Alan W. Markert

I am so sorry to hear of Al’s passing. Al and I grew up together as neighbors with one house separating us. We played baseball, tennis, and basketball together, often on a daily basis. We snuck into Nemzek Hall at MSU to play basketball on their indoor courts when we looked like anything other than college students. We played baseball with a rubber ball and bat with his garage door acting as the catcher on hot summer days…and on evenings we would go to Island Park and play tennis into the wee hours of the morning. He loaned me his brand new car so I could impress a girl on a date. We camped out in his back yard. We watched together on TV as Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) became one of the most dominant college basketball players in history. Unfortunately, we lost touch after high school and went our separate ways in life. But, I have very fond memories of Al as a neighbor, friend, and fierce competitor in sports and a person gracious and trusting enough to loan me his brand new car! Rest in piece Al!