WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — This Sunday is the Making a Mark on Wausau event a celebration of the life and legacy of Caroline S. Mark.
Ms. Mark was an active donor in the Wausau area giving to local kids and arts charities before she passed away in 2002. The Marathon County Historical Society is putting on the event in honor of what would have been her 100th birthday on September 27th. Sandy Block the program director at the Historical Society talks about one of the aims of the event. “We talk about philanthropy in general and what giving gifts to community organizations can do to lift up the whole community.”
Pieces of Caroline’s legacy are still noticeable in the Wausau area today. Block describes some of the organizations still helped by Caroline’s donations. “The Grand Theater Performing Arts Foundation has the Caroline S. Mark gallery. She does have some kind of a fund through the community foundation of North Central Wisconsin. Another obvious one is the Boys and Girls Club building is named for her.”
One of the highlights of the event will be a re-enactor playing Caroline and telling the story of her life near her mausoleum in Pine Grove Cemetery. Block mentions how interesting such a performance can be. “It’s always fun to see someone being portrayed who used to live in this community and we can find out how they lived, what they stood for, or some of the details of their life.”
The event on Sunday begins at 2 pm with the reenactment at Pine Grove Cemetery, followed by a concert at the Wausau Conservatory of Music given by several faculty members. The event ends with a birthday cake reception following the concert.
