Thank you, Everyone, for your kind support and caring friendship since Mark passed in December 2022 of heart failure at Maui Memorial Hospital. Your messages have meant a lot to me. I would like to update you all on a number of developments since Mark’s passing:

At this year’s 2023 Rotary Hawaii conference, a new annual award was created to remember Mark. It is the Mark Harbison Award for Best International Service Project. One of the last projects that Mark was involved in was to return clean water to a village in Nepal. The villagers were leaving because there was no water to sustain the village. The Rotary Clubs in Hawaii, India, Korea, and the Rotary Foundation led the project to provide a safe, permanent source of water. The villagers have returned, and the village has been reborn.

On November 18th, 2023, we celebrated the placing of Mark’s Rotary Peace Pole at the Wailuku Hongwanji temple here on Maui. For those unfamiliar with the Peace Pole, it is erected as “an internationally-recognized symbol of the hopes and dreams of the entire human family, standing vigil in silent prayer for peace on earth. ” I consider the Peace Pole to be Mark’s final Rotary project and one that he had been looking forward to celebrating.

At Mark’s memorial service in December 2022, Reverend Shinkai asked all of us, “What can you do to continue Mark’s service above self?” My soulmate of 40 years was an advocate, a gentleman, and a scholar. Thank you for remembering and honoring him.

– Lisa