Do you know Ernest L. Parks?

Ernest L. Parks

Birth date and place: September 1955 at Charleston Naval Hospital.

Residence: Sol Legare Island on James Island.

Occupation: OSHA compliance officer with S.C. Department of Transportation.

Family: Wife, Vanessa; children, Meika, Gabe, Dominique and Ebony.

Education: James Island High School, Tennessee State University; OSHA regulations.

My job description: Adviser on safety issues and training to ensure employees adhere to OSHA regulations.

Words that best describe me: Collaborative, inclusive, fair, positive, willing.

Talents/Hobbies: Filmmaking, theater, Civil War re-enactment.

Things I do in my spare time: Storyteller, musician, historian.

Something I hope to accomplish: Complete the restoration of the Seashore Farmers' Lodge, which will become a museum and cultural center.

First job: Dishwasher at Sanitary Restaurant on Folly Beach.

Where I see Myself in 10 years: Curator and director of the Seashore Farmers' Lodge Museum and Cultural Center.

My philosophy on life: Don't look back, use the rearview mirror while continuing to move forward.

Best advice I've been given: "Be merciful when on top, so if you fall, others will be merciful upon you," my parents, Hosie and Mary Parks.