Proudly Presenting Mark T. Forster
Community Outreach Services Director – San Francisco Bay (now retired)
1981 WPU Graduate
Nominated by: Rick Shrout
Before beginning his current position as P.E. Teacher and basketball coach at Valley High School, Mark was a 5th grade teacher and the acting principal at Wide Ruins Boarding School in Arizona. Prior to that, he served as a church coordinator for Klagetoh Shelter Mission (Church of God) and as the Deacon for Valley Baptist Church. He has organized sports activities for the northern region of Arizona, and led basketball clinics in Australia and Costa Rica. He has been nominated three times as Arizona’s Outstanding Athletic Director and received coaching recognition and honors from the New Mexico/Arizona Hall of Fame and the All-star Basketball Program as the All Star coach for East/West Arizona, as well as Arizona/New Mexico. He has also coached PeeWee basketball teams.
Mark and his wife Marlene, who met while attending Warner Pacific, moved back to her Navajo Community after graduation. Mark has had numerous opportunities to “advance” his coaching career by way of job opportunities at larger high schools and even at the college level, but he chose to stay serving his community. He has made a life-long commitment to the Navajo community because he believes that is the way one person can change society.
Mark performed at Carnegie Hall with Dr. Thomas Miller in March 2009.