Mark is new to the world of antique radios and television but is enthusiastic about what he has learned in his role as a docent starting in March of this year and completion of the radio repair class in May. He is currently working, with assistance and direction from the Annex team, to repair a 1937 Philco console that had been owned by his grandparents. He is also involved in maintaining the museum’s database catalog of artifacts and the development of associated documentation. His involvement with the museum has prompted him to become a member of MAARC and to start his own antique radio collection.

He is a 1980 graduate of the University of Maryland with Bachelor of Science degrees in accounting and finance. However, he worked only a few years in the accounting field before moving into computer programming and management for the remainder of his 38-year working career. Other than one year, he worked in ‘The Blues’, the Blue Cross/Blue Shield (BCBS) system – BCBS DC, CareFirst and the BCBS Association (BCBSA). He is proud of his years of service providing health insurance coverage to millions through these not-for-profit organizations.

During his career at the BCBS DC/CareFirst he was a programmer, focusing primarily on financial systems, later moving up to managerial positions over financial, technical and claims systems programming teams. At BCBSA he worked in contract and project management, supporting the FEP (Federal Employee Program), which at its peak was providing coverage to over 100 million FEP employees and their families.

Since retiring in 2020, he has been actively involved in student veterans support programs at the University of Maryland, primarily through an endowed scholarship, in honor of his parents, and an endowed STEM tutoring program. He is also sponsoring paid admissions for UMD student veterans to our museum, and recently established a women’s basketball scholarship in honor of his father.