Remembering Dr. Mark Toole

received the Meredith Clark Slane Distinguished Teaching and Service Award in 2015.

We will miss this exceptionally well-regarded teacher, colleague, and friend. We will miss his spirit, his humor, and the twinkle in his eyes.

light will continue spreading out in this world, and we take heartened pride in that legacy.

We will miss Associate Professor of Religion, Dr. Toole, who passed away in March.

He was a member of our Humanities faculty for 14 years, teaching comparative and Eastern religions. Mark also directed the Honors Scholars Program and guided many study abroad experiences in that time. A student favorite, he

Teaching Buddhism, he shared that most Buddhists believe that the Buddha is frequently drawn as shining with infinite light, as a symbol of awakening. This light of enlightenment represents the Buddhists shining out into the world. We know, for certain, that the flame from the candle of this loving father and respected teacherscholar lit many others. That

“Dr. Toole, always with a glint in his eyes, brought joy and humor and curiosity into every moment and helped me grow as a human being, as a scholar, and as a future minister. He had a passion for connection and I always felt heard.”

Jacob Lancaster,

‘20