Mark really enjoyed reading about Mark Trail. He would sit right at the heater duct outlet under a floor lamp in our living room, and read through every comic in the Sunday Post, starting with Mark Trail, while dipping strips of buttered toast into hot chocolate.
Then, over the next sixty years or so, he lived his dream, courageously and creatively protecting wildlife in many places and ways. Though youngest in our family of five boys, Mark led boldly in charting his own unique course. Who else could have used Burma Shave-style road signs to convey political messages? Who else would tape cockroaches to the wall behind a plastic wrap cover and call them his ‘wall pets’? Who else could create a child-focused environmental education conservancy from the bare seed of an idea? Who else would help convene Turkey Bowl gatherings long after legs/arms/backs no longer welcomed the exertions?
None other than MTH, the best younger brother anyone could have!
What a disturbance in the force about a year ago. Incredible, as in still not to be believed. There’s a vital light missing from Arlington, C’ville, Gloucester, Saluda, Snowmass, Bainbridge, Loreto, Camp Verde and other locales where he and Leslie lived their great adventure. But the light he shared with all of us continues, in fond memories, tributes, and celebration of his amazing life.
