In 1991, I was recruited to Marble Associates, Inc., by an old friend, Charles Perkins, who knows more about computers than anyone I know well. By the time I got to Marble, he had moved on to independent work.
When I joined, Marble consisted of Marc Elvy, Rick Chavez, Ray Bloom, Kirk Elvy, Mark Henry, Denise Biscoe, Bob Masterson, Paul Murphy, Andy Lee, David Sharp, Shawn Kemper and Chris Riley. By early 1996, none of those persons remained at Marble. Marc, Kirk and Ray, and a real estate agent, lost their lives following a tragic plane crash in Dulce, NM, on March 16, 1994.1 Ray was a very good pilot, and I'm sad to the core about his death. He was an only child, and his parents are the sweetest persons you ever met. Marc was the best pilot I'd ever known. Even if he wasn't flying, a plane he was in couldn't crash. Kirk was a poet who loved his cowboy boots and didn't really like flying. I miss them all to this day.
We had some tough times, but we had plenty of good times too, learning to ski with John Goode, and learning to ride horses at the Hidden Creek Ranch. In our work we took on very challenging projects. Marc and Ray urged us to push the envelope, both to work hard and to play hard, living life to the fullest.
At the time of the crash, nearly forty persons were working for Marble. Following the crash, many people left and some new people came in. Marble had some real tough times, but it survived as a consulting company, at least through January, 1998.
1 A summary of what happened to them and their Cessna 172RG, N4663V, is available from the National Transporation Safety Board. There is a query form you can use. Entering Dulce, NM, and 3/16/1994 will narrow the search down to one. The NTSB accident number is FTW94FA101. This direct link might work.
Pictures: Marc and Kirk Elvy, Shawn Kemper and Ray Bloom, 1991 Marble Christmas Party.