Marks

Every spring, Larry Marks, 88, polishes silver for the Oakland Museum’s white elephant sale. A resident of Piedmont Gardens in Oakland, Marks also serves on the information desk at San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum, and he has volunteered at that city’s airport museum and cartoon museum as well.

Finding volunteer efforts he enjoys is nothing new for Marks, who served for 27 years on the ski patrol at resorts in the Sierras. At first, he’d “watch over people who looked like they were going to end up in a tree.” Later, he became a supervisor and, ultimately, regional chairman.

Marks likes the fact that his current service keeps him busy. “I enjoy meeting people and I enjoy talking,” he says. And he has made new friends by volunteering. Once a visitor to the Asian Art Museum commented on his bolo tie and ended up sending him some. In return, he sent her 100 cartoons from his personal collection.

“You never know who you’re going to meet,” Marks says. “It’s important to talk to people. Some little old lady comes up and wants to know what to eat in the cafeteria, and then she comes back and tells you the chicken salad was wonderful. It makes you feel good.”

This article originally appeared in the January 2009 issue of ABHOW Words.