Mark Whitaker
By Mariko Gomez

Mark Whitaker brings to mind a big guy. Not just physically big, but big in state presence, big in voice and big in laughter and big in heart. Although Mark was in the industry for some 16 years (starting in TG back in November, 1991), I became acquainted with him during his 4 years with Compass Bank.

Although I sometimes forget the “new” lenders, there was no forgetting Mark. As a graduate of Southwest Texas State University (SWT), he was quite vocal about his displeasure with its name change to Texas State and he was not shy about sharing his opinion with me. I soon came to the conclusion that I could not persuade him otherwise, and thus the unlikely start of our friendship.

Besides his disdain for the name change, what struck me about Mark was his rather wry, down-home humor which “hit home” and bypassed all the niceties. Simply put, he was a funny guy and folks enjoyed being around him—laughter was guaranteed when Mark was around.

Mark loved the challenge of “standing out” at the various vendor exhibits. His exhibits were memorable: the large “lounge” area with sofas and video games; the margarita machine and creating personal CD with songs selected by conference attendees.

He had other accomplishments and being nationally ranked in the top 4 as a collegiate golfer is one of them. When pressed, he admitted that no one in TASFAA was up to par when compared to him. Nonetheless, some of his favorite memories are his time on the golf course with his TASFAA buddies. When not on the golf course, Mark could be found grilling on his mobile BBQ pit.

Mark, you left this world way too early and we are blessed to have known and worked with you. We miss you, Big Guy.