Alumni Profiles
York flourishes in Hollywood
Traveling music groups, Dativus all celebrating with reunions
York flourishes in Hollywood
By Andrew Young
How did Marcus York BA ’97 graduate with a triple major in psychology, sociology, and social work and end up on the set of NBC’s TV show The Office listening to film star Steve Carell crack jokes and improv lines? It’s been a long road from his hometown of Arcanum, Ohio, to Hollywood, but it has proven successful. York has been a part of several high-profile movies and television shows. He also has a promising career as a writer. But his road to success hasn’t been without its bumps.
In January 1988, York was involved in a near-fatal car accident a mile from home. It left him paraplegic. He spent the next three months at the rehab unit of Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio.
York was an active young man before his accident. In high school he played basketball, baseball, and football. After high school, he worked hard, too. After his accident, he was determined not to let his new situation slow him down. “After a few more months of outpatient physical rehab and adapting to a new kind of lifestyle, I began work with classified documents at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio,” says York. Sports also remained part of his life. He actively weight trains and over the years has traveled to various cities to compete in 26.2-mile marathons.
While working as a business manager for a private practice, he decided to add college to his résumé. He came to AU — his brother, Brian’s, alma mater — in 1993. It was his brother’s experience at AU and his home church of Salem Church of God that drew York to AU. But, he adds, “The fact that Joe Royer, executive director of facilities, built the ramp at the Adult-Ed building made me feel instantly welcome.”
York didn’t slow down in college. Besides studying for three majors, he announced at the AU men’s and women’s basketball games. He enjoyed AU events such as Cheap Thrills. But the most memorable time for him was simply the camaraderie with his housemates Brian, Brent Wilson BA ’97, and John Cox BA ‘97. It was also during college that York began modeling for print ads for a number of agencies in a few surrounding states. Modeling turned into commercials and industrial videos.
Then York noticed in the Indianapolis Star that a movie was being filmed at Union Station (the train station in Indianapolis), titled Going All the Way, about soldiers returning home from the Korean War.
“I wondered if they’d be interested in adding some realism by including an injured soldier in the film. I called them and they had me come in to be fitted for a soldier’s uniform. My brother, Brian, and I spent a few days on the set and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.”
The film starred (then unknown) Ben Affleck, Jeremy Davies, Rachel Weisz, Rose McGowan, and veteran actresses Jill Clayburgh and Leslie Ann Warren. York hit it off with the film’s director, Mark Pellington (director of Arlington Road and the Mothman Prophecies).
“He was pretty cool and gave me his home phone number and address in Los Angeles. He told me if I ever decided to move to Hollywood, to give him and his wife a call and they’d hook me up. Well, later I did move. And they did hook me up with my theatrical and commercial agent, Kazarian-Spencer & Associates, my second week in L.A. I’m still with them, seven years later.”
York has appeared in 12 films, including shooting for two weeks for Steven Spielberg’s Artificial Intelligence. “Unfortunately, I wound up on the cutting room floor,” says York. But he has appeared in eight different TV shows, such as 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter and most recently two guest-starring spots on The Office.
“One of the goals is to stay in character,” says York, “which can be a challenge since Steve Carell is so funny and improvs lines here and there. It definitely keeps you on your toes during scenes, or your front wheels, as the case may be.”
At the moment, York is writing feature-length film scripts, acting, and spending time with his wife, Lori, and family.
“As an actor and writer in Hollywood,” said York, “I’d say the most rewarding aspects of what I do are playing a variety of different characters which allows me to portray diverse images that further broaden viewers’ minds of what a wheelchair-user should be.”
York realizes his success in life has a lot to do with the people who have influenced him and helped him along the way. Growing up, his role models were his mom, Becky (who raised him and his brother in the church); his father, Glenn; and his grandparents, John and Jewell York and John and Chloe Ritz. As an adult, his brother, Brian, has been a great influence on his life. Brian now works in the Christian music industry at Majestic Productions for Ryan Bates ’91, who purchased the company from Sandi Patty. York has also enjoyed the relationship with his two younger half-brothers, Jeff and David. Then there were people who stepped in when he needed help, such as family and friends who built an addition onto his mother’s home after the accident to make it accessible.
York feels blessed by the many people who have helped him and his family along his journey, and he responds by doing what he can in various charitable organizations, such as The Red Cross, The United Way, The March of Dimes, Organ/Skin Tissue Donor Recruiting, The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, acting as chairman of the Americans with Disabilities Act of Darke County, Ohio, and more. “More than just having experiences, the importance of giving back, especially when others have helped me, has always been a priority,” explains York. “I guess, in volunteering for these organizations, I’m trying to help others in the same way I was helped.” York adds that he would be more than willing to help anyone coming from AU to Hollywood.
“It’d be nice for AU grads who may get into the entertainment industry to help each other and hook each other up when possible,” says York. Those wanting to contact York can visit his Web site at www.geocities.com/marcusayork.
Traveling music groups, Dativus all celebrating with reunions
By Deborah Lilly
Homecoming 2006 will be filled with the usual exciting activities, from RavenFest4 to the football game. But two special events are being planned this year for music lovers and for Dativus alumni. A second Celebration of Song is scheduled for Saturday morning at 10 in Park Place Church of God. And throughout the weekend, Dativus alumni will be celebrating the club’s 35th anniversary through service and fellowship.
Reunion Concert
During Homecoming 2003, alumni packed Byrum Hall for the reunion concert of male quartets from the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s. This year the program has expanded to include women’s quartets and trios and other mixed groups.
One of the groups that will be reunited for the event is the Anderson College Trio of Rowenna Dodge Anderson, Betty Zumwalt Tufts, and Evelyn Allen Harper, with pianist Louetta Hency Beard. The foursome traveled together the summer of 1954, going south through Tennessee and Mississippi and heading west through Texas, Arizona, Nevada, California, up north to Oregon, where they sang at the International Youth Convention. Along the way they gave concerts every night and sometimes two or three on Sundays. The concerts would be interspersed with their testimonies of faith and their experiences at Anderson University.
It was a long trip for four young girls to take alone, but Beard, who was also the main driver, says, “We were too young to know any better.” They did have to be careful at service stations, where an attendant often tried to persuade them to buy more than just gas.
“We would stop and get our gas and if they told us we needed something, we had to stop and think are they trying to bamboozle us four girls or do we really need a new fan belt,” says Beard. “It was really amazing how many fan belts we were told we needed that summer.”
“The Lord took care of us,” remembers Tufts. “We only had one flat tire during the trip, and that happened in a minister’s driveway”
This year’s concert will feature more than 10 groups from the 1940s through the 1990s. One of the youngest groups there will be Presence, a late 80s/early 90s quartet of Randy Miller, Tim Hatch, David Anderson, and Jeff Bell. The group, which debuted at Cheap Thrills, had a repertoire of 1950s music and of old hymns and Southern gospel music. The group traveled during the summers of 1990, 1991, and 1992, going out west and doing two tours of Florida, mostly at Church of God venues.
Dativus Reunion
The members of Presence have a rather big weekend planned. Not only will they be singing together for the reunion concert, as Dativus alumni, they will be celebrating 35 years of the Dativus social club.Miller, who was raised in Anderson, grew up going to the Dativus show Cheap Thrills. “I always wanted to be a Dativus member,” he recalls. “I loved Club and I’m excited that we’re celebrating 35 years. It’s meaningful because we’re coming back to a Club that’s still flourishing.”
Steve Mahuron was an original member of Dativus when it began in the early 1970s and served as the Club’s president for a year and a half. The 23 men who started the club did so in an effort to create something that reflected themselves and their vision.
“I remember attending the first Cheap Thrills — and believe me that’s what they were — shows and listening to the buzz of the audience wondering what would happen this time,” remembers Mahuron. “We had come up with a campus activity that a person could attend for a quarter. We served refreshments — a cup of Coke and three cookies for a dime at intermission.” They used the proceeds to help the college — purchasing a spotlight for the drama department and a pizza oven for the Student Center.
Over the last three years, Mahuron as the President of the Dativus Alumni Association has been helping contact Dativus alumni and is looking forward to putting names with faces during the anniversary celebration at Homecoming. Dativus’ Greek letters are Delta Kappa Alpha, which stand for Service, Fellowship, and Integrity. “I am encouraged by how Dativus has continued to evolve in its ministry to others as well as its ministry to its members,” says Mahuron. “Their passion for the Club today reminds me of why we started Dativus in the first place.”
Dativus activities for the weekend (weekend theme is also "Service, Fellowship, and Intregity") include a campus service project, a golf tournament, an alumni breakfast and businees meeting, dinner, a worship service, and, of course, Cheap Thrills. For costs for any of these events, contact the Alumni Office at (765) 641-4100, check out the www.dativus.org/35th web site and or email Steve Mahuron at smahuron@yahoo.com .
