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Mark Whiteside – The Passing of a Friend

I only met Mark briefly in person once at the 2002 BCA Championships, but I enjoyed many long conversations with Mark over the last four years on all sorts of pool related topics. From them I came away impressed not only with his extensive knowledge of pool, but also his deep love for the game. Mark was 100% a pool person. I think this came through in his tournament coverage, which clearly demonstrated his knowledge and his insights into the dynamics of the professional pool. I believe he was only getting better with each article, and I felt that his report in Billiards Digest on the ring games at Derby City was his best yet. Mark had served as the editor of the Amateur Billiard News and Inside Pool.

Mark Whiteside

I greatly appreciated the reviews Mark wrote on my books. And Mark was always very supportive of my work and was more than willing to help whenever asked. He worked closely with Janet Beal and myself on Mike Massey’s World of Trick Shots. The paragraph below is from the acknowledgements of the book:

Mark Whiteside spent many hours next to Janet (Beal) at the computer pouring over the diagrams and text. His many suggestions for improving the book and his work proof reading helped to improve the quality of the book

Less than two weeks ago Mark left his home in Pittsburgh for St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for transplants on his kidneys and liver. A few days ago I emailed a web site dedicated to Mark at the hospital, urging his recovery, telling him that the pool world needed him back chronicling the events of our sport. I knew his condition was very serious, but somehow felt he would recover. That he did not was a shock.

Mark’s wife Carol and family and the billiard world have lost a great guy and a true friend. He will definitely be missed.

Phil Capelle

Photo courtesy of Diana Hoppe - Pool Pics by Hoppe and AZBilliards.com

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