Former ISU President Robert Parks has been hospitalized for a broken hip and a minor heart attack.

Parks, 86, had just finished watching two ISU basketball games at his Ames home late March 7 and walked into his garage to gather the garbage for the next morning’s collection. Parks missed a step and fell, breaking his hip.

He managed to drag himself across the concrete garage floor to his car and opened the car door. He tried to honk the horn to get a neighbors’ attention but was unable to reach it.

Parks, who lives alone, was able to reach his garage door opener and yelled for help. Eventually his neighbor, John Clem, heard him and helped.

“It was a cold and quiet night so I had gone to bed at about 11:45,” Clem said. “I couldn’t figure out if I had left the television on or if it was a cat meowing or if something was seriously wrong. I decided to throw on some clothes and looked across the street and saw Dr. Parks’ garage lights on, which was very unusual, so I went over there and ended up calling 911 for help.”

Parks was taken to Mary Greeley Medical Center where he received a partial hip replacement and was found to have suffered a minor heart attack.

“It’s not uncommon for elderly people who experience such trauma to suffer minor heart attacks,” said Andrea Van Houweling, Parks’ daughter. “He’s quite the clever man being able to call that much attention to himself after experiencing something so awful.”

Parks is currently receiving physical therapy and was able to walk with a walker Wednesday. The prognosis is good and he is expected to make a full recovery, Van Houweling said.

“His biggest disappointment isn’t falling or suffering the heart attack, although that did slow things down,” Van Houweling said. “He’s actually most disappointed that he won’t be able to attend the women’s basketball game at Hilton this weekend, although he will be watching it and cheering them on from the hospital.”