Class reunions arbitrarily define classmate boundaries. Here is one that crosses over.
Mark was a close friend during high school. He lived nearby. We worked on assignments together, ran cross-country together, and discussed politics together. We had different opinions, but that just made the discussions better. When I went to MIT, he was encouraged to apply there as well and the next year he arrived. We didn't see too much of each other there. He joined a fraternity and I was in a dormitory, which placed a river between us. The last time I saw him he was attending the PHHS65 10th Reunion and was sporting a huge beard. I remember his kindness, his friendship, and his sharp mind. I miss him to this day.
I first met Mark in 7th grade at Pleasant Hill Intermediate. He was an impresive person, then and later, even if a bit more "conservative" than I (He wrote in my yearbook the advice to "stay right.") The world is a poorer place without him.
I met Mark in Home Room and was impressed with how smart and squared away he was. That was the only class we had together because he was in all the advanced classes. We were both on the Cross-Country and Track teams and that is where I got to know him better. We had about the same ability and he was always very competitive. I lost track of him after graduation but miraculously ran into him at Stanford in 1975 or 76. He was finishing up his PhD and was working for the state in Sacramento. He was in touch with Mort Vodian, who had his PhD and was doing post doc work at Cal, and Mark arranged for the three of us to meet for dinner in Palo Alto. It was a great evening catching up and sharing experiences since graduation. Little did I know that a few years later both Mark and Mort, two extraordinary guys, would be gone. Unbelievable! I saw Mark’s very short obit in the Stanford Magazine and tried to get more information but was unsuccessful.
Barbara (Barb) Ostrander (Natland)
Class reunions arbitrarily define classmate boundaries. Here is one that crosses over.
Mark was a close friend during high school. He lived nearby. We worked on assignments together, ran cross-country together, and discussed politics together. We had different opinions, but that just made the discussions better. When I went to MIT, he was encouraged to apply there as well and the next year he arrived. We didn't see too much of each other there. He joined a fraternity and I was in a dormitory, which placed a river between us. The last time I saw him he was attending the PHHS65 10th Reunion and was sporting a huge beard. I remember his kindness, his friendship, and his sharp mind. I miss him to this day.
-Jim Natland PHHS64
David Finster
I first met Mark in 7th grade at Pleasant Hill Intermediate. He was an impresive person, then and later, even if a bit more "conservative" than I (He wrote in my yearbook the advice to "stay right.") The world is a poorer place without him.
William (Randy) Sturgeon
I met Mark in Home Room and was impressed with how smart and squared away he was. That was the only class we had together because he was in all the advanced classes. We were both on the Cross-Country and Track teams and that is where I got to know him better. We had about the same ability and he was always very competitive. I lost track of him after graduation but miraculously ran into him at Stanford in 1975 or 76. He was finishing up his PhD and was working for the state in Sacramento. He was in touch with Mort Vodian, who had his PhD and was doing post doc work at Cal, and Mark arranged for the three of us to meet for dinner in Palo Alto. It was a great evening catching up and sharing experiences since graduation. Little did I know that a few years later both Mark and Mort, two extraordinary guys, would be gone. Unbelievable! I saw Mark’s very short obit in the Stanford Magazine and tried to get more information but was unsuccessful.