Mark Weber retirement celebration and 'roast'

Weber to be ‘grilled’ at unofficial ‘roast’

Mark Weber, Ph.D., recently retired as president of the Grosse Pointe War Memorial for the past 32 years, will get his comeuppance Sunday, April 7, when he will be “roasted and toasted” by friends and colleagues at the Grosse Pointe Farm Pier Park Community Center.

Proceeds of the event will benefit Grosse Pointe Rotary, which holds its weekly noon luncheon meetings at the War Memorial and of which Weber has been a member Rotarian for 20 years.

Mark Weber is a native Grosse Pointer. He earned his Ph.D. in higher and continuing education from Indiana University in 1980. While his initial ambition was to head a small college or university, he returned to Grosse Pointe in 1982 to head the War Memorial and begin his family with wife, Judy, also an Indiana grad.

Interestingly, the couple initially lived in former maids’ quarters in the historic Alger House, home of the War Memorial, when they first returned to Grosse Pointe. Son Rob was the first child to occupy the home since the Russell A. Alger Jr. family lived there after the house was built in 1910. Weber is very proud of his two grown children — Rob, who recently passed the law bar, and M.G., a microbiologist at Cornell University — and often recalls stories of them growing up in the shadows of the War Memorial.

During his tenure, Weber championed the growth and development of this center into the thriving community organization that it is today. Every year, the War Memorial hosts about 4,000 events, and Weber took a personal interest in each one. He was often found walking about the facility, talking to staff and patrons, making sure that everything runs smoothly.

Weber has served on numerous community boards and remains active in the community. An avid boater, he served as commodore of the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club in 1998.

Friends and supporters will not want to miss this opportunity to congratulate Weber and wish him well in “retirement.”

Tickets are $40 and reservations are limited. RSVP by April 1 by calling Marilyn Bartley at (313) 884-2081 or by email at thebartleys@comcast.net. MasterCard and Visa are accepted. Checks should be made out to Grosse Pointe Rotary and mailed or delivered to 881 N. Oxford Rd., Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 48236.

The event will be held from 4-6 p.m. in the Community Center at Pier Park at the foot of Moross Road. Hors d’oeuvres generously provided by local restaurants and an open bar will be available.