Mark Carroll

An Appreciation

Mark Carroll, the co-founder and prime mover of the Washington Book Publishers, died on July 1st at the age of 86. As one who knew and admired him for well over fifty years, I have been asked to write this appreciation.

Mark came to Washington in 1972 as chief of the professional publications  division of the National Park Service, having previously been director of Harvard University Press. Soon after arriving, he was struck by the number and variety of publishing offices in Washington. They were found in federal and international agencies, universities, museums, libraries, think tanks, and associations.  It occurred to him that there ought to be a way for the publishing staffs in those places to get to know each other. So he and another publisher, Bill Begell, decided to form the Washington Book Publishers. It was (and still is) a casual organization, ceremonial corkscrew and all, but it cleaved to the purpose of bringing publishing people together to talk shop while having a good time.

As the original master of ceremonies, Mark was a genial cross pollinator, for that was his nature.  Always a keen listener, he encouraged the exchange of information that marks the Association of American University Presses, with which he had been much involved in his previous career.  Many publishing people in Washington have benefited from the connections he sparked.  His spirit continues to inform the organization today.

Mark was a professional publisher and an amateur printer.  In the latter capacity he once printed a card that I have treasured for years. It bears a quote from Dan Lacy, whom we both knew when he was executive director of the American Book Publishers Council, the predecessor of the Association of American Publishers. Mark's choice of the quote epitomizes the twinkle in his publishing eye:

"The delight of publishing is that it remains an almost infinitely varied and complex, anarchic, constantly changing, unsystematic mess."

Carry on, Mark!

---

No doubt  many of you have heard by now, Mark Carroll recently passed away of cardiovascular disease at age 86. As anyone who has been in DC publishing circles long enough will tell you, Mark was a giant among us, and he will be greatly missed.

Mark graduated from Harvard University in 1950. After stints with the Boston Post and radio station WORL in Boston, he worked at Yale University Press but eventually returned to his alma mater. He directed Harvard University Press from 1968 to 1972, when he moved his family to Bethesda, MD, and became chief of professional publications for the National Park Service. In 1986, he became director of the George Mason University (GMU) Press.

Mark was one of the creators of Washington Book Publishers, and he served as our first leader (then called secretary rather than president). He also served on the boards of numerous other professional organizations, including the Association of American University Presses and the Association of American Publishers. In addition to his work with the Park Service and then GMU, he also acted as a consultant to many publishing programs in the area, including the Woodrow Wilson Center and Georgetown University Press. It is perhaps no accident that both of those institutions later produced WBP presidents (Joe Brinley and Richard Brown, respectively). Mark remained for many of us a source of knowledge and, indeed, inspiration as we work together to figure out this crazy but important and rewarding endeavor we call book publishing. In 2007, WBP created the Mark A. Carroll Award for outstanding service to the local publishing industry; Dawn Leland was the first recipient.

Mark leaves behind Jane, his wife of 57 years; three children and two grandchildren; an impressive body of work; and a legacy of service to education, publishing, and the written word. Our thoughts and best wishes go out to his family and his many friends, and we say: Thank you, Mark.