Long-time Nebraska organizer, director and player Gary Marks has passed away. During his many years of service to chess he served quite a few years as president of the Lincoln Chess Club, the Lincoln Chess Foundation and the Nebraska State Chess Association. He was also a USCF Delegate several times.
Kent Nelson sent the following notice:
Thanks for your contributions to chess and may he rest in peace.
I am very sorry to hear that Gary Marks has died. As I wrote in http://www.thefreelibrary.com/What+chess+has+given+us-a0101943719 quoting my diary entry about my first visit ever to a chess club, where I met 9-year-old Angel and her 10-year-old brother Rodney: “There are two people around my age I think… When Angel was playing Gary, (the coach like person,) I told her the right move and Angel won because of that. (The Coach) Gary complimented me and asked questions. I am going to play in a chess tournament.” . . . Gary Marks rewarded my good chess moves, with praise and sometimes money. (A later diary entry noted that he gave me 50 cents when I won a trophy.) Gary drove Lincoln Chess Club members to chess events all over Nebraska. Each week there was another chess club meeting or tournament to anticipate. I began saving space in my diary to include hand-drawn wall charts and chess diagrams.
Gary Marks’ encouragement was fundamental to my staying in chess, from that first visit to Lincoln Chess Club in February of 1975 (at age 9) until I moved from NE to WA state in the summer of 1976. My condolences to his family and to chess players in Lincoln and in NE on this loss.
Sincerely,
Alexey (Rudolph) Root