[1969] Remembering Mark

[david robertson]

The 1969 Corvair Group has been awfully silent the last few months, but if there is anyone still out there, it should be pointed out that tomorrow will be the second anniversary of Mark Ellis' passing.  Sadly, the Group and CORSA have suffered many other losses since then, but were it not for Mark, the Group would have never existed and CORSA may not have survived its formative years.  When Dave Newell called Mark "the Corvair's Best Friend", he was not exaggerating.  In the decade that he was part of our local club, he became my best friend, too.  
We had many adventures together.  Thanks to Mark, I met Corvair people I wouldn't have otherwise and went places I probably wouldn't have gone.     
Some highlights include:  
Our '99 (best ever) club fall trip to the mountains that included a thrilling drive on what Mark labelled 'the perfect day'.
Dining with Bob Veryzer and his wife after the '99 Vair Fair/'69 Reunion and hearing about his days at GM and their first memorable trip in an early Vette (BTW, without Mark, that show would've been just another pleasant, but run-of-the-mill get-together).
Our trip to Detroit for the 2000 Woodward Dream Cruise and DACC Homecoming which included meeting Dave Martens, Stu Schuster, and our own Dave Newell.  In what may have been the ultimate Corvair experience, Stu took us cruising on Woodward in his special '69 vert that had once belonged to Ned Nickles.  I saw the Monza GT and Willow Run (which looked kind of deserted) and toured a working factory, Lansing Car Assembly, all for the first time.  We visited the Motown Museum and the Renn Center, too.     
In 2001 we returned to Woodward, but this time in my '65 Corsa vert.  Mark was a big Motown fan and I'll always remember how happy he looked that day, cruising down Woodward, top down, blasting the Supremes.  I saw the Monza SS for the first time.  We had dinner with Bob Cadaret's daughter and her family.  We also spent some quality time with Harold and Kitty Dexter, visited many museums, and drove all over the place with the top down (remember when premium was only $1.65 a gallon?).  The Corsa visited its birthplace, Willow Run, but the gates were locked and pictures from the street were the best we could do.  I met Jack Thompson at the Ypsi Museum.  Mark was a strong proponent of having CPF be part of that museum and a fan of Jack.    
In 2003, we attended the Eyes on Design show at the Tech Center (holy ground) and were allowed in the Design Center (Simply Awesome!).  Also toured the vast Gilmour (impressive) and saw three Tuckers outside.  We even heard one run.  
The CORSA 2007 convention was our last big trip.  My Corsa finally made it to the Tech Center for the Car Display.  Mark and I had to be chased out of the Heritage Collection when closing time rolled around.  We revisited Willow Run, along with Mike Fiscus and Mark's old Philly buddy, Ron Petrelli, but an unfriendly security guard and his supervisor wouldn't let us take pictures.  Later, Mark and I had the last laugh.  On the way home Saturday, we drove by and no one was in the guard shack.  We sped in, took a few quick shots of the Corsa in front of the famous 'Fishbowl', and made our escape.  Mike rode with us on the Rally and later we talked him into exploring downtown Detroit, not the safest place in the world.  I wouldn't think of going by myself, but along with Mark it became just another adventure.  We were surprised to find we could go in the old GM building and the old Fisher building, both are overlooked art deco masterpieces.  
The thing I miss most about Mark was his unique sense of humor.  It ranged from adolescent and goofy, to very dry and understated, with a little Philly wise guy thrown in occasionally.  At the outset of one club trip, he posed in front of a red and white Greenbrier, holding a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts (he loved junk food and fast food) and wearing a K.K. paper hat.  I also have shots of him clowning on Harold Dexter's Corvair bicycle (for many years, he was a serious bicyclist).  His hatred of meatloaf  (he was a notoriously picky eater) was a running joke with Newell for years.  Once I found out about it, the whole club got in on it.  Anytime we gathered at a restaurant, the 'm' word was sure to be a hot topic.  He could break me up with the simplest comment or facial expression.  You should have seen the look on his face when he first encountered 'Earl the clogger' at an old time country music show in North Carolina.  It was priceless...  
I never imagined anything bad happening to him.  In the summer of '08, he was talking about his efforts to tame the rust and preserve his '69 convertible project car, #0085, and his beloved '69 Fitch coupe.  He said he couldn't make it last forever, but "it'll last 20 years or as long as I'm around."  I suddenly realized the reality that he was over 60 and in 20 years he would be over 80.    No one lives forever, but I thought he would be here for at least that 20 years.  That he would be gone a few short months later seemed an impossibility.  He had worked so hard, for so many years, surely he deserved to enjoy a well-earned retirement?  Didn't he deserve time to do all those Corvair-related projects that the demands of work had forced him to sideline for so long?    
His sudden and mysterious illness (even an autopsy ultimately provided no good answers) and eventual passing was devastating.  I still wonder if I could have done something to change what happened.  The past two years have been truly awful...  
Last year, I reassembled #0085 enough to move it and brought it home.  Someday, I hope to restore it as Mark had planned.  Its OE engine was toast (I have it and will rebuild it someday), so I installed a nasty engine from a '69 junker he and I stripped a few years back.  Being a Vair engine, with a little TLC it started up and ran.  Tomorrow, after work, I will start it and rev it up a few times for Mark.  Then I'll get the Corsa out, put in a Motown CD, and cruise to MacDonalds for a cheeseburger and chocolate shake (Mark's favorites) and remember the Corvair's best friend and mine.  
Maybe you can take a moment and remember him in your own way.        
Thanks, 
David Robertson