Mark remembered as UT chancellor who changed face of Pan American
Dr. Hans Mark, a world-renowned aerospace engineer who was in Mission Control during the first moon landing and who 20 years later, as chancellor of the powerful University of Texas System, helped lawmakers bring Pan American University in Edinburg and Brownsville into that prestigious higher education network, died on Dec. 18 at the age of 92.
A memorial will be held for him at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepard in Austin on Saturday, January 15, 2022.
Memorial gifts can be made to the Hans Mark Scholarship Endowment.
Mark joined the UT System as chancellor in 1984, serving in the position until 1992.
He and his family — his Jewish father, who is known as the father of polymer science, his mother and his brother — escaped the Nazi regime and came to the U.S.
The former chancellor’s father – Herman Francis Mark, (born May 3, 1895, Vienna, Austria, died April 6, 1992, Austin, Texas, U.S.), Austrian American chemist who, although not the world's first polymer chemist, was known as the father of polymer science because of his many contributions to polymer science education and research.
Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, was a Valley state representative and served as sponsor of legislation in 1989 that resulted in the merger of then-Pan American University into the University of Texas System.
Legislation is a proposed or enacted law or group of laws.
“Chancellor Mark, because of his immense reputation and achievements, was very important in helping the Valley state legislative delegation and so many other key champions of the merger get the support from the UT System Board of Regents, the rest of the 181-member Texas Legislature, and Governor Bill Clements,” Hinojosa said. “Chancellor Mark was so proud then, and later in life, of the incredible growth of Pan American University — my alma mater — into the amazing, groundbreaking, nationally-recognized University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and its School of Medicine.”
An alma mater is the school, college, or university that one once attended.
Years later — in 2013 — Valley lawmakers, with the help of then-UT System Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa, MD — secured the support of the Texas Legislature and then-Gov. Rick Perry to create what is now known as The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
This transformative initiative in 2013 provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine, and made it possible for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent University Fund — a public endowment contributing support to the University of Texas System and other institutions.
Today, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has campuses and off-campus research and teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, Weslaco and South Padre Island.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, now a comprehensive academic institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class in the summer of 2016.
On Dec. 6, 1988, representatives of Pan American University’s Board of Regents agreed to merge with the University of Texas System, pending approval of the state legislature in 1989.
The UT System Board of Regents approved the merger recommendation on December 8, 1988.
In September 1989 the Texas legislature completed the merger.
In its release about Mark, the UT System provided the following background about his life:
Mark leaves a legacy of exploration and discovery, warmth and inspiration, and leadership and innovation. In addition to being a champion of research and technology, he was known for bringing a personal approach to the UT community.
“Hans Mark was a giant in our community,” said Sharon L. Wood, Executive Vice President and Provost of UT Austin. “A NASA leader and visionary, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a chancellor of The University of Texas System, and a beloved UT Austin professor — Hans had a tremendous impact on society and touched so many lives throughout his life. His legacy will live on for generations.”
During his time as chancellor, he helped establish UT as a research powerhouse, doubling the university system’s research budget and helping to bring microchip consortium SE-MATECH to Austin.
After his chancellorship, Mark divided the rest of the 1990s between teaching aerospace engineering courses at UT Austin and advising in Washington, D.C., on space research and engineering.
From 2001 until his retirement in 2014, he was an integral and consistent part of the Cockrell School of Engineering community and the undergraduate aerospace engineering experience, having made teaching the program’s introductory class his main priority.
“With the passing of the unique and remarkable Hans Mark, the world lost a great leader and visionary, who steered the university and, indeed, our country toward excellence in engineering and scientific research. But also, he was a generous and beloved friend of the UT faculty and students, and especially those of us in aerospace engineering,” said J. Tinsley Oden, professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics who was a colleague of Mark’s. “Those of us who were fortunate enough to know him will miss his humor, friendship and insight into university and world affairs and will always cherish his time with us and remember his contributions to our professional, academic and personal lives.”
With a fascination for the development and creation of the atomic bomb that brought World War II to a decisive end, Mark went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both in physics, followed by conducting nuclear weapons research at Lawrence Livermore Lab.