Richard M. "Dick" Marcks Enters Chapter Eternal
POSTED: 2011-11-28 :: LAST UPDATED: 2011-11-28, 16:21 ET
Richard M. "Dick" Marcks (Virginia)
December 13, 1931 – September 30, 2011
Sigma Nu Hall of Fame member, Brother Richard M. “Dick” Marcks entered the Chapter Eternal on Friday, September 30, 2011.
Brother Marcks was initiated into the Beta Chapter at the University of Virginia in 1950. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1953 he served two years as a U.S. Naval officer. He then received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1958 and his Ph.D. from the University of Southern Utah in 1989.
Brother Marcks practiced law briefly in Pennsylvania before joining Scott Paper Company in 1959 to begin an international marketing and sales career. For Scott Paper he worked first as export manager for Africa and the Middle East and, later, as marketing director for Europe. Subsequently, he joined Carnation International in Europe serving as marketing director of the German affiliate and then commercial director of their French company. Dick worked with Nestle in Switzerland as product director for their milk, coffee, beverage, and yogurt products group and then as vice president of marketing for Nestle Japan in Kobe. In 1976 Brother Marcks became Vice President International for Hershey Foods. Subsequently, he was named President and CEO of Hershey International and served in that capacity for 13 years. He served as Managing Director for Transfer Metalized Paper, Berlin from 1990-92.
In 1986, the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation asked Brother Marcks to work on a committee to design, develop, fund and implement an ethical leadership program for new initiates. This program, called LEAD for Leadership, Excellence, Achievement and Development, is now taught to young men who join Sigma Nu at more than 175 college locations. Marcks appreciated this opportunity to influence the ethical leadership skills of many of our country’s future leaders.
Brother Marcks’ service to Sigma Nu included Chairman, LEAD Program and Campaign, 1987-1990; Chairman of the LEADership Council; Sigma Nu Educational Foundation Board Member, 1988-2007; Foundation Vice Chairman 2001-2002; Foundation Life Director 2007-2011.
Brother Marcks received the 1988 Distinguished Alumnus Award of the Legion of Honor and in 1992 was named to the Sigma Nu Hall of Honor, the highest award for individual service the Legion of Honor can bestow.
A beautiful service was held on October 7, 2011, in Lancaster, PA, to pay tribute to the life of Brother Marcks. His family, friends and Brothers were in attendance. An opportunity to share personal reflections of interactions with Dick brought some amazing stories to light. There were three young men who spoke of how their lives have been changed by someone who was not a family member, but a concerned friend. One of the young men spoke of how Dick helped to get him accepted into college. Another shared how he coached him through his first interview and another of how Dick took him on a tour of colleges when he was making his deciding which school to attend offering advice and encouragement along the way.
Dick did these things because he believed his role was to be a good role model for the youth of America; to teach them to be responsible members of society. Dick did this for more than just the three men above; his work with the LEAD Program has now touched over 50,000 Sigma Nu’s. That’s a lasting legacy that we are honored to remember and we are proud to call Dick our Brother.
Brother Marcks was a dedicated and faithful member of the Legion of Honor and he will be missed by the Fraternity he loved so dearly.
