Yesterday, our GRCC family lost Mark Nordblom, who fought bravely against cancer and other health issues for the past year. He is remembered as someone who was passionate about helping students and staff members.
Mark has been with GRCC since December 1999, serving as an enterprise analyst in the Information Technology Department. His work touched just about every student and employee during those two decades. He was systems administrator for the Blackboard course management system, an essential tool for educators and students alike.
“Mark was someone who always wanted to go above and beyond to help people,” said Nathan Hamilton, director of Academic Applications. “He was humble, caring, and genuine. He was a character and very funny when you got to know him. He cared so deeply about GRCC and what he could do to help people. His loss creates a huge gap for everyone here.”
Hamilton said Mark was always positive, even as his health challenges mounted.
Mark worked as a Y2K project manager for Gillette Corp. and was a special projects support consultant for EDS/Blue Cross Blue Shield in his native Massachusetts before starting at GRCC. He constantly looked for opportunities to gain additional training in operating systems and other aspects of his work so he could better serve the campus.
Hamilton said Mark adored his wife, Dian, and their children and grandchildren, “and they adored him back. Whenever Mark talked about his family, he glowed.”
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I didn’t even know Mark was ill. It was such a pleasure and honor to work with him. He loved helping and finding creative ways to resolve IT and Blackboard problems. For him it seemed like the more difficult and complex the problem, the more he enjoyed the work. We had a lot of fun together. I will miss him very much.