Michael L. Mark ’74 was saluted by classmates and faculty alike for his academic accomplishments, his determination and hard work, and his integrity. After graduating from law school, he began a 40-year career in public service. And not surprisingly, he then gave back to future generations of students at his alma mater by establishing an endowed scholarship fund.

A government major at Franklin & Marshall, Mark attended law school at George Washington University, earning his juris doctorate in 1977 and his master of laws degree in 1988. In 1980, he decided to join the U.S. Air Force, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel and serving as a judge advocate. He retired after 21 years and joined NASA, where he was associate chief counsel, working on the procurement of large equipment for aerospace research at the Langley Research Center in Virginia.

“Michael had attended a Franklin & Marshall summer program during high school and got so much out of that experience,” his sister, Amy Lonas, said. “When weighing all his options during his senior year, F&M checked most of the boxes and it felt like a good fit for him. He never regretted the decision.”

Mark established the endowed scholarship fund through a series of gifts, culminating in a 2018 bequest, because he wanted future generations of Diplomats to benefit from, in his words, “F&M’s wonderful professors, intimate atmosphere and academic quality. I was exceptionally well-prepared for law school.” He cited Grier Stephenson and Joseph Karlesky, both now retired, as two of those professors.

In a 2016 interview for F&M Magazine, Mark recalled another professor as an inspiration for supporting his alma mater. “At my first Homecoming & Family Weekend, Sid (the late Charles A. Dana Professor of Government Sidney Wise) told me I needed to support F&M," Mark said. "I was a law student with very little money and told him that. He handed me a dollar and said, ‘Give that to the College.’ So I did, and have done so ever since then. It was important to him, and I realized it should be important to me, for all the gifts I had received through my F&M education… I give to the College because I'd like others to have the opportunities and experiences I had.”

Mark began his career after law school in a small, general-practice law firm. “He quickly decided that was not the path for him,” his other sister, Ellen Mark, noted. “His love of aviation combined with his desire to be of service to our country and to work on large-scale contracts led him to join the Air Force. After 20 years, he retired and began a second exciting, fulfilling career at NASA. He remained curious and fastidious in his work, while mentoring many young attorneys along the way.”

Mark died of lymphoma in 2022, but his family and friends continue to philanthropically support the Michael L. Mark Endowed Scholarship Fund. “Michael’s years at Franklin & Marshall were some of the most, if not the most formative years of his life,” Amy said. “F&M is where he made lifelong friends and where his world opened up in so many ways. My brother had a very generous spirit. He wanted to share the joy that he experienced during his college years with others who come after him and may need some help along the way. We support the fund to acknowledge his passion for learning and honor his legacy of freely giving to others.”