I remember Mark Bettencourt as one of the most joyful, funny, and enthusiastic students I have ever known. He was a delight, and he still is. Mark appreciated high school “as a supportive and good experience, a real community.” I remember that he was one of the students who traveled to Russia with Ben Kindzia and myself in 1987. What a trip that was for our Island kids, to visit Russia under Mikhail Gorbachev, who was trying to restructure the Russian economy to make it more like Europe. We even heard sounds of American jazz as we traveled about the cities. It was a trip that Mark would never forget.
After graduation, Mark went to the Franklin Institute in Boston. He studied basic practical electricity so he could get licensed. He worked with Jimmy Rogers at first, and later with his brother Paul, whom he still works with today, 35 years later! Mark wanted to stay on the Island and give back to the community that nurtured him. He is truly an Islander, who loves hunting, farming, and serving his town.
He originally volunteered on Engine 4 in Oak Bluffs, working with Denny Alley and Billy Norton. Years later, Denny didn’t want to lose Mark, and tried to figure out a way to make an exemption to the town bylaws that say whatever town you live in is where you serve, so he could keep him on the O.B. Fire Department. However, Mark strongly believed in that bylaw, and when he and his wife, Becky (Cournoyer), moved to West Tisbury, he began volunteering for the West Tisbury Fire Department instead. Today, Mark and Becky still live in West Tisbury, with their three sons, on Becky’s family farm, Meadowbrook, where they (Mark says mainly Becky) raise chickens, goats, and geese, and maintain a garden. Mark credits his wife Becky as the true Islander, with her Portuguese, French, and Scottish roots.
Mark loves living on Martha’s Vineyard. Today, you can find him working full-time as an electrician and serving as captain of the West Tisbury Fire Department, because he truly believes in giving back. Thank you, Mark, for your strong values and consistency in service to our Island –– but also, Mark, thanks for being such a joy!
Marge Harris was a teacher at MVRHS for 27 years. You can contact her at margeharris@comcast.net. This column appears twice a month.