Mark Keane was elected president of ICMA at the association’s 50th annual conference in Chicago in 1964. It was my first conference and our first connection. Just three years later, Mark was appointed ICMA’s fourth executive director in its then 53-year history.

Few remember that the board had decided to relocate the association’s headquarters from Chicago to Washington, D.C., to enable our profession to participate fully in the reactivated federal system of that period. Mark had to decide which staff to relocate, select office space and facilities, manage the move, and rebuild the staff. He did it all with clear decisions, forceful action, and compassion for all.

His 16 years as our director were incredibly active ones. He had the vision, tenacity, and strength to start the ICMA Retirement Corporation (ICMA-RC)—the most significant step at that time in stabilizing our profession and assuring a more comfortable, portable retirement benefit. Mark helped form the coalition for state and local government (the Big 7), and made certain that professional community managers were equal partners in their public policy work. As space-age technology was developed, Mark took the lead in forming Public Technology, Inc. (PTI)—another joint effort—to promote the uses of that space technology in addressing community problems.

In 1973, as Mark was completing his first iteration of developing a staff, he offered me a job as sort of a combination of director of member services and professional development. I was honored, but said, “no, thanks,” thinking that some time in the future I would love to work for ICMA. Happily, 16 years later when Mark decided to retire, I was selected to succeed him as executive director.

Manager. Leader. Visionary. Innovator. Counselor. Husband. Father. Colleague. None of these titles individually—or even collectively—can reflect the totality of Mark Keane as a man and a professional community manager. I am especially honored to say that Mark was my friend and mentor. He will live forever among the giants of ICMA.