[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 11] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 15125] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]HONORING ROBERT E. ``ROY'' PARKE ______ HON. GUS M. BILIRAKIS of florida in the house of representatives Tuesday, July 15, 2008 Mr. BILIRAKIS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Robert E. ``Roy'' Parke, who was taken from us on June 5, 2008, at 87 years of age. The man many called Florida's strawberry king and founder of Parkesdale Farms in Dover, Florida, is remembered as a driving force in Florida's strawberry industry. A native of Northern Ireland, Roy Parke and his family migrated to the United States when he was 5. He attended a one-room school in Pennsylvania, and then served his country in World War II as a sergeant in the 63rd Infantry Division. He founded R.E. Parke & Sons in 1957 with money from a G.I. Bill of Rights loan. Today, the operation has more than 500 acres of berries and vegetables. Roy pioneered the first successful overseas air shipment of strawberries to Europe in 1963, and he was the first to protect strawberries with overhead irrigation. In 1983, Roy was the first inductee into the Florida Strawberry Hall of Fame and was a vocal proponent of the state's strawberry industry. Roy was someone who I have admired and respected for many years. He was not only a renowned success in his business endeavors, but he was also a prominent leader in his diverse volunteer efforts. The communities of Dover and Plant City will forever bear his imprint and the memory of the ``Strawberry King'' will surely be eternal. Madam Speaker, my heart aches for Roy's family. He is survived by his wife, Helen; daughters Cheryl Meeks, Sandee Sytsma and Colleen Fulton; sons Bobby Parke and Gary Parke; and numerous nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. May God bless the Parke family. We shall never forget Roy. ____________________