Mark Klempner

He was a substitute teacher for our English class in his final weeks. We all liked him, he made an impact on us in his short time knowing us.

Mark, in your way through this world you left untouchable traces. The son, the brother, the friend, the father ... A human being with special qualities, among them, having been an exemplary, admirable, affectionate, responsible, dedicated father, a tireless fighter for the love of his children David and Michaela. As a professional, a great scholar, hard-working, with many desires to learn; as a friend, respectful, sincere, true listener, worthy of trust, defender of justice and of what was...

Professor James McConkey at Cornell, with whom I speak frequently as another former student, told me today of your terrible loss. They were great friends, as you know. I hope you can find some solace knowing that his work on the Dutch who saved some of our people from the Holocaust will live on forever as a testament to Mark's love for his fellow Jews and Judaism, his compassion, and his dedication to recording the history of both those who were saved and those who saved them.

Mark and I were close friends in high school. He was heavily into music and I was into drama. I admired his freedom and easygoing attitude, especially when he would hitchhike to hang out with the Hudson River Sloop crowd of Pete Seeger and Don McClean. We lost touch but reconnected in the past few years through Facebook. Mark stayed at my house in LA on his way to a workshop with Cheryl Strayed, and then when my father was in the hospital in Costa Rica, Mark hosted me at his place. We...

I lived around the corner from Mark on Trottingham from '68 - '73. He was an inspriring friend and my first guitar teacher. I'm so very sorry for our loss.