Mark was a year behind me at Jackson Milton HS, he graduated in '78 and I was '77. We were good friends and great teammates. As a quick memory; Our school had never won much, but Mark's Jr Year and my Sr Year we all came together for one great Track Season. I remember the ICL League Championship and we went down Friday for the Pre-lims and they also ran some Finals. Mark unexpectedly Won the 2 Mile and his classmate Marquis Ewing Won the Long Jump. That gave us the lead going into the Finals on Saturday and motivated our lazy Senior butts to also unexpectedly do our best and we Won the League, the Tournament and just about everything else that Season.
Mark would run the 2 mile and the 1 mile with the same dogged determination every meet and every practice. J-M was certainly not a "feeder" school to the the great colleges and Mark's acceptance and success at the Naval Academy was and is an inspiration to all of us. I am very saddened to hear about his passing. I wish his Family and navy friends my best in this great loss. I will always remember his great positive outlook, witty humor, and that unorthodox running style. Mark was a good friend, a great Teammate, and I'm sure an incredible man. Always, John Keck JM '77
