George Markham "Mark" Mallet - Class Of 1971
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George "Mark" Markham Mallet
May 6, 1953 - May 2, 2016
Mark, a resident of The Woodlands, passed away on May 2, 2016. He was born on May 6, 1953 to George and Betty Mallet.
He is survived by his wife, Linda Shenberg Mallet, and son, Austin Mallet.
Mark was born and raised in Houston, graduating from Westchester High School (1971). Completing his education at the University of Texas, he then became a pilot in the U.S. Navy. He continued his love of flying for another 30 years at Continental/United Airlines.
He is also survived by his father George Mallet, sisters Jane Mallet (WHS 1968) and Rebecca Mallet Morris (WHS 1976), and brother Michael Mallet, as well as many wonderful in-laws and friends.
I met my buddy Mark Mallet in the ninth grade and he was my best friend for many years. In a way, he was like a big brother, as I always envied him as a cool dude. So he was the leader and I was the wanna-be. High School was so long ago; I’ve forgotten so much. When I first met him in the ninth grade I have memories of him being a little pudgy and not too tall. When we returned to the 10th grade from our summer break, he was tall and thin. How did that happen? He said he tore a tendon in his foot. He must have grown, too. I know we were both in the Russian Club, the Key Club, the Senior Boys Club, to name a few. We both tried out for the Baseball team. I tried out as a left-handed pitcher, and a freshman by the name of David Clyde got the slot. Both Mark and I liked to go to the beach, and I bought a big long surfboard to surf the 2 foot waves. I was planning to join him at the University of Texas, but got a late appointment to the Air Force Academy, where I went for 4 long years during the Viet Nam war and highly anti-military era for our country. Before we left for our separate colleges, Mark and I took an amazing road trip in his Red Volkswagen Beetle. I still have many many pictures of the trip, from New Orleans, to Washington DC, to New York City. I even kept a mileage log, being the geek before there were geeks. Mark enjoyed the real college life, and I couldn’t wait to be around him during my breaks, visiting him in Austin or at home in Houston. He started dating my sister Mary, and they dated during most of his later college years and into his early Navy years. I really envied his life at a real college. A dark story for me was having my friends Mark, Bruce, John, and I think Barbara Kelley and my sister Mary stop by to see me at the Air Force Academy in January of 1975 on the way back to Texas after one of their ski trips. I was on “Confinement” for a very serious infraction. I had left my calculator, considered a “high value item”, in my top desk drawer after finals, instead of checking it in for safe-keeping like regulations required. An inspection of my room revealed my infraction, so I was confined to my room for the month of January. When Mark and my friends and family stopped by to see me, I was allowed to see them only on the Academy grounds and not party with them in Colorado Springs. That was a very depressing event for me. Then we graduated, and Mark ends up flying for the Navy. He doesn’t even do ROTC, but finds a slot as a Navy back-seater, and before you know it, they make him a pilot. And this was during the roll-back days after Viet Nam when there we excess military pilots and the AF was letting only mostly Academy grads attend pilot training. That’s Mark’s good luck. He fell right into it, and loved it. After graduation from college and before we started our professional military aviation career, we took another road trip, this time to Las Vegas and California and San Francisco. I remember us seeing ZZ Top in San Diego sitting (mostly standing) in the sixth row. It was so loud, even screaming at people next to you, they couldn’t hear you. After we started our flight schools, Mark and my sister broke up. I think mainly my sister didn’t want anything to do with a military life. That was hard on Mark, I know. We had our separate careers, and I visited him on occasion where he was based. He visited me when he had a chance. He left the Navy as soon as he could, eventually finding his airline career with Continental. I took a little longer, of course; but eventually went the same route with Northwest Airlines. My last big party in Houston, Texas was at the “Bruce Tough Annual Christmas Bulb Decorating Party” in 1984. I had separated from the Air Force that day and drove from Altus, OK to Houston. I drank so much I passed out and spent the night at Bruce’s. I left the next day for Austin, then on to Minneapolis to start my 32-year airline career, ending this month.
After Mark married Linda and I married Sheri, I didn’t see him as much as we were raising our families in different parts of the country. Although I talked to him a little bit, on and off after he retired from Continental, we didn’t call on birthdays anymore and really didn’t keep in touch. I knew his birthday was approaching when Bruce called to tell me about his medical condition. Now Mark is gone. And we have memories. I choose to focus on the good ones.
So sorry to hear of Mark's passing. We were in the same homeroom throughout our tenure at WHS. Heard about his adventures after graduation. It was hard keeping track of everyone after Exxon transferred my dad to Midland. Glad we now have this site.
I'm so sad to learn of Mark's passing. He was a good friend and great guy. I loved catching up with him at our last big Westchester reunion. He always had a smile on his face. My prayers are with his family.
I'm so sorry to hear this. My prayers go out to all of the Mark Mallet family and his friends. I remember your road trip, Paul, in Mark’s red VW Beetle. Although it sounded crazy to me at the time I’m glad y'all did that and I'm glad we can still picture Mark as that happy smart adventurous lucky guy, and tall and thin (I wasn't there the freshman year). May God be with him and his family and friends.
I too remember Mark from multiple years of homeroom classes. Yay, M's! I recall as well the summer/year that Mark went from being boyish to being mannish. It makes me smile to think how incredible the transformation was. My condolences to Mark's family.
What a shock to hear about Mark. Homeroom freshman year, the beginning of a high school and college friendship. Riding Mark's horses on the bayou, that red VW Bug, the Thunderbird Drive-in on Clay Road. I had my first accident backing into Mark's Dad's Ford Country Squire station wagon at a Key Club dinner. Sleeping on the ground in a UofH parking lot waiting for Rolling Stones tickets to go on sale - 2AM getting the tickets, 6th row seats!! Then driving to Surfside Beach to sleep and watch the sun come up. Paul Kent - you captured Mark so well and jogged such wonderful memories for us all. Mark was always a class act, the best friend anyone could have. A life cut far too short. A great gift to have crossed paths with him and a greater gift to have known him.
On Friday, May 13, 2016 I spoke at Mark’s memorial service held at Houston National Cemetery. His memorial was a traditional military service honoring a veteran of foreign wars with a full gun salute by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3709 in Conroe accompanied by a flag presentation by the Navy to his wife, Linda. The service was attended by many friends and family. His high school friends, Bill Reay and John James were there. Paul Kent sent his thoughts and prayers and they are welcomed and appreciated by all. Mark’s other friend and former roommate, Tony Padon, was also present.
I wanted to share a few of my comments with all of you that I talked about at the service.
Mark attended the University of Texas, graduating with a degree in marketing and enlisted in the United States Navy after graduation from the University of Texas. He had a distinguished career as a Navy pilot during the last days of the Vietnam War. Mark had a John Wayne personality and that’s probably why he enlisted in the Navy during the Vietnam War when many of us were thankful that we were not drafted. While at the University of Texas, Mark was in the Kappa Alpha fraternity with John James, his good friend from Westchester High School. Mark assumed a similar career path as his close friend, Paul Kent, who attended the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and followed a parallel career as an air force pilot. Paul Kent posted a life tribute about their adventures which he has shared with all of us. Paul and Mark took an amazing road trip in Mark’s red Volkswagen Beatle after high school to New Orleans, Washington, DC and New York City.
After his service in the United States Navy, he worked for Continental Airlines, then United Airlines, and retired after 30 years of service as a pilot who was certified and rated on eight different aircraft, his last jet was a 757/767. He was type rated on 727, 737, 747, 757, and 767 aircraft. Mark would also say he would fly as if all his passengers were like his grandmother. Ken, the funeral director here, used to work baggage at Continental and said most pilots would not talk to him but Mark would always say “Hi” and Ken said Mark was a nice guy. That was how Mark treated people. Mark’s flying skills were recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration with his inclusion in the prestigious FAA Airmen Certification Database.
Mark and Linda’s son, Austin, was born about five months before my daughter Madison, and together the six of us attended many Mardi Gras celebrations, the Houston Rodeo and the Texas State Fair.
I spent several weekends with Mark at the Kappa Alpha House at the University of Texas. We also made a cross-country road trip from Houston to Los Angeles via Las Vegas where Mark, James Fogo and I spent a week that could have been a Hollywood movie. Mark counted cards and subsidized our trip with his gambling winnings at Black Jack.
I will remember Mark for his amazing friendship and extreme loyalty. We were roommates after Mark retired from the Navy as a flight instructor stationed in Corpus Christi. I had just graduated from law school so we were starting our single, wild and crazy life together. After the Navy he secured a job as a pilot for Metro Airlines, a local commuter airline. During that glorious time we ran miles on Braes Bayou training for the marathon, traveling to Mexico, Las Vegas, Reno and raced down about every ski slope in the continental United States. I continued to have many notorious house parties at the Rockwood house including the famous bulb and tree decorating party where “Mrs. Tough’s” punch was generously served.
Mark and Linda Shenberg were married on February 27, 1987. I was with them at their wedding and afterwards we went to Mardi Gras in Galveston and met George Mitchell who was the founder of The Woodlands and Mardi Gras in Galveston. This was the first huge Mardi Gras celebration on the Strand in Galveston. Mark told George Mitchell thanks for throwing this wedding reception party and George said OK, “I will send you the bill.” The Preservation Jazz Hall band played and we all got albums signed by them.
Mark is known as a veteran Navy pilot of the Vietnam conflict who proudly served his country. He was also a Nascar enthusiast and a sportsman having caught a 658 pound, 12 foot long Marlin in Kona Hawaii with his wife, Linda. Mark is known as a loving son, father, brother, husband. He was also known as best friend during certain periods of his life to Bruce Tough, Paul Kent and John James. He will be missed.
Thank you so much for sharing your eulogy about Mark. I have fond memories of you, Mark and John together during our high school years. It's so sad that he's gone, but wonderful that he had so many great friends.
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Paul E. Kent (1971)
Mark Mallet, A Brother
I met my buddy Mark Mallet in the ninth grade and he was my best friend for many years. In a way, he was like a big brother, as I always envied him as a cool dude. So he was the leader and I was the wanna-be. High School was so long ago; I’ve forgotten so much. When I first met him in the ninth grade I have memories of him being a little pudgy and not too tall. When we returned to the 10th grade from our summer break, he was tall and thin. How did that happen? He said he tore a tendon in his foot. He must have grown, too. I know we were both in the Russian Club, the Key Club, the Senior Boys Club, to name a few. We both tried out for the Baseball team. I tried out as a left-handed pitcher, and a freshman by the name of David Clyde got the slot. Both Mark and I liked to go to the beach, and I bought a big long surfboard to surf the 2 foot waves. I was planning to join him at the University of Texas, but got a late appointment to the Air Force Academy, where I went for 4 long years during the Viet Nam war and highly anti-military era for our country. Before we left for our separate colleges, Mark and I took an amazing road trip in his Red Volkswagen Beetle. I still have many many pictures of the trip, from New Orleans, to Washington DC, to New York City. I even kept a mileage log, being the geek before there were geeks. Mark enjoyed the real college life, and I couldn’t wait to be around him during my breaks, visiting him in Austin or at home in Houston. He started dating my sister Mary, and they dated during most of his later college years and into his early Navy years. I really envied his life at a real college. A dark story for me was having my friends Mark, Bruce, John, and I think Barbara Kelley and my sister Mary stop by to see me at the Air Force Academy in January of 1975 on the way back to Texas after one of their ski trips. I was on “Confinement” for a very serious infraction. I had left my calculator, considered a “high value item”, in my top desk drawer after finals, instead of checking it in for safe-keeping like regulations required. An inspection of my room revealed my infraction, so I was confined to my room for the month of January. When Mark and my friends and family stopped by to see me, I was allowed to see them only on the Academy grounds and not party with them in Colorado Springs. That was a very depressing event for me. Then we graduated, and Mark ends up flying for the Navy. He doesn’t even do ROTC, but finds a slot as a Navy back-seater, and before you know it, they make him a pilot. And this was during the roll-back days after Viet Nam when there we excess military pilots and the AF was letting only mostly Academy grads attend pilot training. That’s Mark’s good luck. He fell right into it, and loved it. After graduation from college and before we started our professional military aviation career, we took another road trip, this time to Las Vegas and California and San Francisco. I remember us seeing ZZ Top in San Diego sitting (mostly standing) in the sixth row. It was so loud, even screaming at people next to you, they couldn’t hear you. After we started our flight schools, Mark and my sister broke up. I think mainly my sister didn’t want anything to do with a military life. That was hard on Mark, I know. We had our separate careers, and I visited him on occasion where he was based. He visited me when he had a chance. He left the Navy as soon as he could, eventually finding his airline career with Continental. I took a little longer, of course; but eventually went the same route with Northwest Airlines. My last big party in Houston, Texas was at the “Bruce Tough Annual Christmas Bulb Decorating Party” in 1984. I had separated from the Air Force that day and drove from Altus, OK to Houston. I drank so much I passed out and spent the night at Bruce’s. I left the next day for Austin, then on to Minneapolis to start my 32-year airline career, ending this month.
After Mark married Linda and I married Sheri, I didn’t see him as much as we were raising our families in different parts of the country. Although I talked to him a little bit, on and off after he retired from Continental, we didn’t call on birthdays anymore and really didn’t keep in touch. I knew his birthday was approaching when Bruce called to tell me about his medical condition. Now Mark is gone. And we have memories. I choose to focus on the good ones.
Rest Peacefully, my old friend.
Paul Kent
Robert Franklin Matthews Jr. (1971)
So sorry to hear of Mark's passing. We were in the same homeroom throughout our tenure at WHS. Heard about his adventures after graduation. It was hard keeping track of everyone after Exxon transferred my dad to Midland. Glad we now have this site.
Rest well Mark. Our prayers go out to the family.
Robin
Lyda Frances Guthrie (Akin) (1971)
I'm so sad to learn of Mark's passing. He was a good friend and great guy. I loved catching up with him at our last big Westchester reunion. He always had a smile on his face. My prayers are with his family.
Mary Diane Deluca (Rinn) (1971)
I'm so sorry to hear this. My prayers go out to all of the Mark Mallet family and his friends. I remember your road trip, Paul, in Mark’s red VW Beetle. Although it sounded crazy to me at the time I’m glad y'all did that and I'm glad we can still picture Mark as that happy smart adventurous lucky guy, and tall and thin (I wasn't there the freshman year). May God be with him and his family and friends.
Joan Leslie Matthews (Meldrum) (1971)
Words cannot express my sorrow-so many memories, so much love. Mark, you will always live in my heart.
Mary Helen Merzbacher (1971)
I too remember Mark from multiple years of homeroom classes. Yay, M's! I recall as well the summer/year that Mark went from being boyish to being mannish. It makes me smile to think how incredible the transformation was. My condolences to Mark's family.
Bill Marshall (1971)
What a shock to hear about Mark. Homeroom freshman year, the beginning of a high school and college friendship. Riding Mark's horses on the bayou, that red VW Bug, the Thunderbird Drive-in on Clay Road. I had my first accident backing into Mark's Dad's Ford Country Squire station wagon at a Key Club dinner. Sleeping on the ground in a UofH parking lot waiting for Rolling Stones tickets to go on sale - 2AM getting the tickets, 6th row seats!! Then driving to Surfside Beach to sleep and watch the sun come up. Paul Kent - you captured Mark so well and jogged such wonderful memories for us all. Mark was always a class act, the best friend anyone could have. A life cut far too short. A great gift to have crossed paths with him and a greater gift to have known him.
Bruce Coulson Tough (1971)
On Friday, May 13, 2016 I spoke at Mark’s memorial service held at Houston National Cemetery. His memorial was a traditional military service honoring a veteran of foreign wars with a full gun salute by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3709 in Conroe accompanied by a flag presentation by the Navy to his wife, Linda. The service was attended by many friends and family. His high school friends, Bill Reay and John James were there. Paul Kent sent his thoughts and prayers and they are welcomed and appreciated by all. Mark’s other friend and former roommate, Tony Padon, was also present.
I wanted to share a few of my comments with all of you that I talked about at the service.
Mark attended the University of Texas, graduating with a degree in marketing and enlisted in the United States Navy after graduation from the University of Texas. He had a distinguished career as a Navy pilot during the last days of the Vietnam War. Mark had a John Wayne personality and that’s probably why he enlisted in the Navy during the Vietnam War when many of us were thankful that we were not drafted. While at the University of Texas, Mark was in the Kappa Alpha fraternity with John James, his good friend from Westchester High School. Mark assumed a similar career path as his close friend, Paul Kent, who attended the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and followed a parallel career as an air force pilot. Paul Kent posted a life tribute about their adventures which he has shared with all of us. Paul and Mark took an amazing road trip in Mark’s red Volkswagen Beatle after high school to New Orleans, Washington, DC and New York City.
After his service in the United States Navy, he worked for Continental Airlines, then United Airlines, and retired after 30 years of service as a pilot who was certified and rated on eight different aircraft, his last jet was a 757/767. He was type rated on 727, 737, 747, 757, and 767 aircraft. Mark would also say he would fly as if all his passengers were like his grandmother. Ken, the funeral director here, used to work baggage at Continental and said most pilots would not talk to him but Mark would always say “Hi” and Ken said Mark was a nice guy. That was how Mark treated people. Mark’s flying skills were recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration with his inclusion in the prestigious FAA Airmen Certification Database.
Mark and Linda’s son, Austin, was born about five months before my daughter Madison, and together the six of us attended many Mardi Gras celebrations, the Houston Rodeo and the Texas State Fair.
I spent several weekends with Mark at the Kappa Alpha House at the University of Texas. We also made a cross-country road trip from Houston to Los Angeles via Las Vegas where Mark, James Fogo and I spent a week that could have been a Hollywood movie. Mark counted cards and subsidized our trip with his gambling winnings at Black Jack.
I will remember Mark for his amazing friendship and extreme loyalty. We were roommates after Mark retired from the Navy as a flight instructor stationed in Corpus Christi. I had just graduated from law school so we were starting our single, wild and crazy life together. After the Navy he secured a job as a pilot for Metro Airlines, a local commuter airline. During that glorious time we ran miles on Braes Bayou training for the marathon, traveling to Mexico, Las Vegas, Reno and raced down about every ski slope in the continental United States. I continued to have many notorious house parties at the Rockwood house including the famous bulb and tree decorating party where “Mrs. Tough’s” punch was generously served.
Mark and Linda Shenberg were married on February 27, 1987. I was with them at their wedding and afterwards we went to Mardi Gras in Galveston and met George Mitchell who was the founder of The Woodlands and Mardi Gras in Galveston. This was the first huge Mardi Gras celebration on the Strand in Galveston. Mark told George Mitchell thanks for throwing this wedding reception party and George said OK, “I will send you the bill.” The Preservation Jazz Hall band played and we all got albums signed by them.
Mark is known as a veteran Navy pilot of the Vietnam conflict who proudly served his country. He was also a Nascar enthusiast and a sportsman having caught a 658 pound, 12 foot long Marlin in Kona Hawaii with his wife, Linda. Mark is known as a loving son, father, brother, husband. He was also known as best friend during certain periods of his life to Bruce Tough, Paul Kent and John James. He will be missed.
Lyda Frances Guthrie (Akin) (1971)
Bruce,
Thank you so much for sharing your eulogy about Mark. I have fond memories of you, Mark and John together during our high school years. It's so sad that he's gone, but wonderful that he had so many great friends.
Lyda