In Memoriam I N
M E M O R I A M
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hat I most remember about Mark was his wonderful smile and infectious humor. Mark, Kevin (his brother), and the rest of the boys basketball team members our fourth form year went out of their way to help the new girls basketball team, staying after their practice to help with ours. This was quite useful since many of the girls had never played before. In addition to “coaching” us, the shenanigans the boys played on each other, and over time, with us, kept me (at least) laughing. I believe their help continued fifth and sixth form year, and certainly created a unique bond. The few times since graduation that our paths crossed, I always looked forward to the big bear hug I would get from Mark. What a wonderful, outgoing, and kind person Mark was. It is sad that he can no longer bring his sunshine to all those around him. Denley Poor-Reynolds
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remember late one Sunday evening about 40 of us gathered in the football team film room to watch a....16mm Danish “art’” film. When it turned out to actually BE a Danish Art film, Griff took it upon himself to save the day (and a few individuals!) with his laughter and good humor. What a great guy. Geoff Pope
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remember third form year, Brooks House. We were in Monty’s dorm together. The image in my mind of the dark wood paneling on the cubicles is suddenly sort of ominous and depressing. Anyway, I remember the downstairs where pairs of us shared study rooms. I think students smoked in some of the rooms, didn’t they? I didn’t smoke, and the rooms could
be kind of mysterious for me; upper classmen did ... “stuff ”... like that. I didn’t, wasn’t old enough for, or was scared of, or something definitely regrettable. I opened the door on one of the rooms and Mark was in there with James Young. I don’t know what James had said—you know, James never said much very loud, but whatever it was, it had to be something bad, because Griff was rocking with laughter and had a most devilish expression of glee on his face. It was the sort of expression that when you see it on a man’s face, you know whomever he’s with is like a true brother to him, that kind of glee is closeness. I was jealous of that, whatever it was that Mark had or that James had that made them lock. And I might have been jealous, too, because I was pretty sure that whatever life happened in the mysterious rooms was not something either of them was the least bit afraid of. Nate Harvey
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ark and James Young lived across the hall from Douglas Wu and me in Pest House fourth form year. Of course, Mark lit up the dorm with his energy and enthusiasm for sports, music, girls, and life, fueled by his electric smile. His humor—“What did you guys do to end up in the (Pest House) ghetto?”—his joy and his physical strength were his calling cards and his shield against our adolescent challenges. All of that joy came back when I saw the email that Mark sent last fall entitled “What’s uuuuuuupppppppppp?” He mockingly lamented getting older because he couldn’t run as fast or jump as high. It was clear that same energy and enthusiasm were still there as he talked about life’s more current challenges. And I could almost see his smile. Greg Maffei
Quarterly Spring 2009
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