guard brigadier general, c. 1970 | |
| Associate Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court | |
| In office May 22, 1956 – December 15, 1956 | |
| Preceded by | John R. Clark |
| Succeeded by | Frank H. Hall |
| District Attorney of Colorado's 7th Judicial District | |
| In office 1949–1953 | |
| Preceded by | A. Allen Brown |
| Succeeded by | Theodore L. Brooks |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 2, 1917 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | September 25, 2007 (aged 90) Lakewood, Colorado, U.S. |
| Resting place | Crown Hill Cemetery, Wheat Ridge, Colorado, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Mary Blair (m. 1941) |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | University of Colorado Law School |
| Occupation | Director, Colorado Water Conservation Board |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1936–1938 (Army) 1939–1940 (Reserve) 1941–1945 (Army) 1946–1977 (National Guard) |
| Rank |  Brigadier General |
| Unit | United States Army United States Army Reserve Colorado Army National Guard |
| Commands | Company E, 2nd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment 3rd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion, 157th Regimental Combat Team 169th Field Artillery Group Colorado Army National Guard |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Silver 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 Colorado. A veteran of World War II, he attained the rank of brigadier general in the Colorado Army National Guard and received the Silver Star and the Purple Heart. Sparks also served as 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 San Antonio, Sparks was raised and educated in Arizona and served as an enlisted soldier in the United States Army from 1936 to 1938. He then attended the University of Arizona, where he maintained his military interest by taking part in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and several Citizens' Military Training Camps while also serving in the Army Reserve. In 1939, he was called to active duty for World War II, and in 1940 he received his commission as a second lieutenant. Assigned to the 45th Infantry Division, Sparks served with the division's 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 University of Colorado Law School, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in Delta, Colorado. A leader of the local Democratic Party, Sparks served a term as 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.