Mark Xavier Odum passed away in his sleep January 15th, 2025. More than likely, he went to bed positive he’d wake up in the morning. Mark was a positive guy, and it was his upbeat outlook on life that made it possible to live as long as he did.
Mark was the fourth of seven children, growing up in Landover Hills, Maryland, and life was never quiet. Imagine four boys, six years apart, living in one bedroom with bunk beds! While a student at St. Mary’s School Mark developed his love of sports and music, playing on the All Stars team and becoming a standout player. He also became very active in Boy Scouting, later earning his Eagle Scout Award while he was in High School. He attended Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, DC., playing multiple sports, and making many friends, some of whom stayed steadfast friends throughout his life. He loved sports and competition, as a spectator and a player. Through his teens, he led a highly physical, active life – in constant motion, training and competing.
At 19, Mark’s life changed dramatically when he experienced a spinal cord injury which left him with quadriplegia. He spent a year in recovery and rehabilitation, relearning how to eat, write, drive, and all the other everyday things. Independence was the dominant theme, and it pushed him forward. In a recent “note to self” article, he said, “Throughout that year, my goal was to get back to my life, and I did.” He did much more than that.
Mark didn’t just go to college after his injury, he became an advocate for accessibility and inclusion at the University of Maryland. Mark showed up to a campus that was never built for someone in a wheelchair, but he went from lecture hall to classroom, carried up and down stairs in his chair when needed. While completing his bachelor’s degrees in communication and journalism, he became a representative for students with disabilities on campus. He returned to UMD decades later to complete his MBA.
He didn’t just come back from a spinal cord injury; he made sure that the next injured person had a hand to lift them up. Mark became a peer mentor, sharing his experience with newly injured people and their families to help them transition through rehabilitation and back into their communities. He joined the National Spinal Cord Injury Association board in the early 1980s and served as its president, building a coalition between state and local SCI groups. He seemed to know everyone in the SCI community and was ready to connect a newcomer to anyone in his network.
Mark didn’t just get a job; he built a career as an information professional driven to connect people to vital resources. He joined the National Rehabilitation Information Center in its earliest days at Catholic University as its first media specialist and took over as director in 1988. He led NARIC for four decades, shepherding each transformation: from a small office to a full library, from bookshelves and card catalogs to databases and websites, from phone banks of information specialists to a team of digital professionals. He was extremely proud of NARIC and how it supported the independence and participation of people with disabilities. He was equally passionate about sharing the work of the researchers and developers funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. Mark always said, “We talk to people when they’re at their lowest moments. They’re in a funk and just need someone to point them in the right direction. We give them the resources and research to take those first steps toward independence.”
He didn’t just root for his beloved teams; he lived and breathed with them. After college, he went to work for the Capitals media and analysis group. When the Ravens and Orioles built new stadiums, he joined commissions and boards to help ensure that their stadiums and facilities were accessible to everyone. At the games, he knew all the folks around his seats, from fellow fans to the guy with the beer, and had a smile for everyone no matter how badly the game was going. He took his fantasy fandom just as seriously, serving as commissioner for a fantasy football league of a dozen teams coordinating trades across multiple time zones.
Mark didn’t just love his family and friends, he loved them fiercely and with his whole heart. He was protective of his brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, cheering their successes and gently but firmly guiding them through the rough patches. He would be honest with you if he saw you were in trouble, but always with kindness and his trademark optimism. He enthusiastically welcomed family and friends to his home, and Mark’s house became the place to be for holiday gatherings, from Easter with egg hunts, Thanksgiving feasts, and sometimes a bit chaotic, but always loving and giving Christmas celebrations.
Mark didn’t just get back to his life, he built a whole, full life on his own terms. His injury sharpened his drive for independence. It also helped him recognize that one cannot do everything alone. Mark surrounded himself with a community of family, friends, and colleagues who were there when he needed support, and who knew they could turn to him in their hour of need. In his Note to Self, he wrote to a young Mark: “You’re going to do amazing things: finish college, travel the world, work for sports franchises you’ve admired your whole life, and be the boss of a great team of dedicated professionals. You’ll even visit the White House! You’ll do it all because of what you learned here: Do everything you can for yourself, and your community will be there when you need it.”
Mark will be deeply missed by many people. We invite you to share your memories here in the comments or send them to us at naricinfo@heitechservices.com.
