Gordon Parks, widely celebrated photographer, filmmaker, author, and composer, died on March 7, 2006 at the age of 93. He was best known for his photographs depicting African-Americans in a positive light, and for his many works in the genres of film, literature, and music. Parks was born November 30, 1912 in Fort Scott, Kansas. He began his career in photography in the 1930s and gained international fame in the 1940s for his Life magazine photo essays exploring social injustice. His work as a filmmaker began in the 1950s, with his film "The Learning Tree," which was the first major studio film written, directed, and scored by an African-American. In 1969, he directed the widely celebrated film "Shaft," which spawned a series of sequels and inspired a contemporary rap and film genre. Parks was also an accomplished author, penning several novels and volumes of poetry. His penultimate work, "Voices in the Mirror," was released in 1990 and is considered an acclaimed modern-day classic. As a composer, he wrote symphonies, chamber music, and several musicals. His life story was documented in his autobiography "Half Past Autumn: A Retrospective," which was released in 1997. Parks was the recipient of several honorary degrees, awards, and recognitions including a National Medal of Arts, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and he was the first African-American to be hired by Life magazine as a staff photographer in 1948. His legacy lives on in the many works he left behind, and in the millions of people he touched with his remarkable talent.