I'm still trying to figure out if I first met Mark in '72 or '75....so let's just say it was a long time ago. I was visiting my cousins over those summers in Northbrook, IL, and their house on Woodbine Ave. was just two doors down from the Rollins family. I got to know Mark, Pete, and John through various neighborhood activities including backyard Wiffle Ball at the Gilbertsons, swimming at the Dorshers, bike riding all over the place, and caddying at Green Acres CC. Incredibly fond memories....
Fast forward the late '80s, when I reconnected with John, and by association Mark, in NYC. John was working at SPIN, I was working at SI, and Mark was knocking it out of the park in the world of finance. We had many good times together...
Fast forward again to around 2003-04, when John generously invited me to join him and Alan (Light) at TRACKS, their new music magazine, and as an added bonus, Mark was on board. It was during that time that I came to truly appreciate what made Mark special. His love of family and friends, his passion for music and politics, and more broadly, a burning desire to make the world a better place. Mark's passion was infectious and I'll never forget hanging out at the LIVE from Home music events hosted by Alan at the Housing Works Bookstore on Crosby. Great music in a wonderfully intimate setting, watching Nellie McKay, Ryan Adams, and many others. Mark's smile lit up the room, and his laugh was second to none. I will hold those memories close and dear forever.
The world has lost a wonderful, caring, and giving person but Mark's legacy will endure with all of us who had the privilege of knowing him.