Mark R. Leeper

Tribute Book

Mark R. Leeper passed away on February 22, 2025. His end was very peaceful; one moment there was a breath, and the next there wasn't.

Mark was born in Chicago in 1950, and has lived in Chicago, West Virginia, Ohio, Massachusetts, California, Michigan, and for the last 47 years, New Jersey. He received a B.S. in mathematics from the University of Massachusetts in 1972, an M.S. in mathematics from Stanford University in 1974, and an M.E. in electrical engineering and computer science from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1982. While at Stanford, he had a paper published in aequationes mathematicae (Vol. 10, Fasc. 1, 1974) on which he had begun work as an undergraduate, “An Odd Solution to the Functional Equation P((x+1)/2)=exp P(x)”. He was employed at Bell Laboratories in Holmdel and surrounding locations for 23 years until his retirement in 2001. After retiring he ran a free drop-in math tutoring session twice a week for a dozen years at the Old Bridge Public Library, and when he had to leave for health reasons, it was continued by some of the students he had tutored.

For many years, Mark had been the longest-running film reviewer on the Internet, regularly publishing reviews since 1984, and being a member of the Online Film Critics Society since 2014. His first science fiction convention was Boskone VI (1969) and he attended dozens of conventions, serving on panels about film, and also leading origami workshops at many of them. In 1978, Mark and his wife founded the science fiction club at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, which existed until their retirement in 2001, and then continued to produce THE MT VOID, a weekly zine featuring Mark's editorials and film writing. It was published continuously over 46 years, with over 2300 issues. Mark traveled to about five dozen countries and published several lengthy travelogues on-line. He leaves behind him his wife of 52 years Evelyn, sister Sherry, brother David, and many cousins, nieces, nephews, godchildren, and friends.

In lieu of flowers, contributions were asked for the UMass Amherst Foundation, for the Leeper Mathematics Scholarship.

Following are some of the tributes to Mark sent to me.

I am sure Mark will be remembered by many for his intelligence and curiosity. I’ll mostly think of him as the kind uncle who always made an effort to engage us as kids. -LG

I always enjoyed reading Mark’s writing, and I remember fondly the brief conversations I've had with him (and you) at various conventions. He was one of the people who made Fandom the community I have so enjoyed being a part of these sixty-odd years. -FL

I don't think I've met either of you, but I have enjoyed your zines so much, and yes, a lot of that was the movie reviews. I'm sorry for your loss. And for ours. -KW

While I am not sure I ever met Mark in person, I have subscribed to MT VOID for many years and always enjoyed Mark's writing and opinions. This leaves a literal void in fandom as well as a great personal loss to you and his family and friends. -SDG

I haven't seen you in years, but it was always a delight to get a little postcard from the two of you every Friday. He will be missed by many. -PDP

Many condolences to you and family for Mark's passing. He left a legacy that was felt far away in other lands. -DS [Calgary, Alberta]

I enjoyed every interaction I had with Mark, in person at cons and otherwise. He was smart, funny, and interesting to talk to. I always learned something from his movie reviews. -JS

It is with a very heavy heart that I received this beautiful obituary. I'm sure that I'm just one more expression of sympathy among what I'm sure will be a flood of similar messages. If you find time to read this, please know that I cherished our friendship and having known Mark. Although our interactions have been sparse and I've mostly had the vicarious pleasure of keeping up with the two of you through the MTVoid, I have loved having that connection. My time in NJ (1979-83) was both heady and unsettling. I believe that I was one of the first to break free of the pressure cooker that ACS had become. But, I have no doubt that I met some truly outstanding people there who have colored and influenced my life. Mark was one of those. And, you were one of those. I wish you both love. Mark will be missed. -GT

Really sorry to hear this news about Mark. He was a very good friend and I have very pleasant memories of the time when you both lived in Michigan. I joined the WSU and Oakland U science fiction clubs hoping to find someone who liked Sci-Fi films like I did. I found that with Mark and you. -GF

I have worked at Indian Hill in Naperville since 1986 through various company names and Mark’s and your newsletter has been a weekly highlight for a majority of those years. Thank you for all the enjoyment that it has brought me! -JG

A remarkable life he had and he and you shared. -MS

I've long been a fan of you and Mark and I will never forget how kind you both were and how special it was for me to meet both of you in the Lucent class so many years ago. -TY

He was a good man and your relationship was a light in the darkness. -FL

I enjoyed immensely seeing you and Mark at the too-few cons we attended together. And of course, much more frequently, I marveled at your unmatched perseverance in sharing your views of the world through MT Void, travelogues, and more. For some reason, my mind goes immediately to a picture of Mark in that ultra-practical item of the smart traveler's wardrobe, his Vest of Many Pockets. And to his amazing run on — was it a movie questions bulletin board at IMDB? Where his score of naming even the most obscure flick from a paltry clue or two dwarfed everybody else's by a factor of, let me be mathematically precise here as Mark would have wanted, a gazillion. I'll miss him. -BD

Mark was brilliant and I enjoyed his feedback in our science fiction book and film club. -NS

Through the weekly MT VOID I've felt more connected to the two of you than any other fanzine fans I know — I will miss seeing his work and opinions.

I probably first encountered his writing in LAN'S LANTERN — he was easily the best writer among Lan's contributors. -MG

I’ve known Mark since 1983, when I joined the Labs, and I always liked and respected his intellect and his sense of humor. Although I’ve not had contact with him since covid, I’ve thought about him regularly, and not just when the MT VOID came out. I will miss his grin, and his insights. -RM

Just came to know about the passing away of my good friend Mark Leeper. I first met Mark 30 years ago when I was a student at Rutgers in New Jersey. We both shared a passion for math and cinema. He was one of the first ever internet movie critics and established a good reputation with both film fans and movie studios, who used to send him promo kits of award-nominated movies. His knowledge and articulation of movies and its history made an impression on me. At his home, I got to see many classics like Lawrence Of Arabia (one of my Top 10 movies) and acquired a taste for low-budget horror movies like Carnival Of Souls (still one of my favorite horror movies ever). With his wife Evelyn we got to see many great movies in the theaters in NJ like The Emperor And The Assassin (one of my Top 10 movies). And got to discuss them over a meal before or after, at local restaurants in the Matawan NJ area. We also made a day trip to NYC once — had lunch in Chinatown, attended the late great Jerry Goldsmith's concert with the NY Philharmonic, and saw The Eel at Angelika Film Center. We talked about going to the Toronto Film Festival but I couldn't make it. I ended up working at the same company that he did Lucent/Bell Labs now part of Nokia. His home phone is one of the few numbers I still remember to this day.

Over the years I'd moved around the US but always got to meet Mark and Evelyn whenever I was in NJ. My last trip to NJ was 2 years ago and even then, I am glad to have met them — at a Dunkin near a friend’s house. I guess I am writing all this for myself but if there's one thing you can take away it is this — cherish your friendships and make time for your friends and people close to you. Life is ephemeral and the past seems to be a blur because we spend 99% of our life on mundane and routine things. Live in the moment and do things that matter to you. RIP Mark. You lived a good life. -LM

I am sorry for your loss, and the loss to the science fiction community. I am a relative newcomer to NESFA Library email list, and I have been enjoying the informative issues of the MT Void that appear in my inbox. -NS

Mark was a good friend to me while going up in Longmeadow and I have thought about him often over the years. My wife and I have talked about him many times. -LM

He will be missed by many like myself who only knew him online. -JM

I remember my discussion with Mark on the movie Pretty Woman many years ago. I will always cherish the fond memories of those movie discussions. -RS

That's sad news about Mark. We'll all miss him, and his puns and fund of cinematic knowledge and insight. -CH

Mark was a special man and you two were an extraordinary couple. I always thought of you two as friends. Would be that Bell Labs survived, and we could have worked together for many more years. -RK

I can still remember many of the interesting conversations we used to have back when we worked in Middletown. -KR

Heartfelt condolences. Mark’s friendship was a blessing to me. I will miss him greatly. -GE

It's been many years since I first met both of you when I drove a group from UMass down to a theater somewhere near Springfield to see 2001:A Space Odyssey. Since then, I have been very happy to know both of you. -JR

Mark’s writing, intellect and humour will be greatly missed. I hope you will be comforted on this sad day by knowing that many have fond memories of him and will enjoy rereading his writings. -AK [United Kingdom]

Guy only introduced me to a handful of his friends. I'm glad that you and Mark were in the select group and that we got to know each other. -DM

I knew Mark only through his few posts here and writings on travel and movies but he seemed like a terrific guy, always willing to help and share knowledge. I know the two of you had a great life together. -WM

I remember Mark from the internal newsgroups and other things he wrote. I don't think I met him in person. His character shone through everything, though, and reading about how he tutored neighbors for free is quite heart warming. I'm sure that is the tip of the iceberg of his generosity. And between the lines of what you've written about him in recent years, I've seen the love you have held for him. -TR

I had a few contacts with Mark at work, usually because I had gotten myself all tangled up in some Unix situation, and called for help. It was reassuring to hear him coming down the hall to bail me out. Always successfully. -JB

I never met Mark in person but I felt almost like I knew him from many of your posts. -KK

I only met the two of you once, at a con in Boston, but I feel I've known you both for many years. -PT

I met Mark outside the auditorium during a coffee klatch at Middletown, probably sometime in 1985 or 1986. We got to shoot the breeze about movies and inevitably whenever I would come up with a film that I thought I’d catch him not having seen, he’d whip out his HP hand-held and two-finger (or was it two-thumb?) right to his review! I really appreciated his profound depth of film and the discussions we had. I have enjoyed the MT VOID for almost forty years and always find it interesting. Thanks so much for making my Friday mornings. -TP

I always much appreciated receiving MT VOID. -GP

I was so sorry to read about Mark’s death. I grew up down the street from the Leepers and graduated from high school with him. Years later I saw his name on the internet and got in touch with him. We saw him and Evelyn when they came to Massachusetts for a con. My husband, daughter, and I would have dinner with them and other friends of theirs. My daughter would especially enjoy it because she was treated as an adult. My condolences to you all. -SCW

I'm another who only knows Mark & Evelyn through USENET and the MT VOID. My sympathies to everyone who knew the man in real life. -KJR

May Mark’s memory be a blessing and may fandom remember his contributions for years to come. -TD

I just now realize that Mark just passed — I'm so sorry. Ever since I first came to the US (June 25, 1990) I've read Mark's reviews (first off Usenet) and always appreciated his insight and wit. Great loss. -PL

And another (very poetic) friend wrote:

Measuring a man

According to his deeds, it's

Rare for one like Mark,

Keeping so many torches

Lit, to be with us at all.

-JH

"An acrostic in unrhymed 5-7-5-7-7-syllable lines like Japanese tanka."