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MARK CHARETTE, W'85
An Amazing Father
When Cheryl Desmarais, W'85, a sophomore at Penn, saw
the grade on her first engineering test, she knew she needed to
find a study partner fast. She took a quick look around the
room and decided that ROTC student Mark Charette would
fit the bill. He was more than a good choice: not only did the
pair help each other pass the class, they both transferred to
Wharton, got engaged right before graduation, and married
a year later. Then came Lauren, Andrew, and Jonathan, now
ages 8, 6, and 2.
On September 11th, Charette, an insurance broker for
Marsh, Inc., in New Jersey, was leading a two-day project
meeting at the World Trade Center. As news of the attacks
spread, remembers Desmarais, there was an overwhelming
outpouring from Charette's clients and colleagues. They talked
about their respect for his honesty, productivity, and energy.
"He had more integrity than anyone I know," she says,
"and the people who worked with him recognized that."
Charette's energy was evident in everything he did,
including his tireless renovation of the family's 120-year-old
Victorian house in Millburn, NJ. "To say he was
handy would be a huge understatement," says his wife.
Charette happily handled the plumbing, heating and electrical
work on the house, built furniture for his kids, and
designed a swingset for the yard.
Yet, despite his drive, says Desmarais, his job, the house
and other interests always took a backseat to his children.
He would go to the office late in order to walk his daughter
to school. He bathed the kids every evening, took them on
camping trips, and never scheduled business appointments
on Halloween. One day, while Charette was cutting lumber
to trim the house, his son asked if he could use some
of the scraps. The two spent the rest of the day building
a birdhouse.
"He was an amazing man," says Desmarais, "and he was
the best father in the world. That, more than anything, is
what I would like people to remember."
Juliana Delany (for Wharton Alumni Magazine)
ROBERT DERANEY, WG'83
'Pretty Much Perfect'
When Michele Haobsh learned last year that she had breast
cancer, she called Robert Deraney, her brother, and said:
"What do I do?"
He provided answers, finding an oncologist and surgeon
and accompanying her to chemotherapy and radiation
appointments. Long before she did, he joined Gilda's Club,
for people with cancer and their families, and made an
appointment for her and her family. "He got me through
it," she said.
Mr. Deraney, 43, a financial consultant who graduated
from Princeton and the Wharton School, was at a breakfast
meeting at Windows on the World on Sept. 11.
He was the "high energy" family organizer, Mrs.
Haobsh said. He planned the annual reunions of 70 rela-tives,
ordering Lebanese food and creating a game — Who
Wants to be a Famillionaire? — based on Deraney trivia.
His Upper West Side apartment was furnished with
family antiques. He set an elegant table with china and sil-ver
for 35 and ended evenings by playing the piano. "He
was," Mrs. Haobsh said, "pretty much perfect."
Copyright © 2001 by The New York Times Company.
Reprinted by permission.
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