Saturday, June 11, 2022
It was, I think, the summer of 1971 and Mark and I had seen Woody Allen's film Bananas a couple of times and absolutely loved it. We went to a joke shop and bought some fake red beards and Fidel caps, then along with cigars, and our surplus army jackets we drove around Scottsdale in Mark's Datsun 510 making faces and laughing at other drivers. We were soon stopped by the police and asked what we were doing. I was circumspect and was willing to explain the joke, but Mark started shouting, "We are here to overthrow your country—we are here to overthrow your country!" The police never did get a straight answer from us, and decided just to scold us and send us on our way. Mark could always be counted on to be spontaneous and take things to the edge—with chutzpah and humor. I regret that we lost touch in the late 70s, and I would search for him on the internet every few years, believing one day we'd reconnect, I was very saddened that my most recent search found his obituary. My deepest condolences to Mark's family and friends. -Bart Nagel
