Glenn Griffin

This memorial tribute to Mark is long overdue.  However, like I have said before, I only recently got on the THS’ 72 website (which is locked and limited to our classmates only). I’m in quarantine now so there is no reason to put this off any longer.  Mark was a special friend to me as you will understand as I go on.  If I recall correctly, I met Mark at Paramount Terrace Elementary then we went on to Crockett and Bonham Jr. Highs and finally Tascosa.  He was a big guy and played as a lineman on the football teams, wrestled some and was in the band as well.  

It was Craig Gladman who got us interested in surgery. Craig was already a scrub tech at St. Anthony's Hospital when he was in high school.  During the spring semester of our freshman year at AC, Mark and I got to know each other better when we both took a six week surgical technician course. [I have noticed on the “In Memory” space on our THS site that there were other classmates who became surgery scrub techs as well].  The course was taught by Nell Helfenbein, RN, who happened to be Dr. Jere B. Johnson’s nurse. (I know several of our classmates were patients of Dr. Johnson). Anyway, when the class was over, Mrs. Helfenbein had a graduation party at her house.  Probst and I had stopped at a liquor store on the way to the party, bought 5 bottles of champagne and drank one bottle on the way there.  When we arrived, we got out of Probst‘s Mustang, each holding two bottles, quickly went to the front door of the house and went inside without ringing the doorbell.  There was a guy sitting in a Lazy Boy recliner with a TV remote in his hand and his wife was vacuuming the carpet just beyond him.  As we shouted “Surprise!” we suddenly realized we had gone to the wrong house!  We left as quickly as we had arrived. Then on to the party next door. 

Probst and I had several classes in common at AC because we were both in pre-med.  I recall that in our trigonometry class we got the same score on our final exam so our professor asked to see us after class.  Thank goodness we had missed different questions on the final. Mark had taken a comparative anatomy course at AC and wanted to “share his knowledge.”  He worked at Northwest Texas Hospital and I worked at High Plains.  Mark befriended Dr. Sebel Hands, a surgeon at Northwest and talked him into helping us dissect a cat for “medical purposes.”  (Dr. Hands had operated on me a couple of times already). This was to take place at St. Anthony’s Hospital Pathology Dept.  We found a cat through the classified ads in the Amarillo Globe Newspaper and on the way to St. Anthony’s, stopped at an automotive store and bought automotive ether to sedate the cat!  ...Sure enough we got the cat asleep and just as we started our scientific dissection, that damn cat woke up!  The cat went berserk, shook off the bindings, jumped off the autopsy table in the morgue and started running around the room!  I don’t know who was more scared, us or that cat.  Somehow we caught the cat, euthanized it and continued our study. PTL we got out of St. Anthony’s without raising too much suspicion. 

Next, Mark was off to Texas Tech, followed by med school in Fort Worth, residency in Amarillo and finally his first medical practice in Stamford, Texas.  Mark had married his beautiful and supportive wife Robbye prior to medical school.  Their family was growing with two wonderful kids.  In Stamford, he joined a well respected group of family doctors and was able to take on medical students for training.  (Things change once in med school and afterwards, meaning they get more serious.)  So I was able to do a preceptorship with Mark when I was a third year medical student!  As family doctors in a rural community, Mark and his colleagues did it all and they were very good at it.  I stayed in the hospital during my rotation and learned a lot from the nurses, hospital staff and other doctors. But mostly I learned from Mark.  He told me if you have any problems just call me.  That was just before the nurses called me one night while I was in my hospital call room sleeping to inform me that an ambulance was coming in with a child.  I immediately called Probst.  He arrived seconds after the ambulance arrived but unfortunately, the child already had rigor mortis and was a victim of child abuse. Later in the month the nurses called me again sometime after midnight for a “Code Blue.”  This was before cell phones, but I had Probst on speed dial. Probst was there within minutes of my calling.  We worked on this elderly person for a long time before calling the code. During that month we delivered some babies, sewed up some minor lacerations and treated a few chronic illnesses as well.  I think we both had gained some new experiences during that month.  I know I did.  He moved to Lubbock and had a very successful practice there.  Then that terrible accident.  

I never got to thank Mark like I wanted to, but I think about him often.  I’m sure his folks have passed by now and I know that they suffered with his passing.  My thoughts and prayers have always gone out to Robbye and their kids.  Maybe someday I’ll see Mark again and that damn cat!  Goober 

Steve Synck

Thanks Glenn, Mark was a good guy!

Ron Rennke

Thank you for posting and sharing the tribute to Mark! We didn't cross paths after HS, but I do remember his smile, his humor and his laugh. I liked him then!

Suzy Spencer (Whisenhunt)

Thank you again...Goober for sharing your story!  Won't it be a wonderful reunion some day when we see all of our classmates again.

Craig Gladman

Glenn - Thank  you for this heartfelt tribute to our friend Mark. I shall long remember our talks about medicine when we're still in high school. Doug Vaughan, in particular, was relentless in asking me about what hospital work, especially surgery was like, even during track work outs!  And,  he went on to be the chairman of his department. 
Further, your mother was a saint in her care for others and I will fondly remember her being a patient of mine for decades. 
Beautiful memories that you have shared. Thank you. 
  --Craig 

James Scroggins

I remember when Mark ran for class president.  We were all in the auditorium and each candidate gave a stump speech.  Marks opening line was, " Mr. Ferguson, faculty" (then he leaned into the mic) and all you pretty girls out there".  Mark was one of the most fun and kind people I ever knew.  I will never forget his smile and humor.