PARRISH TO SPEAK AT EDWARDSBURG AREA HISTORICAL MUSEUM

EDWARDSBURG–The man who was the driving force behind Dr. T.K. Lawless Park’s designation as an International Dark Sky Park and Michigan Dark Sky Reserve, will speak at 7 p.m., Thurs., July 21, at the Edwardsburg Area Historical Museum.

Robert Parrish, who is also the vice chairman of the Cass County Department of Parks and Recreation, will speak on light pollution.

The Lawless Park is an 820-acre county park located at 15122 Monkey Run St., Vandalia.

Parrish’s work on the international park designation, only the second in Michigan, is a result of years of diligence and research, and an interest in astronomy from the time he was a child. Parrish’s father, Andrew Parrish, who served in the U.S. Navy, and the Space Race of the 1960s, were the major influences in the younger Parrish’s interest in the skies.

Parrish is a member of the Michiana Astronomical Society and the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society, as well as a delegate to the International Dark Sky Association.

He received both his Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Organizational Communication from Western Michigan University. A graduate of Cassopolis High School, he and his wife, Rita, live in Edwardsburg.