Mark Daniel Handley, 74, passed away Sept. 11 after a five-year battle with cancer. He lived in Falmouth, Mass., with his wife of 42 years, Judith Martin Handley.
Mark was born in Mattoon, Ill. He graduated from Eastern Illinois University, obtained a masters’ degree at Kent State University and did postgraduate work at Yale University.
Handley
He spent the early years of his career in American Samoa producing educational television. He was an executive producer for the Agency for Instructional Television, and the Assistant Educational Television Director at PBS.
He then found his true passion in public radio. Mark founded WSCL in Salisbury, Md., then spent fifteen years as president and CEO of New Hampshire Public Radio, building the organization from a single station to a statewide network. He served as chairman of the board of National Public Radio from 2002–2004.
After retiring in 2005, he and Judy followed Mark’s other passion, sailing. They completed a circumnavigation in their beloved sailboat, Windbird. They landed on Cape Cod in 2011, and Mark found a new niche working at West Marine.
Mark was a member of the Concord Yacht Club in Concord, N.H., and North Strand Sail and Power Squadron in Myrtle Beach, S.C. He was also a member of the Concord Rotary Club and a graduate of Leadership New Hampshire.
Together, Mark and Judy lived in nine states and built three of their own homes.
Mark is survived by Judy; daughter Heather Martin Handley Goldstone of East Falmouth, Mass., science editor at WCAI in Woods Hole; and son Justin Bryant Handley of Rincon, Puerto Rico. Mark was very proud of his five grandchildren. He is also survived by siblings Mary Ellen French and Jeanie Batts of Bonita Springs, Fla., and Steve Handley of Alva, Fla.
There will be a private memorial service in Falmouth and a gathering of friends and colleagues Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. at the Capital Center for the Arts in Concord. In honor of his deep dedication to public radio, donations can be made to New Hampshire Public Radio in Mark’s name: New Hampshire Public Radio, 2 Pillsbury Street, 6th Floor, Concord, NH 03301.