Mourning a Macy's Event Stalwart

Former Macy's event chief Jean McFaddin wrote to tell us about the death of her longtime friend and coworker, Mark Schonberg, who worked on the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and the retailer's other annual events for the past 28 years. Schonberg died in his home in New York last Wednesday, March 5, after a protracted battle with cancer.

During his tenure at Macy's, Schonberg rose from a special event assistant to senior director of operations for annual events. He oversaw all types of events and worked with numerous city officials, volunteers and event industry professionals. His booming voice also announced the step off of each unit at the start of the Macy's parade.

In a press release, Robin Hall, Macy's current group vice president of annual events, said, "Mark was cranky, curmudgeonly, wise, wonderful and wickedly funny. Very funny. His fingerprints are everywhere on everything we do. There is no wiping them away. They are indelible, and to my mind, that's a good thing. Mark will be profoundly missed."

Posted 03.12.03

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