A Bike Ride for Mark

Friends and classmates of Mark Angeles ’15 are organizing a memorial bike ride to honor his memory on Sunday, June 14, at 9 a.m. at the Reed Bike Co-Op.

Mark was killed in a collision with a tow truck less than a mile from Reed on May 27--just nine days after he graduated. He was 22 years old.

Mark cut a distinctive figure at Reed. He majored in chemistry and wrote his thesis on the role of organometallic catalysts in neutralizing toxic pollution. He ran the Reed Bike Co-Op and was partly responsible for the installation of the bike maintenance stations on campus. He was deeply committed to serving the community, worked closely with SEEDS, and volunteered as a mentor for underprivileged youth at Lane Middle School. He fixed bikes for free and taught bike safety to kids in northeast Portland. He served as a Paideia czar and sang with Reed’s a cappellagroup, the Herodotones. He was even a house adviser.

“Giving to the community and to those around me has always been part of who I am,” he wrote in a thank-you letter to the donor who provided the scholarship that made it possible for him to attend Reed. “I am extraordinarily thankful for this opportunity, and hope I can pay it forward in the future—both to the Reed community and the world at large.”

Mark was one of 12 Reed seniors who were selected to be part of Reed magazine’s annual feature, What is a Reedie, Anyway? In an interview for that piece, he said:

Atoms never die but are endlessly recycled and recombined into different elements that make up the fabric of the universe. Every being, every thing was birthed in an instantaneous explosion at the beginning of time and forged over billions of years, a never-ending cycle of energy remaking itself endlessly through space and time. But the real question, in the words of Marcus Chown, is: “Now, why should the universe be constructed in such a way that atoms acquire the ability to be curious about themselves? That, surely, is one of the great unexplained puzzles of science.”

After Mark's death, his family sent us the following statement:

Mark was the best kind of person. He was passionate and driven, but at the same time incredibly loving. He made it his mission every single day to simply love people, in whatever way that looked like. He had eyes that could always see the good in other people, even when all they could see was bad. He was a true and unique light to this world, and he will be sorely missed. Thank you, Mark, for touching lives simply by being yourself.

Fittingly, the celebration of Mark’s life will begin at the Reed Bike Co-Op. Members of the Herodotones will perform a few songs. Some of Mark’s friends will speak. This will be followed by a bike ride around campus. The community is then invited to bike to the Portland Pride Parade.

Mark’s friends intend to create a memorial that will consist of a bike rack and plaque. We will share details of a memorial fund for Mark as they become available.

Questions about the event may be directed to Rennie Meyers ’15.

Tags: Obituaries