David E. Mark 2837225 220992231 2008-06-22T15:35:07Z Lightbot 7178666 Units/dates/other '''David Everett Mark''' ([[November 15]], [[1923]] - [[September 17]], [[2005]]) was an [[United States|American]] career [[Diplomacy#Diplomats and diplomatic missions|diplomat]]. Born in [[New York City]] to Leslie Mark, and Lena Tyor Mark, Mark graduated from [[Columbia University]], and while serving in the [[United States Army Air Corps|Army Air Corps]] during [[World War II]], he completed his studies at [[Columbia Law School]]. He joined the [[United States Foreign Service|U.S. Foreign Service]] in 1946, serving first in South Korea, Germany, Finland, Romania, and Moscow in the 1950s. Mark met his wife, Elisabeth Lewis Mark, in Moscow in 1958 where she headed the [[Anglo-America]]n [[Primary education|elementary school]]. They married in [[Washington, D.C.]] in 1959, and moved to [[Geneva]], [[Switzerland]] where Mark joined the delegation to the [[Test Ban Treaty]] negotiations. In the early 1960s, Mark served in various capacities in the "Intelligence and Research Bureau" until his appointment as [[United States Ambassador to Burundi|ambassador to Burundi]] from 1974 to 1977. From 1979 to 1981 he served again at the [[United States Department of State|U.S. State Department]] as a deputy assistant [[Secretary of State]]. After retirement from government in 1981, he consulted on [[international affairs]] for ALCOA in [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]]. A gifted [[Linguistics|linguist]], Mark spoke fluent [[Russian language|Russian]], [[German language|German]], and [[French language|French]], and was conversant in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Italian language|Italian]] and [[Japanese language|Japanese]]. With the break-up of the [[Soviet Union]] in 1989 and the dearth of Russian linguists, Mark was asked to help establish the [[American Embassy]] in the former [[Georgia (country)|Soviet Republic of Georgia]]. He returned to [[Tbilisi]] in 1992 to participate in helping the Georgians write their [[Constitution]]. During the 1990s until his death, Mark was an active member of the [[Council on Foreign Relations]] in New York City. He volunteered every week for nine years as a guide and [[Translation|translator]] for Big Apple Greeters of New York. He worked full time as a licensed New York City tour guide for [[Gray Line Worldwide|Gray Line]]/CoachUSA, sharing his love for the city with thousands of [[Tourism|tourist]]s each year in any number of the languages he spoke. When he was not volunteering and touring on the Gray Line bus tours, Mark taught a variety of courses as an [[Professor#Other positions:|adjunct professor]] of global affairs at [[New York University]]. Mark's love of travel was renown and he eagerly shared his knowledge of the world and the all places he traveled with everyone he knew. Carolyn Stone, former Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Big Apple Greeters, wrote: : "David won the hearts of every visitor he met or spoke with. At the Big Apple Greeter organization, he continued to be an Ambassador for our country — to the rest of the world. The relief and the joy that visitors felt when David spoke to them, in their own language, was a gift never to be forgotten. :Letters, photos, notes and presents came to your father from these strangers-turned-friends, and I believe that the personal goodwill he spread around the globe has been a great benefit to all New Yorkers and all Americans. He made us ALL look good: kind, helpful, intelligent, educated, articulate and accomplished." Mark, 81, died in 2005 in a car accident. He is survived by his: * wife: Elisabeth Mark; * children: Leslie D. Mark and Mark Eisemann, Andrea and Adam Chiou, and Clayton and Lisa Mark; * niece: Elena Nantz Strunk; and * 7 grandchildren. ==Timeline== * 1923: Born in New York City on 15 November. * 1940s: Graduated from Columbia University, and while serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II, he completed his studies at Columbia Law School. * 1946 (aged 23): Joined the U.S. Foreign Service. * 1950s: Served at the US Embassies in South Korea, Finland, Germany, Romania, and Moscow. * 1959 (aged 36): Married his wife, Elisabeth Lewis Mark, in Washington, D.C. * 1960s: Served on the Test Ban Treaty delegation in Geneva, Switzerland and at the Intelligence and Research Bureau, U.S. State Department. * 1974 (aged 51): Appointed as Ambassador to Burundi until 1977. * 1979 (aged 56): Served again at the U.S. State Department as a deputy assistant Secretary of State until 1981. * 1981 (aged 58): Retired from government service, and consulted on international affairs for ALCOA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. * 1989 (aged 66): Helped to establish the American Embassy in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. * 1992 (aged 69): Returned to Tiblisi to help the Georgians write their Constitution. * 1990s: Worked full time as a licensed New York City tour guide for Gray Line, and participated actively as a volunteer of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City. * 2005 (aged 81): Mark, 81, died in 2005 in a car accident. {{start box}} {{succession box | title = [[United States Ambassador to Burundi|U.S. Ambassador to Burundi]] | before = [[Robert L. Yost]] | after = [[Thomas J. Corcoran]] | years = 1978–1980 }} {{end box}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Mark, David E.}} [[Category:1923 births]] [[Category:2005 deaths]] [[Category:Road accident deaths in the United States]] [[Category:Columbia University alumni]] [[Category:People from New York City]]