Thursday, March 10, 1958 University Daily Kansan
Page 5
Parr Cuts Wrists During Breakdown
By BOB MACY
(Assistant Sports Editor of The Daily Kansan)
Jack Parr, 6-foot 9-inch center and forward who helped Kansas State win two Big Seven titles in his three years of play, is resting today in the Topeka State Hospital after a severe emotional breakdown. Parr arrived at the hospital at 9:20 p.m. Wednesday after a series of outbreaks that climaxed a long period of intermittent stages of depression.
The trip to the Topeka hospital was the latest development in a series of happenings which started 32 hours previously. Among these happenings were; Parr purchasing a gun at a local pawn shop after making threats about certain persons, a stay in the Riley County Hospital, Parr becoming violent and being barricaded in his room after he attacked several officers, tear gas being used in an attempt to control him, Parr tearing apart a metal chair and breaking out all the windows in his room and slashing his wrists with the glass.
Parr was finally persuaded out of the room and taken to surgery where his wounds were worked on.
In an interview with The Daily Kansas, Sue Goss, editor of the Kansas State Collegian related this series of events.
Parr Depressed
She said Parr had been going through stages of depression recently. Many factors entered into this depression. Parr, after starring as a sophomore with K-State had shared the spotlight the last two years with junior Bob Boozer. In his final year at K-State Parr had watched Boozer walk away with the honors in a great many of their games.
Parr and Boozer were involved in a controversy just before they took part in the NCAA playoffs in Louisville, Ky. The two had a small scuffle that was blown out of proportion by some papers. Parr was accused of being a segregationist by some sports writers. He is from Richmond, Va. Miss Goss said some papers in Oklahoma had made accusations that Parr had segregationist leanings. Parr seemed especially concerned about the statements made by some of the Oklahoma papers, Miss Goss said.
Parr was carrying 18 hours of study on campus plus six hours of correspondence work. Miss Goss said Parr was very conscientious about his school work.
Suicide is Feared
Suicide is Feared Miss Goss said Parr told his landlady he was going to buy a gun and left about noon Tuesday. She called
officers and expressed fear Parr would commit suicide. When Parr returned to his room, the officers met him. He tried to slip a clip into a gun he had with him, a 38 Colt. A campus police officer wrestled the gun away from him.
Parr was then taken to the Riley County Hospital where he seemed to improve. Herbert J. Wunderlich, dean of students at K-State, visited Parr later in the day. Miss Goss said Parr was remorseful that the incident had occurred. He was put in seclusion and seemed to be in very fine shape. His father was called in Richmond and said he would be in Manhattan within 48 hours.
At 1 p.m. Wednesday Dr. Donald Cooper, a member of the staff at the student hospital, visited Parr to give him a sedative. Parr knocked the syringe out of Dr. Cooper's hand, saying he wanted to stay in a clear state of mind.
Miss Goss said Parr then became "quite violent" and attacked officers who tried to calm him. She said none of the officers were hurt seriously. Officials then locked one door to Parr's room and barricaded the other.
One wing of the hospital was evacuated of other patients as doctors and attendants tried to bring Parr under control.
Parr Slashes Wrists
Parr then proceeded to tear apart a metal chair in the room and use the leg to break out all the windows in his room. He took glass from one of the windows and slashed his wrists. Tear gas was tossed into the room in an effort to subdue him.
Finally, $5\frac{1}{2}$ hours after the ordeal started, County Attorney Dick Rogers, and Rev. Samuel George, pastor of Manhattan's First Presbyterian Church, talking to Parr through one of the windows, persuaded him to come out. Parr staggered into the hall and was rushed to surgery where his wounds were taken care of. The injuries were not serious.
Miss Goss said Parr was taken to Topeka by ambulance later in the evening. She said he was taken there because officials thought the Topeka hospital would be able to take better care of him.
The Library of Congress has 250 miles of book shelves.
RICHARD H. NOLTE, American Universities Field Staff
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JACK PARR
K-State Reacts To Parr Illness
Kansas State students and faculty members were quick to react to the announcement of the emotional breakdown of basketball player Jack Parr. Miss Sue Goss, editor of the Kansas State Collegian, said the paper had been deluged with calls inquiring what the students could do to help Parr.
She said plans were quickly being made to have a mass card shower for Parr.
The Kansas State basketball awards banquet, scheduled for Friday night, was indefinitely postponed. In postponing the banquet, Athletic Director H. B. "Bebe" Lee said;
Exhibition Baseball
"Jack Parr has meant so much to Kansas State basketball the past three seasons that we want to reschedule the banquet when he can attend."
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Aaron Predicts He'll Hit .350
By UNITED PRESS
The Milwaukee slugger socked his eighth home run of the spring and his third in as many games yesterday to lead the Braves to a 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dallas.
Aaron also had a single, for two of the five hits Milwaukee was able to muster off four Dodger pitchers. Thanks largely to his consistent stick work, the Braves showed a five games to four edge over Los Angeles in their grapefruit rivalry which now is over.
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