There’s dirty work afoot in Kentucky. In what sounds like a scene from some gruesome horror story, substitute teacher and part-time Census Bureau worker Bill Sparkman was found hanged in Daniel Boone National Forest. The word “fed” had been written across Sparkman’s chest. Is this a case of anti-government violence, or is Sparkman’s killer trying to throw the cops off the scent with clever misdirection?
Sparkman was a single parent who had become interested in teaching while working as an instructional assistant with children who have learning disabilities. Lacking a the necessary degree to become a teacher, he enrolled in an online university in order to gain his teaching credential. To help finance his education, Sparkman took a job as a permanent part-time worker with the U.S. Census Bureau, working for them about 35 hours a month.
While pursuing a degree in mathematical education, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He underwent successful treatment for the disease and began working as a substitute teacher in the southern Kentucky area.
Bill Sparkman began his working life as a one man sports department of the Mulberry Press in his hometown of Mulberry, Florida. He served as sports editor, reporter, and photographer for the small paper.
After his newspaper work, he worked for 12 years with the Eagle Scouts organization, including a three-year stint as associate national director of the Order of the Arrow.
Few details have been released by authorities about the Bill Sparkman hanging. The FBI has been called in on the case because it’s a federal crime to attack a federal worker in the course of his duties.
Sparkman’s mother Henrie Sparkman, a former high school principal, professed to be mystified by her son’s untimely death. ”I have my own ideas, but I can’t say them out loud. Not at this point. Right now, what I’m doing, I’m just waiting on the FBI to come to some conclusion.”
Bill Sparkman’s life was an inspiring story of perseverance in the face of adversity. Raising a son, Josh, as a single parent while working two jobs and going back to school in his 50’s, only to be diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. It seems tragically unfair that such a man should meet with a violent and grizzly death.
Upon graduating from online college Western Governors University, Sparkman spoke movingly of his life’s struggles in an address to fellow graduates. The speech is now on Youtube, and you can watch it in full below. Bill Sparkman seems like a very nice man. I can only hope that the authorities bring his killer to justice as swiftly as possible.
Recent Articles:
Jessica Del Rocco: Raymond Clark’s High School Girlfriend Speaks Out
How the Hell Do You Spell Muammar Gaddafi? Khadafy? Qadhafi? Gadhafi?
AIG Bailout Report: GAO Pegs Bailout at $121 Billion and Counting
