MARK ALAN WAGONER, 31, died instantly on May 28, 2003 in Denali National Park, Alaska as a result of a tragic plane crash.
Mark was born in Alamance County on September 23, 1971. In the short span of his life, Mark's passion for adventure and indelible zest for life profoundly impacted those around him. He loved to share his excitement of the outdoors with others.
Mark attended Alamance County Schools from kindergarten through the tenth grade. After leaving Southern Alamance High school in 1987, he attended and graduated from the NC School of Math and Science in Durham in 1989. While in high school, Mark attended the NC Governor's School-East in mathematics and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Mark scored 1580 on the SAT and was accepted at NC State University where he was a National Merit Scholar, a Caldwell Scholar, a member of the NCSU Fellows Program, and a Rhodes Scholar nominee. Mark graduated Summa Cum Laude with B.S. Degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics from NC State in 1994. Following graduation, he was employed by Proctor & Gamble in Browns Summit, NC from 1994 to 2001. Mark returned to college in the fall of 2001 and recently graduated on May 10, 2003 with a Masters in Business Administration from Duke University.
Mark was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed mountaineering. Some of his major accomplishments include National Outdoor Leadership School training in Alaska, certified Wilderness First Responder, and Instructor with Colorado Outward Bound. Mark led technical climbs on Mt. Ranier in Washington, Mt. Hood in Oregon, and Chimborazo in Equador. He remained an active participant with the NCSU Fellows Program and helped led several annual mountaineering trips for students to Colorado, Wyoming, and California.
Christa Balchin (Myers)
Wow. I ran into Mark at NCSU after we all had graduated. He had a blast at NC School of Science and Math and had excelled at Baseball and everything else he did. He was his normal, friendly, encouraging self, and I enjoyed seeing him on campus and chatting. I have thought about him many times since college. I hate that the world lost such a giving and fun person.Much love to Mark's family.