Mark Bunker Peterson collapsed at home in Port Hadlock, Washington and was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center Hospital in Seattle where he passed away of heart failure and unable to say goodbye to Marci, his wife for 45 years.
He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, the youngest child of Ervin Miller and Grace (Bunker) Peterson. After graduating from East High School in 1961, Mark served an LDS mission in South Africa from 1962 to 1964. Upon his return to Salt Lake City, he married Carol Jean Wahlquist and attended the University of Utah, graduating in 1968 with a bachelor of science degree, majoring in geography with an emphasis in astronomy and cartography. During this time, he was employed by the Hansen Planetarium as a staff lecturer giving public and school presentations and assisting with star parties arranged by the planetarium.
More than anything, Mark loved to share his knowledge of astronomy with others and intended to make a career of it. In 1968 an opportunity presented itself for him to do just that. So he, his wife Carol and their daughter moved to Denver, Colorado, where Mark was hired as assistant curator of Gates Planetarium in the Denver Museum of Natural History. A year later, he was given the title of Curator and Director of Gates Planetarium. Under his guidance, he and his staff wrote and produced 20 planetarium programs, two of which were shared with 50 planetariums: “Strangers in the Night,” underwritten by Columbia Pictures in association with the release of their film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” and “Whirlpools of Darkness,” underwritten by Buena Vista Distribution Company upon the release of their film “The Black Hole.” Eager to share his passion of the night sky beyond the planetarium audience, Mark taught astronomy at Metropolitan State University of Denver and at Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colorado. He designed and published a planisphere and mapped the night sky in a creation he titled “Chart of the Heavens,” which was originally published in 1969 and is still in print today.
Mark and Carol divorced and she moved back to Salt Lake City with their two children. In January of 1976, he met his future wife, Marci Kasperski. They were married on Aug. 14, 1976.
In 1982, Mark’s career went in a different direction when he conceived the idea of transforming the museum’s Phipps Auditorium into an IMAX theater. He raised $4.5 million for the construction and the Phipps IMAX Theater became a blueprint for other museums wanting to build their own. It was known as, “The theater where everything was done right.” Mark worked as an independent IMAX/large screen theater consultant before joining White Oak Associates in the same capacity until his retirement. In all he completed more than 100 projects around the world.
Astronomy was in Mark’s blood and retirement was just a word. In the summer of 2016, he was hired as an assistant park ranger at Cape Disappointment State Park in Ilwaco, Wash. One of his assignments was to conceive of four topics relating to nature and present them to day tourists as well as the evening visitors in the park’s campground. His night sky lecture and telescope viewing had more attendance than any other staff members’ presentations. There were two uncompleted projects that he was working on at home: a Hubble coloring book and a zodiac coffee table book.
Mark will be remembered by those who knew him well as a gifted poet, philosopher, loyal friend, animal lover who volunteered at Center Valley Animal Rescue, a no-kill shelter in Quilcene, Wash. He was an excellent sailor, had an expert class ham radio license, but most of all, Mark was a compassionate and kind man with a great sense of humanity.
He is survived by his wife Marcia A. Peterson, Port Hadlock, Wash.; two children: Christy (Bruce M) McDonald, West Jordan, Utah; Scott (Sherrie) Eggenberger, South Jordan, Utah; six grandchildren, Carter Prescott, Ryker, Tanner and Kemmer Eggenberger and Ryan and Alec McDonald; two siblings, Caryl Hepworth, Kaysville, Utah; Douglas (Bev) Peterson, Murray, Utah. He was preceded in death by his parents and one grandson, Andrew McDonald.
A collection of Mark’s poems will be published next year titled, “Paint the Wind with Clouds.” However, you can read some of his poetry now on www.poetrysoup/MarkPeterson.
A GoFundMe account has been established to help Mark’s wife, Marci, with the unexpected medical costs. To make a contribution go to https://gofund.me/380ae71b .
