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Mark W. Biscoe H’95 Memorial Celebration
Mark W. Biscoe celebrated at memorial event — BY LAURIE O’NEILL
ON AN EARLY AUTUMN EVENING this past fall, their words floating over the sun-dappled field in front of the Farm House and continuing until the shadows lengthened and dusk settled over the campus, several members of the extended Fenn community offered heartfelt tributes to the late Mark W. Biscoe H’95.
It was a fitting spot in which to celebrate Mark—teacher, coach, advisor, and mentor to countless alumni for thirty-seven years, and friend to former and current faculty and staff. Mark remained closely connected to Fenn after his retirement in 1995 until his passing in December 2020.
Mark and Jane once lived in the Farm House and their children played on that field. He began serving as a dorm parent in 1958 and two years later he was joined by his new bride, Jane. For the next sixteen years they tended their brood of young boarders, many of whom cherish the memories of the kindness and care the couple showed them.
Among the speakers at the October 1 event were Mark and Jane’s children Kate Biscoe Turlo, Mark Biscoe Jr. ’74, and Andy Biscoe ’79. Also presenting were Bob Albright ’81 and his mom, Jo; Matt Boger ’89; David Cohen ’89; James Owens ’72; Geoffrey Smith ’62; and Bob and Kathy Starensier.
Jane, who sported a blue and gold Fenn cap while greeting guests before the program began, watched and listened from the first row with other family members, all of them deeply touched by the tributes.
Head of School Derek Boonisar welcomed guests, some of whom were at Fenn for Alumni Reunion and Homecoming. “Mark inspired literally thousands of students and colleagues to be their best selves,” Derek said. He noted that the 1995 yearbook was dedicated to Mark, and in the dedication were comments such as “He is the heart of Fenn and what it stands for” and “When he leaves he will take part of Fenn with him.”
Kate Biscoe Turlo remembered her father’s “great sense of work and
family balance.” She praised him for “the adversity he overcame,” referring to Mark’s life-long stammer. “It took so much courage for him to stand in front of a classroom and speak to the boys.”
Her brother Andy said he and his siblings wished to honor their dad’s “integrity, kindness, tremendous patience, and superlative listening skills.” He noted Mark’s “powerful and resonant voice,” and referred to his father’s love of athleticism and competition, especially on the basketball court, saying that “He loved coaching and was entirely transfixed by every game.”
Mark Jr. noted the role of the field in his life. His dad would run laps around it for exercise and play Frisbee with him. Noting that Mark loved baseball, too, he led the gathering in singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
Jo Albright, whose husband, Read, taught and coached for many years at Fenn, said her family’s friendship with the Biscoes was a close and devoted one, though when Read and Mark were coaching opposing teams, “life for all of us could get a bit tense.”
Jo and Jane would park their station wagons side by side at the football field, setting up porta cribs for toddlers Channing Albright and Andy Biscoe when Mark and Read Albright would lead rival squads, Read the gold and Mark the blue. “Whether we remained on campus to visit depended on the outcome of the game; losing was not an option for either coach,” Jo added, eliciting laughter from the audience.
Jo’s son, Bob, said the Biscoes were “my second family” and that he called Mark “Uncle.” A “kinder or more supportive uncle you could not find,” he said. “We should all have a friend like that. And every boy should have an Uncle Mark.”
When Geoffrey Smith was dropped off at Fenn as a new student in the fall of 1960, he went up to the third floor of the Farm House to go to bed that evening. Soon, there could be heard “the wailing of eight homesick boys.” After a minute or two, Geoffrey recalled, “Suddenly we heard a voice: ‘All right boys. Settle down. Time to go to sleep. Big day tomorrow’.”
“It was like oil poured onto choppy waters,” Geoffrey said. “That was my introduction to Mark Biscoe and my first impression. You heard the love and authority in that voice. You knew he cared about you.”
Many of the speakers recalled Mark’s talent as a coach, his support for every one of his players, and the way he was completely present at every game. “I was not an athlete,” said Geoffrey. He recalled the time that Mark “sent me into a game, saying ‘You can do it!’ and I real-
under his or her wing.” – Bob Starensier, Athletic Director
ly tried because you wanted to give your all for Coach Biscoe. But I was terrible.”
The next morning during school meeting, Mark recapped the game, including in his review the words, “And Geoffrey Smith tried very hard.” For “a thirteen-year-old kid—to be told you had tried, well, it just meant the world to me,” said Geoffrey.
James Owens was “a wide-eyed eleven year old from Boston’s inner city” when he arrived at Fenn, “and one of the first people to welcome me was Mark. He and Jane made me feel at home and a part of their family.” Mark “taught us accountability and responsibility,” James said, employing discipline that was always dispensed with love. “He was a mentor, coach, father figure, and true friend.”
David Cohen said Mark was extremely important to him and his family. David’s brother, Matt ’91, played for Mark, and David’s father, Barry, served as Mark’s volunteer assistant coach for a time. Mark “mentored me for more than thirty-five years,” David said, adding that he remained a source of support and guidance long after David left Fenn. During David’s ongoing position as head varsity basketball coach at ConcordCarlisle High School, “Mark would send me hundreds of emails after my games that were a treasure trove of wisdom, support, and love.”
Mark loved to win, but “competing intensely mattered only if it was done the right way, by never sacrificing or compromising your values,” David said. “He taught us to respect each other, ourselves, our officials, and our opponents.”
Bob Starensier, who succeeded Mark as athletic director thirty-eight years ago, said he often asks himself, “What would Mark do?” Bob said that although he feels a profound sadness, “my heart is less heavy because Mark’s spirit walks this campus. I sense it every day: when a faculty member asks the boys to be their best selves, or when a veteran teacher takes a new teacher under his or her wing.”
Kathy Starensier was one of those new teachers back in 1983, when she found Mark to be “generous and gracious with the boys and with his colleagues.” He was “unfailingly honest, always respectful, compassionate, and kind, and quietly brave. And he was a deeply devoted and loving husband.”
Matt Boger recalled a moment in sixth grade Latin class when a boy declared, “Fenn is not real life.” Mark paused, said Matt, and then replied, “You are right. But Fenn is the best of what could be and what you can create.”
Matt, former president of the Alumni Council, said he represented “thousands of alumni who have stories about how Mark Biscoe transformed them into the men they are today.” Mark was made an honorary member of the Class of 1995; he was the only non-alumnus to serve on the Council, which he did devotedly until 2020.
On behalf of her family, Jane Biscoe offered loving thanks to all involved in the celebration, saying, “We send our immense gratitude to everyone who made the memorial celebration so unforgettable.”
“We send our immense gratitude to everyone who made the memorial celebration so unforgettable.” – Jane Biscoe, wife to Mark
Alumni Honoring Mark Biscoe
Last spring, a small group of alumni began to meet with Advancement Director Jill Miller to talk about ways that they could honor Mark. Members of that group included Alumni Council President Brian Davidson ’89, Alumni Council members Matt Boger ’89 and James Owens ’72, Paul Van Houten ’81, and Athletic Director Bob Starensier. Out of those meetings grew several tributes to Mark, including the October 1, 2021 memorial celebration and the Mark W. Biscoe H’95 & Jane E. Biscoe Scholarship Fund, which will impact students now and well into the future. Several generous Fenn alumni offered challenges to help reach the original goal of $100,000 for the scholarship fund, then exceed it and strive for a new goal of $125,000. The final challenge ended with the inaugural Mark W. Biscoe H’95 Basketball Tournament on Saturday, February 5, where it was revealed that the fund had exceeded $140,000 in contributions. At a ceremony during the tournament, two new varsity benches bearing the Biscoe name were unveiled, along with an imprinting of “Coach Biscoe” on the gym floor beside them. A stunning hand-carved plaque created by woodworker and former Fenn Wood Shop teacher and staff member Jon Schmalenberger also now hangs near the gym entrance in memory of Mark. It aptly reads: “Teacher, Coach, Advisor, Friend, and Inspiration to Countless Members of the Fenn Community.”
