Mark Helfer ’51

Mark Helfer ’51 died on June 15 at his beloved Knitson Old Farmhouse in Dorset, England, after a long illness. Mark was part of a panel of classmates at his 50th reunion who reflected on their searches for the perfect place or situation that gave them great joy in life. In his case, perfection was finding England (as part of a tour of duty in the U.S. Navy), wife Rachel and, through her, the 400-year-old Knitson farmhouse. “I knew at once I had found the place on earth that was exactly where I belonged,” he recalled. Mark and Rachel and their five children spent the next 25 years as dairy and sheep farmers. He was very active with the National Farmers Union and in building buying and selling cooperatives. Another great interest was his work with Farm Africa, an aid organization helping farmers on that continent. In time Mark and Rachel built a car park on their property and a charming B&B that attracted several ’51 classmates. Mark, who we knew as “Sturdy,” came to Dartmouth from Massena High School in Binghamton, New York. He later described his Dartmouth years as “majoring in DOC” (actually, English). He was active in Cabin & Trail and was president of the Mountaineering Club. He was a member of Kappa Kappa Kappa. Family members who attended Dartmouth were Mark’s father, Martin Helfer ’27, and brothers James Stone ’55 and Murray Helfer ’58.